Little Known Sportsbook Rules

The world of sports betting is no doubt a very exciting place! And with all of this excitement comes lots of bettors who want to lay down their wagers as quickly as possible without checking out their sportsbook’s rules. But you can get burned by not knowing all of the rules at the sportsbook you choose to place bets at. With this being the case, it’s definitely worth taking a look at some of the lesser known sportsbook rules

Almost every sporting contest plays out until the buzzer sounds or the last inning is played (save for baseball games with rain stoppages). So normally, obscure time rules for sports betting don’t come into play and no confusion is caused. However, there are the rare instances when a game must be stopped due to inclement weather or other reasons. When this is the case, many bettors find out for the first time what their sportsbook’s rules are on the matter.

Most betting establishments will call football, soccer, and basketball games an official bet if the action is stopped within five minutes of the traditional set stoppage time. So for instance, football games are normally 60 minutes, but a game that is stopped at 55 minutes would still be considered an actual bet and money would be exchanged accordingly. 

In the rare instances that a game will end early, many gamblers who don’t know this rule will be confused as to whether they’ve won or lost their bet.  In fact, many might think if the game lasts long enough to be called official that the wagers stand (which isn’t always true). But as long as you know this rule, you won’t wind up confused like these people.

There is perhaps no other sport that has as many betting intricacies to it as baseball does. This is especially true with the time rule (or innings played) since a decent amount of baseball games end due to the rain. A lot of what constitutes an official bet just depends on the wager that was made. 

For example, regular bets made on one side or the other will be official as long as the game goes five innings (or 4.5 if the home team is winning). However, bets made on the run total are entirely different since they must go the full nine innings (or 8.5 if the home team is winning) to be declared an official wager.   

Going even further than the innings rule of baseball, there are also interesting rules for starting pitchers too. Since you are allowed to place bets solely on starting pitchers at certain sportsbooks, it is always dependant upon whether they can go or not that day. If your starting pitcher can’t go that day then the bet is normally a push.

Small Sportsbook Rules

There is usually little hassle in regards to little known rules when dealing with big casino sportsbooks and online establishments. However, things can get a little trickier if you are dealing with a smaller sportsbook or local bookie. The reason for this is because some of these places will alter the traditional rules on sketchy situations to favor their interests. 

For instance, if a baseball game ended after 4.5 innings with the home team winning then a small bookmaker might look at where most of the betting action occurred. If the home team was the over bet and the action was lopsided for the over then the bookmaker might say that the game ended too early and all bets are off. These are the kinds of things you should be aware of before placing your money with a smaller bookmaker or bookie.