Why Bookmakers Hate Forks

What are bookmaker's forks

Forks are bookmaker's situations when a player can get a guaranteed profit by betting on opposite outcomes of the same event. Arbitrage situations occur because of competition between bookmakers. Forks were, are and will be - always and in any sport.

As an example let's look at the "fork" in the match "Vegas" - "Islanders" of NHL: having bet at different bookmakers on total more or less (6.5) by 100 dollars, you are guaranteed to stay in the plus - you will win either 10 or 15 dollars.

How to determine whether there is a fork

Yield of a fork is the ratio of the average winnings at both ends of the fork to the sum of all (in our case - two) bets. In the above example the yield is 6.2%.

Classification of forks

• by the number of mutually exclusive events (two- and three-way forks are most common);
• By type of line: home betting and live forks;
• by the single event: single-match and long-term.

How to find a fork

Good forks usually do not live long, so finding them by hand is almost unrealistic. Online services and programs come to the bettor's aid, some of them can independently make bets according to the algorithm, but we strongly advise you not to take this step. Most arbitrage search services and programs scan both home betting lines and live odds.

The disadvantages of playing on the arbucks

While the advantages of arbitrage are obvious (profit regardless of the outcome of the event), the pitfalls of this type of betting are worth a closer look.

Account cutting and account blocking

Bookmakers, of course, are not happy with the one-way game - when a fork is detected, the maximums for his bets will be many times lower than for other bettors. This is not the worst option - some betting shops permanently ban forked bettors from betting.

How to win at a bookmaker and not get sanctioned

Observing the simple rules, arbitrage can earn for quite a long time. There are bookmakers pari match malaysia who are loyal to the forkists, but there are not many forks between them.

Changing odds

Tracking the dynamics of cash flow distribution along the line is the bookmaker's main task, so when there is a massive overload on one of the shoulders, the bookmaker will either reduce the odds or suspend betting altogether. If you managed to bet both ends of the fork - fine, if not - calculate and accept the losses.

Commissions for deposit/withdrawal

Even if you did everything correctly and got the profit, the money still needs to be withdrawn, and here the player may be in for a surprise. Some bookmakers take a commission for winning (betting exchanges), cashout, sometimes - for the deposit.