When you place a wager on sports, odds are there’s some competition involved. You have bookies competing for your business, and you have the sportsbook operators trying to get you to their site for your betting pleasure. Now and then, you’ll even come across a situation where two bookies are offering odds on the same game. It’s at these moments that you might see something odd pop up on your screen: head-to-head (sometimes abbreviated to just “head-to-ho”) competition.
This is odd because generally, when one bookie offers odds on a game, they’re not expecting to fight for your business. If two businesses are offering odds on the same event and one of those businesses manages to pull you over to their site, it’s usually because they’re confident that the other business is a poorer quality and won’t be offering the same level of competition. Perhaps the other business is considered some sort of scam, or maybe the odds are just bad and they want to get rid of it. This is why whenever you see this symbol, you can rest assured that something fishy is going on.
What Is The Difference Between Head-to-Head And Margin?
When you place a wager on sports, odds are there’s some competition involved. You have bookies competing for your business, and you have the sportsbook operators trying to get you to their site for your betting pleasure. Now and then, you’ll even come across a situation where two bookies are offering odds on the same game. One of these bookies is considered a prime broker, and they often take on huge wagers that they ultimately try to make good on. When a bookie goes down in terms of the vigorish (percentage charged by the bookie when you win), it’s considered a margined bet.
Usually, when two bookies offer odds on the same game, one of them is expected to take on all of the action for the event. When that happens, you might see something odd pop up on your screen: head-to-head competition.
This kind of competition is considered a bit different. When you place a head-to-head wager, you’re not picking which bookie will win your business, you’re picking which one of them will give you the best price when it comes to your chosen game. If you find that a particular bookie charges more than three and a half times the amount that another bookie charges for the same game, there’s definitely something fishy going on and you should research what that might be before putting any money on that game.
Why Are Some Bookies More Stable Than Others?
There are several qualities that separate a good from a bad bookie. A good bookie will:
- Always pay your winnings promptly
- Give you a quality betting experience
- Be responsive to your needs
- Be transparent in their dealings with you
- Have good luck with the poker odds
- Take on large wagers (sometimes called “high rollers”)
- Be available when you need them
On the other hand, a bad bookie will:
- Take a long time to pay your winnings (if at all)
- Not give you quality control when betting
- Not have your interests at heart
- Be less responsive to your needs
- Try to trick or scam you
- Not have good luck with the poker odds
- Only take on small bets (sometimes called “low rollers”)
- Not be available when you need them
There’s a reason why some bookies are more stable than others: they’ve got what it takes to be a good bookie. If you’re wondering which kind of bookie you should go with, simply look for the reputations and track records of the various sportsbooks and bettors you come across. By finding out more about their betting strategies, system, and track record, you can have a much better idea of how good or how bad they are. It’s also a good idea to look into what their customer service is like because if you have a problem, you’ll want someone who is willing to help you out as soon as possible.