Off shore gaming experience.
I am a believer that Michigan is going to have an epic season this year and would like to place a couple futures bets.
Has anyone used Bovada? Were you able to deposit and withdraw funds successfully? I tried to fund an account using my credit card and the card company did not approve the international transaction.
August 20th, 2018 at 6:23 PM ^
Typically you have to call your card company and pre-approve the transaction. Call Bovada and ask them what the transaction will appear as. In general, having funds deposited is a pain in the ass.
August 20th, 2018 at 6:24 PM ^
Edit: I just put $500 on Michigan to win @ ND by 2 or more points.??And put $100 on O$U to NOT win by 38 or more (against Oregon State).... feeling very confident! This was in Vegas tho....not offshore. I would like feedback on my bets! The question is, am I crazy.
August 20th, 2018 at 6:50 PM ^
Yes, you are crazy. If you can't afford the bets, Don't bet.
August 20th, 2018 at 6:52 PM ^
Also, I am active duty military and can’t afford these bets but I am that confident.
Do you enjoy throwing your money away? The guys who set these lines aren't idiots.
August 20th, 2018 at 7:37 PM ^
But the goal of a line setter is not to "get it right"...rather it is to set the line at the exact point where there will be $x bet on both sides because then they win no matter the outcome.
August 20th, 2018 at 9:34 PM ^
It's more complicated than that. Vegas doesn't necessarily want 50/50 every game.
But you should always be careful of thinking you can outsmart them. ONLY bet if you have cash to spare.
August 21st, 2018 at 10:16 AM ^
Um, yes, they do. It doesn't always happen but in a perfect world, Vegas ALWAYS wants equal distribution across the spread, which guarantees profit regardless of outcome because of vig.
August 21st, 2018 at 11:00 AM ^
That's what I used to think, but awhile ago I heard a Vegas insider explain the process of setting lines. 50/50 means only modest profits for them. They don't want every game to be like that. They want the line to be enticing enough for people on both sides to to bet, but they still want to get a majority of the money on the losing side if they can.
August 20th, 2018 at 11:03 PM ^
I’m sure O$U will beat Oregon state.....but not by 38pts..... I was drinking a little bit when I wrote that post earlier… I literally just walked out of the sports book. I can afford to lose that money. This is my first time ever gambling on sports and I am pretty stoked about it. Let’s hope September first is a great day and the game does not go into overtime.??
August 20th, 2018 at 7:03 PM ^
Betting lines aren't set by people who are looking to lose money. You're crazy for betting cash you can't afford to lose.
I hope you win your bets.
August 20th, 2018 at 7:36 PM ^
No one should ever gamble or make a bet if they cant afford to lose...this coming from someone who does like to gamble.
August 20th, 2018 at 7:47 PM ^
Like the Michigan bet, but not the OSU. Oregon St is fricking terrible.
August 20th, 2018 at 7:51 PM ^
Crazy...yes. Also a complete idiot. Literally the first rule of gambling is to bet only what you can afford.
August 20th, 2018 at 9:33 PM ^
to lose...see I finished your post for you
August 21st, 2018 at 1:05 AM ^
Fair enough. I meant to say CAN afford. I have a job. Either way I’m still confident with the bets (even after sobering up). I’m confident Michigan will be 1-0.
August 21st, 2018 at 12:53 AM ^
Osu will win by 40+. This may be the worst team OSU plays in the last 3 years.
August 20th, 2018 at 6:25 PM ^
I've used Bovada and many different offshore sites. 5dimes is my preferred site now. I haven't had issues with my card being declined, however I would reccomend getting some bitcoin and wagering with that. With real money you get pretty substantial wait times on payouts, and usually get hit with some fees.
Edit: yes, I'm a degenerate.
August 20th, 2018 at 10:33 PM ^
5dimes has great less-juiced and maybe it’s just me but I absolutely hate their website design , especially its mobile layout . Bovada is 10 times more user friendly from a web design standpoint but the downside is their lines are way more juiced .
August 21st, 2018 at 2:40 AM ^
Bitcoin is a gamble in of itself
August 20th, 2018 at 6:35 PM ^
I thought this was going to be a thread about deep sea fishing
August 20th, 2018 at 7:17 PM ^
Me too. Disappointment. Was going to highly recommend taking an offshore charter if anyone is on a trip to Costa Rica. Caught the trophy fish of my life there and enjoyed the trip more than any offshore trips stateside.
August 20th, 2018 at 8:34 PM ^
pics, or it didn't happen.
and since when are catfish caught off the coast of costa rica (hillbilly fav fish)? seriously though, guessing a beautiful billfish? please describe species/size/tackle etc.
August 20th, 2018 at 8:45 PM ^
Tbh, there's not a lot that I want in life, but wrangling monster catfish in a muddy river in the deep south is on my bucket list.
August 20th, 2018 at 8:52 PM ^
Striped Marlin. Over 100". Beautiful fish. No idea on the trolling setup. Took an hour to get it to the boat.
Dervin Suarez was the guy I arranged the charter though with yellowfin charters. Based out of guanacaste.
Bonus was catching a couple mahi. Three fillets went to the crew for their families and the last one the wife and I had cooked a few different ways at a restaurant on the beach at sunset. Perfect anniversary vacation.
August 20th, 2018 at 8:59 PM ^
though its been years, when younger we were fairly frequent billfishers. i had a pretty nice rig for doing so. for my bachelor party about half my football team went with me to a buddy's ranch down in the baja and we had tremendous fishing for stripers. best story ever though was being outfitted for stripers and hooking a large blue - the gringo version of old man and the sea.
i would add that of all the billfish i've ever caught (or helped others) i've never seen a stripe that was your indicated length of nearly 10'. googling the world record yields a 494 lb monster from down under. picture here: ....psych. 3.0 defeats me yet again.
August 20th, 2018 at 10:27 PM ^
That's a monster. Mine was not a thick fish, length was more impressive. If there is a way to pm, I'll send you a pic wearing my UM hat for proof.
You've had quite the life so far. Definitely doing it right. Would love to hook up a blue Marlin someday.
August 21st, 2018 at 5:45 AM ^
that'd be a dandy of a fish and the M hat would make hat photo just about perfect.
blue marlin is just a thicker fish - 9 1/2 hour fight to get it on the boat. 3 of us traded off. storm coming in the day before thanksgiving 1990. finally ended up pulling it in by hand, trying to break off the fish but it came in. we fed a whole village with that one and feasted on it ourselves. too burnt out to fish the next day.
August 20th, 2018 at 9:04 PM ^
One of the things I'm most looking forward to after getting more comfortable on my sailboat is getting offshore and doing some fishing on the way to the Bahamas. Just the idea of having the freshest possible sushi is enough to put me in a good mood when I'm upside down in a lazarette working on something.
August 20th, 2018 at 9:08 PM ^
a. there's a minimum of 3 buffet songs in that post of yours
b. you won't be catching billfish on a sailboat unless that boat is a cat and you have a pretty decent wind. generally troll at least 10 kts for billfish.
August 20th, 2018 at 9:22 PM ^
Anchor up, find some flats, and get after bonefish in the Bahamas. Pound for pound, they're the best fight in the ocean, and anything on light tackle trumps the pelagics in my humble opinion.
August 20th, 2018 at 8:48 PM ^
I have never fished there, but I have clients who fish there regularly and hear nothing but awesome things. One of the offshore fishing meccas of the world.
August 20th, 2018 at 6:45 PM ^
Been using offshore books for over a decade. Have used Bovada, Sportsbook, and 5Dimes. None of them have stiffed me.
Of those books, Bovada has given me the least amount of headaches on withdraws. They issue an paper international check, my bank usually clears in 2 days.
My credit card company has declined my deposits before...Just call your bank and tell them to allow international purchases temporarily.
August 20th, 2018 at 7:11 PM ^
I use sbg global. Never had a problem using my cards. Collected 3 big checks last year during our basketball run. All 3 were deposited with no issue, but they were from Singapore and I was a little nervous taking them to the bank. I deposited them via ATM lol
August 20th, 2018 at 7:12 PM ^
There are some great places in Bolivia.
August 20th, 2018 at 7:34 PM ^
do they have mario cart?
EDIT: i've got a simple rule when it comes to gambling and the university of michigan:
No Gambling On Michigan Sports Ever.
I am too invested in the outcome to approach it dispassionately so there is a universal boycott.
August 20th, 2018 at 7:42 PM ^
Related question...does anyone know if Michigan has a plan to legalize sports betting? Would be nice if one of the Deteoit Casinos could open a sportsbook.
August 20th, 2018 at 8:25 PM ^
This is fairly recent. The part of the article dealing with sports betting is at the bottom.
August 20th, 2018 at 9:03 PM ^
Sounds like maybe the Nov 2019 ballot? Does something like that have to go on the ballot?
August 20th, 2018 at 8:08 PM ^
I’ve used Bovada for 4 years. In January I put $70 on Michigan BBAll to win it all at 100-1. I should have bet $3500 on nova before the final game. Cest la vie.... bottom line Bovada is solid
August 20th, 2018 at 8:47 PM ^
Christ, you didn't hedge? Lol. There's no shame in a hedge no matter what you hear. This is about making money...
August 20th, 2018 at 8:21 PM ^
nitrogensports.eu is by far the best in my opinion. They've been operating a long time, great number of games across all sports (and goofy props), instant deposits and withdrawals, it's all around great.
August 20th, 2018 at 8:21 PM ^
Hey man, I haven’t looked at any of the odds yet, but we are very talented on both sides of the ball and flying under the radar a little.
Sounds like a perfect storm to me
August 20th, 2018 at 8:22 PM ^
I tried it out last season...it was WAY harder than I thought it would be. Those dudes who set the lines absolutely know what they’re doing, and they’ll kick your ass. I tucked my tail between my legs and gave up sports betting after last season; the stress was taking the fun out of watching the games.
August 20th, 2018 at 8:37 PM ^
Another nod for Bovada. I've had no issues getting withdraws in the 10+ years I've used them (previously bodog). They seem to cover the most sports, and have a solid set of futures and props. In my experience, they also have the most user/mobile-friendly interface of any of the major sites.
If you're creating a new account, make sure you get at least a 50% match on your initial deposit, which should be easy to find this time of year. Read the fine print on bonuses on whichever site you end up, as many will offer 1-2x matches, but require something stupid (like 25x rollover) before you can actually withdraw. If memory serves correct, Bovada is only a 5x rollover.
Edit: I'm a functioning degenerate and will place 1,000+ wagers throughout the season. I will lose 80% of them if previous results are an indication of future success.
August 20th, 2018 at 9:17 PM ^
Most sites require 25x rollover (winnings) before you can withdraw? Man. Wall Street is so far behind the times...
August 20th, 2018 at 8:37 PM ^
I have used Bovada. Use another card if one you have doesn't work.
The problem I've had with them is getting my bankroll cashed out. They send a check but they often change the source of the funds numerous times before you get/cash the check. And at some point your bank will tell you there is insufficient funds for a check you are trying to cash and they wilw pull the funds and charge you a fee...
I can't wait for legalized gambling everywhere, but at that point the games will be fixed so there will be no point in gambling. And if you don't believe me please notice how many calls are now completely subject to a refs opinion. The helmet call in the most recwnt Vikings game comes to mind for instance. An average NFL game has around 100 yards in penalties. That's enough to keep a game close or make it out of reach all unnoticeable due to the subjective nature of these new rules. Don't say I didn't warn you. Do yourself a favor and put that money in an IRA or if you need action learn poker and join a weekly game. At least there it's not fixed.
August 21st, 2018 at 10:19 AM ^
Use BTC withdrawals. Very easy, fast, and hassle free.
August 21st, 2018 at 12:13 PM ^
Bitcoin? Lol no thanks.
August 21st, 2018 at 4:27 PM ^
Lol? I'm not saying to put your investment portfolio in bitcoin. I'm saying use it is as a means for withdrawing your funds from Bovada. Withdraw to your wallet, then send to your Coinbase wallet and liquidate for USD. The entire process takes less than an hour. It's far superior to having them mail you a check and trying to deal with your bank asking questions about you wanting to deposit a check drawn on a foreign bank account.
August 21st, 2018 at 10:02 PM ^
Pass.