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Sportsbooks on TV: Inside The World of The 'Linemakers'

August 26, 2011 at 2:30 PM | by | Comments (3)

Linemakers, a behind-the-scenes look at the men and women who set the lines at sportsbooks, premiered late last Friday night on HD Theater.

The reality show is described as "veteran sports book operators analyzing the economics of the sports wagering and fantasy sports industries." There isn't much information available on the show beyond that, but from what we've been able to piece together from various message boards, it seems as if the first episode was a documentary style look into rudimentary sports betting for the masses with some scenes taking place at the South Point.

Once we finally found HDT on our TiVo, we immediately set our season pass for future shows as well as recording a replay of the first episode. We don't really mind if the show is very generic because that will make us feel as smart as we think we are. If we learn something from the show, that will be great, too. Ultimately it's just more Vegas on TV and we like that.

The second episode airs tonight at 8 p.m. EST on HD Theater. If you missed the debut, the first episode is still airing, too.

[Photo: Examiner.com]

Comments (3)

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Legends?

I finally got through watching this show (took 3 sessions).  As you would expect, these guys have huge egos and they try to make them look look and sound like mobsters.  Is there skill and knowledge needed to set lines?  Sure but anyone who puts in a little time can do it.  Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal do a podcast in which they predict the line of every game, every week and are almost always within a point. Missing the line by a point is a big deal? Well guess what, almost half the lines move after the open and usually one will move by as much as two points.

Highlight of the show was Lou D'amico commenting about the Packers chance of repeating and how no one has done it since the Broncos in '98.  C'mon Lou, you're gonna lose credibility as a self-proclaimed legend when even my wife can tell you that the Pats were back to back champs in '04-'05.

Based on what Jimmy Vaccaro was wearing, I'm gonna give him the benefit and assume he thought this was a radio show.

I'll keep watching this show but more for the unintentional comedy than for actually learning anything about sports betting.

binciong on August 29, 2011 at 11:59 AM #Permalink

LMAO

@binciong, I'm not a bettor so I am not very fluent in this world, but your review of the show was awesome! Thanks for leaving it!
702Becca on August 29, 2011 at 12:58 PM #Permalink
Parent

@binciong

I don't watch TV to learn. I watch to be entertained. Job done. Haha.

There were some nice quick Vegas cut in and outs that look pretty sweet in HD. That might have been the highlight.

This show was definitely not made with high production values and that should make for more unintentional comedy.

eastcoastgambler on August 30, 2011 at 10:41 AM #Permalink

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