[Stumpage]

Evening.....I had a total brain-cramp today and, given the opportunity for a freeplay, placed it on a wager where there could be a push (CFL total over/under 56). Well, as it turns out, exactly 56 points were scored. Experience tells me that it might be some time before this wager is graded, but what should I be expecting here? Are freeplay pushes lost in oblivion forever or is one generally given the freeplay funds to wager once again, seeing that it was a push? In any event, I learned a valuable lesson and obviously will lay any freebies in the future on a line that has a lovely 1/2 involved somewhere.

[David]

I would call them up and ask them if they will let you try the free play again.

[tacomax]

I suppose it depends on the individual book's T&Cs of the freeplay but the ones which I have taken have always been of the type where a push is a loss.

[tacomax]

I would call them up and ask them if they will let you try the free play again.

And that's always worth a try. If you don't ask, you don't get.

[Stumpage]

True...Thanks guys. I'll get in touch with them.

[Terris]

Some months ago i pushed a freeplay at CRIS, and they gave me a new 1. But now it is in their rules that pushes mean your FP is lost.

I think it shoudlnt be a loser, weak move from CRIS there.
If anyone has infos about that from other books, id be interested in hearing that.

[Doug]

Never push a freeplay. There's a long RX thread I started about this, here's the first post:






Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: " Not at the Betonsports/ Betmill syndicate"
Posts: 11,324 How to use Matchplay !

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lets say you won $11,000 worth of matchplay bets and you could break it up into any number of bets you desire.

Here's one good way to use it.

Play all 8 ways on a 3-teamer ( with half-point lines)

$1375 to win $8250 on each. One must hit yielding $8250 !


If you broke the $11,000 into 100 plays of 110 to win 100, and went an incredible 82-18, you're 82 winners would pay $100 each for a total of $8200.

I can't pick 82%, can you ?


If book won't allow these bets, you could achieve similar results by even randomly picking 3-teamers, just bet many small 3-teamers, for example 500 3-teamers at $22 each, you'll hit about 12.5 % of them. For example 62 of the 500 hit for $132 each, yieding $8184.

Do not straight bet with match play, even worse is betting ML favorites.

Now that the Matchplay is done, you can play normally to meet any needed rollovers.

[Terris]

Have to add that it actually didnt push, but got postponed and so the bet was cancelled.

[Doug]

You always need to play something that pays off at long odds, not -110. Either good size ML's or just do the parlay method above to turn the freeplay into 75% cash, or maybe a long odds future,basically something that pays +400 or better.

I'm certain Ganchrow will agree with me.

[Terris]

yap...has been discussed to death on all forums prolly
Finding playable +500s or better is easy at NBA or NCAA, MLB sucks for freeplays.

[Doug]

Then do the parlay with teams near a pick, totals, CFL,WNBA,etc.

It makes no difference what it is, if you parlay a 3-teamer all 8 ways, but bases is not a good idea because of pitching changes and rainouts.

[Ganchrow]

You always need to play something that pays off at long odds, not -110. Either good size ML's or just do the parlay method above to turn the freeplay into 75% cash, or maybe a long odds future,basically something that pays +400 or better.

I'm certain Ganchrow will agree with me.

Yep I do.

Assuming one ether has the money to hedge out his free play bet at another book or he can stomach the risk (if not, go for the 3-team parlay), long odds are the way to go. And the longer odds the better the expected return.

Assuming a theoretical hold of H, the expected return from betting a free play on a line of L ( L >= 100) is given by:

              L*(1-H)
E(return) = -----------
               L+100

So given a theoretical hold of 4.55% (a -110 line set) one's expectation from betting a +400 line is 76.36% of the free play. Given a hold of 2.38% (a -105 line set) the +400 line yields an expected return of 78.10% of the free play.

This implies that if you had a true "sure thing" (a bet you knew you'd win with 100% certainty) at a line of -110 (expectation of 100/110 ≈ 90.91% of the free play amount), risk aside you'd actually be better off instead betting your free play on a random +2100 line at a -110 style shop (expectation of 2100 * 95.45% / 2200 ≈ 91.12% of the free play amount).

[Doug]

Most people just put it on some straight pointspread bet which is a poor use. Some even play like a -200 fav, which is terrible.

[pags11]

we had a thread going about this at the end of bowl season...the way most books work with a free play is it's a one time bullet to be shot (at least that's the way it was explained to me)...meaning, once it's fired it's done...which is why I usually do Doug's 8 3 team parlays all with half points in the spreads (so there are no pushes)...but typically you won't get this freeplay back...

[natrass]

UK bookies will replace it usually.