I completely disagree with Fez on the market

The market IS way tighter........the best of course win, but you are cherry picking LEt's just get back into our time machine and 1. Blindly bet ON every NFL dog 2. Blindly bet ON every NFL over starting 10/1 3. Blindly bet AGAINST every big college dog! It's obvious this was going to win big, that's why 'the best' are all doing so well this year. In all seriousness, I had 12 witnesses in my Tuesday group hear me say after the 'new flag rules' that NFL totals over were the way to go 6 weeks ago, so I was 'on' that. Blah blah blah talk about how 'great' everyone is doing is fine, but make them put their picks in a public place, and all of a sudden it's tough, tough sledding to hit 53%, much less 56%. I'm a realist, and I'm an honest person. I don't think the NFL is really that tough to beat. I don't think ANY sport is tough to beat. Beating widely available lines midweek IS tough. Beating THESE lines when juggling 14 plates IS damn impossible. Now that I plan to chuck every non NFL sport (and just follow a few guys on some bets, and play soft numbers) but ONLY handcap the NFL, I have every confidence. I have been screwed beyond belief this year on about 5 NFL games.......and I'm still having a good betting year. Despite more bullshit in the end game than I've ever seen. Now, on the college side, I have given up post 10/1. NExt year, I plan to literally stay up all night, and work 16 hours a day in September doing college and NFL, but I have a 10/1 stickie "JETTISON COLLEGE!!"
Forum vs pick-em This has been stated by many different people numerous times for the past 18 months on this site - This is a forum not a pick-em site. If you don't like the content & think the monthly fee is not worth it - then quit paying - - $25. monthly is less that the vig on one bet - -
I know it's not good customer service, but I will say As a guy who makes six figures a year gambling every year the last dozen years, I am surprised how many guys making a lot less are cutting in line to argue with me on things like 1. The betting marketplace 2. Market efficiency 3. What is possible. I'm the first to agree that my pure handicapping game is not my best suit, but I have YET to find ANYONE who is even 'good', if you define 'good' as hitting above 54.5% of their plays. Some of these guys privately email me how great they are doing. But whenever I get their plays BEFORE the games start....50-54% is the win rate. AND I try to expain how with any kind of optimal aggressive bet sizing a 58% capper should become a multi-millionaire within 5 years........sure, a few have done it, maybe 10 in the world behind the scenes.......
Fez, what is your criteria for market efficiency?

A market no one can beat if playing -120........... .......................
"I'm a realist, and I'm an honest person.... Beating THESE lines when juggling 14 plates IS damn impossible." Boom - there is your problem. It is not my fault nor anyone else's fault that you are juggling "14 plates". But you can't be honest and say that you can't find a single person this year who is hitting above 54.5%. Come on man! "Blah blah blah talk about how 'great' everyone is doing is fine, but make them put their picks in a public place, and all of a sudden it's tough, tough sledding to hit 53%, much less 56%." Are you kidding? Sorry if the pressure is too great for you posting plays for all to see, but there are plenty of guys all around beating 53 and 56% on forums this year. Maybe come up for air and poke your nose around, they are all over the place. "In all seriousness, I had 12 witnesses in my Tuesday group hear me say after the 'new flag rules' that NFL totals over were the way to go 6 weeks ago, so I was 'on' that." So if you were so 'on' that, why were you not posting any of those plays? You don't need a time machine, you simply need to notice a trend or tendency before the "average joe" and take advantage of it. It's not that complicated. Apparently you admit you noticed it, and I hope you took advantage of it your own betting, but you definitely did not share many of those with us. "1. Blindly bet ON every NFL dog 2. Blindly bet ON every NFL over starting 10/1" The point is not blindly betting on such obvious dogs and overs, the point is, the market is beatable and anyone who puts in the effort and is skillful enough can beat it. Most are not skillful enough. Some who are, may not have the time to dedicated to get it done. But there are and there have been (all season long) advantages and openings to beat the NFL market this season. "I am surprised how many guys making a lot less are cutting in line to argue with me on things like 1. The betting marketplace 2. Market efficiency 3. What is possible." No offense my friend, I respect what you did in the Hilton contest 2 years running, but I don't know if you've always been like this to boost your ego or if this is something recent, but... It is entirely proper to argue with you on this topic, because what you are concluding makes no sense at all. The NFL betting marketplace this season is beatable. It is possible. So for you to argue that its not, and that you've seen "guys privately email me how great they are doing. But whenever I get their plays BEFORE the games start....50-54% is the win rate." I mean, come on. Because a few guys who email you ultimately can't beat 54%, and because you can't this season, no one can? Like I said, I'll be glad to name pros and amateurs on message boards who are easily beating these numbers this season you speak of. I didn't mention them because I thought someone with your exposure to the betting world would be aware of them. The list is lengthy. I like hearing your opinions on things because you have more experience than I do (at least I assume you do) and I am glad that we can have this civil discourse in this manner. There are some people in the world, who once they accomplish something in life, like to claim that most others in their field are subpar and lacking, in order to make their status seem greater. I'm not sure if that's what is going on here or not. I simply know for a fact that you can't be "honest" if you go on record saying: "I have YET to find ANYONE who is even 'good', if you define 'good' as hitting above 54.5% of their plays." Maybe your "Tuesday Group" is not as elite as you thought, I don't know, I have no idea who is in it. I just know for a 100% fact that beating these numbers is entirely possible and it's being done in message boards (both large and small) and in toutworld. To say its not is unbelievable!
Ice Tea are you aware that posting a winning record in the NFL this year, thus far, whether by touts or internet posters does not mean that those people are necesarily winning players or that you or anyone else should bet their picks for free, much less pay? sample size and also many players "on a hot streak" if you read their methedology are clearly total morons. see Ace-Ace. if you look at records so far, you can look back and see people winning. you may not be able to verify lines they posted at were accurate or whether some losing picks were "lost". But these same people with winning records so far, may be losing players and betting their picks going forward will result in losses.
[QUOTE=blackout;34096]Ice Tea are you aware that posting a winning record in the NFL this year, thus far, whether by touts or internet posters does not mean that those people are necesarily winning players or that you or anyone else should bet their picks for free, much less pay? sample size and also many players "on a hot streak" if you read their methedology are clearly total morons. see Ace-Ace. if you look at records so far, you can look back and see people winning. you may not be able to verify lines they posted at were accurate or whether some losing picks were "lost". But these same people with winning records so far, may be losing players and betting their picks going forward will result in losses.[/QUOTE] I'm a very active reader of forums. I am aware that "Ace-Ace" has never seen a favorite he didn't like, and am also aware that his supposed 99 System that was hitting at a purported rate of something in the neighborhood of 30-2 prior to him posting it, has now gone essentially .500, so that thing is full of crap. But I do know that most of the guys on my "list" are not 1 hit wonders, their lines are very reasonable, and their records are winning, I have the tallies to back it up.
I thought back in 2005? When all the faves were covering huge spreads was when the NFL was unbeatable. Now it's the dogs that are throwing these monkey wrenches for pros......
IceTea, are you familiar with binomial distribution? If you have enough coin flippers (and there are certainly enough on the forums) guys of equal talent will have 58% years, some will have 43% seasons (and likely stop posting), especially when dealing with something that offers a [U]minute[/U] sample size like the NFL. The market is obviously "beatable" because there are line moves from the OL to the CL, but pointing to random guys on forums as evidence that the market is not efficient is just silly. My dog could take a dump on the Sunday paper and hit 55% for a season, that doesn't mean a thing.