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Head fakes are bets placed on the opposite side of a bettor's actual preferred position on a game. It doesn't usually work that way," said a member of the betting syndicate, who spoke to ESPN on the condition of anonymity. "That was just a unique one and not a typical case. The WNBA All-Stars won 93-85, with the total staying under by 19 points. The total got as low as 191, before closing at 197. The syndicate went to work, this time betting the under at as many sportsbooks as it could. Shortly after, sportsbooks from Costa Rica to Colorado to New Jersey to Nevada copied Circa and posted the total at around 250. When the account placed a limit bet on over 248.5, Circa oddsmakers moved the number to 252. The syndicate partner who made the first wager is sharp, regularly causing lines to move after placing a bet. The strategy was not designed to dupe Circa as much as it was to create a smokescreen and not alert other sportsbooks that the number was off.
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That's right, believing the total was 30-plus points too high, the syndicate chose to make its first bet on the over. The syndicate was in position to capitalize on the mistake by hammering the under, but the uninitiated might not believe what it did next.Ī suggestion was sent to to the syndicate member in Vegas tasked with making the first wager: "Let's see what happens if you bet over." Las Vegas sportsbook Circa Sports opened the total at 248, a number reflective of a typical defense-optional All-Star Game, and not an intense, competitive affair featuring a team preparing to win a gold medal at the Olympics.Įverything had played out perfectly. The syndicate sent one of its members to New Jersey in advance, and on game day (July 14) closely monitored the odds screen, waiting for the first sportsbook to post the total. The syndicate believed more defense would be played, leading to reduced scoring compared to traditional wide-open All-Star Games. women's national team, which was tuning up for the Olympics. The game featured the WNBA's top players against the U.S. The betting syndicate thought there was a chance an oddsmaker would make a mistake. They're called head fakes in the cutthroat world of high-stakes sports betting, and on an innocuous Wednesday in July, one syndicate unleashed an all-timer.Ī team of bettors, with associates around the country, had been preparing for the release of the over/under on the total points scored in the WNBA All-Star Game for days. The head-fake game: How sharp bettors fool the betting market
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