Scamdicapper
What's a "Scamdicapper"? It's a term that's used to refer to sports handicapping services that are not in business to serve their fellow sports bettors, but to serve themselves and scam their customers.
They'll claim outrageous results that at first seem to be "the sure thing" or "easy money". You'll be tempted to take their advice and dive in with a 1-900 phone call for a "100 star play-of-the-year", which has been 90% over the last 10 years. You'll make the call and spend your $50 or more and get a decent selection. It may or may not win, but you can be sure that they've got your phone number and they'll begin to call you with their free plays for a few days. They are relentless.
Likely, their free picks are being handed out on both sides of a game to different customers. Let's say the Broncos and the Packers are playing and the Vikings and the Bears are playing. They'll give caller A the Broncos and the Vikings. They'll give caller B the Broncos and the Bears. They'll give caller C the Packers and the Vikings and they'll give caller D the Packers and the Bears. After the Broncos and the Vikings win, caller A is thrilled with the 2-0 performance. Callers B and C are indifferent and probably will get another call next time using the same formula. Caller D went 0-2 and the Scamdicapper won't even bother with them again.
It may repeat again the next week and guess what...someone is going to get 4-0 picks and a few will get 3-1 picks. Maybe it's you. Finally, you'll talk to them to find out how affordable their service is. They'll tell you about all of their scouts and inside information and ask you how much you normally bet on a game. Next, they'll tell you how much more money you could make if you bet significantly more and bought their picks, which come in consistently at 70-80%. They'll price their "package" based on what they think you'll pay, since you've already told them how much you normally bet. You'll usually hear them tell you how you can't lose buying their service for $500 this month and you've got to wire them some money today because tonight is a "lock".
Did I forget to mention that after a couple of days with their service they'll tell you about your games that you bought, but also let you know about this "other guy" that they work with and "I shouldn't be doing this, but..." they'll give you a free pick or two for their premium service which is just a few hundred bucks a month more. Next thing you know, you're losing your bets and you've paid a small fortune for their "advice".
Don't bite. Be educated. There are scamdicappers everywhere and there are reputable sports handicapping services that are well worth it. The web is littered with "free pick" sites as well as outrageously priced services. Even if you never even consider becoming a Sports Advantage member, let us help you weed through the marketing hype and let you know what professional sports handicapping really is all about.
Do You Need A Sports Handicapping Service?
That depends. How much time do you have to really study the games? Do you bet for fun or do you really want to turn a profit? What resources do you subscribe to in order to have up-to-date information?
If you're successful on your own and take the time to read through the game summaries, injury reports, power ratings from various services, and stay on top of weekly game developments, then you don't need a service. Don't spend your money unless you want a strong second opinion from a reputable service. We recommend that if your honest results are putting money in your pocket and you are more than "lucky" because you do your homework diligently, then it's not necessary.
However, if you aren't looking at all the games, you might be missing an angle on a game that gives you a strong advantage. If you think watching Sports Center every night makes you a knowledgeable handicapper, you're probably losing money. If you're just betting your "hunch" or a team that's "due" and disregarding statistics and facts about an upcoming game, you should in the very least consider a reputable service to supplement your picks or give you an edge on other games. But BE CAREFUL.
Who Can You Trust?
If you choose to use a service, don't just hop on the web and pick the first service that you come across because you need to get your action in right away. Also, be careful of sites that offer only free picks. Remember that you get what you pay for and anybody can put up a website. There are good "sophisticated" handicappers out there who are excellent at their hobby and post decent free picks out there. But the reason why they market free picks is because it is a hobby to many of them. It's easy for them to slam the other sites out there and tell you that you shouldn't pay for picks. Again, we ask "Are they showing you their results?"
So why does MiddleMan Sports, or any other honest service, charge for their selections? Because we do it for a living. We spend our revenues on newsletters, research subscriptions, and computer analysis. And because we offer a valuable product.
Why do dishonest scamdicappers charge for their selections? Because they do it for a living as well. Why are many of them so expensive? Because they spend an outrageous amount on marketing. And sometimes it can be expensive to close down shop and re-open with a new name to market to a new class of victims.
So what should you do? First, find a service that you can trust. That means that they either post their results daily or are monitored by one of the services that keep handicappers honest. But be careful here too. There are "monitoring" services that - for an extra fee - will let the handicappers turn in their selections the next day.
You need to look for consistency in their result reporting. Obviously, Middleman Sports can't fudge our results because Our Picks Are Monitored By YOU! If we omitted some of our losers or added a winner that we didn't play, our members would let us know! There are several reputable services such as Middleman Sports who honestly show their selections and are accountable for their results - both the good and the bad.
