One of the ways online bookie agents can get into trouble is via “steam moves”. Steam moves occur when casual bettors follow the huge move pro bettors.
Check out ways bookies can protect their sportsbooks from steam moves.
Set Up A Bet Alert
Bet alert tool – The first way agents can protect their sportsbooks from steam moves is to set up bet alerts.
Bet alerts ping the agent when a wager has been placed on a specific game or by a specific bettor.
PayPerHead agents have the opportunity to set up the new Bet Alert tool. This is key to help online bookies know what’s happening in their sportsbook—anytime, anywhere.
Setting up bet alerts around specific bettors can lead to agents taking other actions that prevent steam moves. Steam moves always follow big moves from pro bettors.
When pro bettors make a big wager, the betting line changes. By utilizing the bet alert tool, bookies can get ahead of steam moves.
What Should Bookies do After They Receive a Bet Alert?
What bookies do depend on how they react to the bet alert. Pro bettors aren’t always right.
Sometimes, a bookie can make much more money than they normally would by doing absolutely nothing and waiting for steam moves.
The cautious approach is to prevent steam moves from ever happening. If a bookmaker wishes to do that, they can take the following steps after receiving a bet alert:
1. Set a schedule limit override
This is the easiest way to discourage steam moves. Set up a schedule limit override until any possible steam moves have dissipated. Usually, dissipation occurs a few hours before game time.
2. Change betting lines
A pro bettors huge wager will automatically change betting lines. There’s two problems with this.
First, you could be prone to steam moves without having the pro bettor wager in your sportsbook. That makes the bet alert tool obsolete.
Second, you should only change betting lines when it benefits your sportsbook.
How do you, the pay per head agent, get past the first issue? You allow steam moves to occur.
Most steam moves are from casual players. Casual players shouldn’t scare you. To get past the second issue, use the Line Mover, offered through PayPerHead’s Prime Package, to change betting lines dependent on your sportsbook.
Don’t worry so much about casual player steam moves. Think more about your sportsbook and how any potential steam move might affect it.
3. Set betting limits
You should have betting limits set in place no matter what.
For example, it makes no sense to allow a player to bet more than $200 on a single MLB game, or more than $500 on a single NFL or NBA game.
Betting limits prevent steam moves because most casual players create steam moves. The bottom line is that online bookie agents shouldn’t freak out about steam moves.
Not all steam moves are bad, the line mover allows online bookies to change betting lines whenever they wish, and betting limits prevent steam moves from drastically impacting any individual agent run sportsbook.
Be sure to upgrade your sportsbook management software to PayPerHead’s Prime Package in order to get these tools and keep your money where it belongs—in your pocket!
