Matchbook.com is one of the most unique sportsbooks on the internet and we would be remiss if we didn’t say they are one of the best.

As the name indicates, Matchbook works as a matchmaker: you either accept bets that other players have posted or you post the lines you would like and have other bettors accept them.

What you’re left with is a secure sportsbook, since the company actually doesn’t have any more invested in the games, and a platform where you can match bets with a wide variety of people and pay significantly less juice than you would anywhere else.

It’s not a place for parlays, teasers or if bets, but for meat and potatoes straight bettors looking for low juice, Matchbook.com is a smart concept and a great place to bet.

1. Who Bets Here

Matchbook.com is a book for recreational but on that point, it’s one of the better books for that. Their betting lines are very soft, meaning you will likely be paying more on the juice at Matchbook.com than you would in most places.

They do have some features for the sharps, such as the fact that you can parlay almost anything together in the sportsbook.

But when you take a look at their bonus program and their history of limiting the sharps, you quickly see that this book is just for people looking for a good time.

Depositing
Credit Cards
Sportsbook Transfer
Gold Pay
Bank Wire (Deposits $1500 and up are covered)

Withdrawing
Air Mail Cheques ($9)
Gold Pay

2. Customer Service

Matchbook.com has very good customer service and they have to since so many players call their sportsbook and ask how it works. Their sportsbook can be reached via phone, e-mail or live chat pretty much any time of day.

For the most part, Matchbook’s customer service works as maintenance. They really just answer questions and help you through your processes as everything is done online (including betting).

Methods of Contact
Phone
E-mail
Live chat

3. Placing A Bet

How Matchbook.com Works

Placing a bet with Matchbook.com is fairly simple once you get the gist. The line layout is fairly similar to most sportsbooks but what you’ll see in the lines is a dollar amount next to a line.

For example, you might see:

New England Patriots -10 -103 $593

The dollar amount may look like it is out of place but what it means is that somebody is offering the Patriots -10 -103 for up to $593 (so you could lay up to $593 at that line). Next to it, you might see Patriots -10 -105 $1400.

Now if you wanted to bet more money on the Patriots, you could do one of two things:

1. Accept the line at -103 for the maximum and then bet the difference at -105
2. Post your own bet

If you post your own bet, you choose the line and the amount. If someone accepts, the bet is action. If not, then there is no play.

If you posted the Patriots -10 -101 $1500 and someone accepted fully, you are good to go. If someone accepted for part of that amount or none of it, you will have to make adjustments. At the end of the day, it is a marketplace.

The main benefit is that the sportsbook is cut out of the action, which means no more high juice. Where Matchbook makes their money is they charge you a meager 1% on bets that you accept.

On one hand, players may not like the concept of paying 1% on their bets upfront but when you think about it, in a regular sportsbook, you pay significantly more long term.

Beyond that, if you post bets, you don’t have to pay the 1% and not only that, Matchbook.com pays you 0.2% for posting a bet (when it’s accepted).

Commissions

One thing to note is that your commissions and your betting balance are kept separate. When you deposit, a percentage of your balance goes to the commission balance in your account and you always have to have some commission balance to place bets. Not to worry, though, that is taken care of for you.

Live Betting

Matchbook.com offers quite a bit of live betting but their product is fairly unique. The reason it’s unique is because their live betting line doesn’t move around with the game. In fact, it stays with the original spread the entire way.

Since the house isn’t taking action, the best way to make the marketplace work is to keep the original spread and allow players to post and accept wagers on the original spread and total as the action plays out. Obviously, if it gets too one sided, you won’t see people posting bets on the side that looks like it is going to run away with it.

Placing Bets

You can only place a bet online with Matchbook.com, which in this day and age, isn’t a big deal. The marketplace system doesn’t allow for teasers, if bets or any other type of exotics like that. If you want to play a parlay, you have to use a site called Parlaymakers to coordinate with Matchbook, and then it is posted as a prop. Keep in mind that if you post a parlay, since you aren’t betting against the house, someone has to bet the other side of the parlay and bet that you will be incorrect in at least one of those games. Basically, parlays don’t work with this sportsbook.

Beyond that, for straight betting, it’s fairly straightforward. Once you understand what is happening, it takes just a couple of clicks to get it done.

Methods of Betting
Internet

4. Variety

Matchbook.com has a decent variety for the main events but it isn’t exactly a place for all types of wacky stuff. Remember, since you are betting against real people and not the house, you would have to find someone to bet against you when you want to bet an exotic or a future. Unless it’s the main events such as a Sunday NFL game, you might be hard pressed to find someone to match it.

But Matchbook.com does offer more variety than they are given credit for. One cool feature that gives you all the variety you need is called an X-Bet. Essentially, you can post whatever you want and if someone accepts the other end, you are good to go. If you want to bet what the temperature in your city will be, who will win your personal hockey league or how many No. 1 Billboard hits Lady Gaga will have this year, you simply send it and they will post. Remember, someone has to accept it for there to be action.

That’s a cool feature – especially if you want to set up some private betting with some friends. If you want to set up odds for who will win your floor hockey league, send it in as an X-bet. Since no one will bet on it except the people in the league or the people who know about it, it could be a fun way to get odds on your personal league for you and your friends to bet on.

Another underrated aspect of Matchbook.com’s variety is the negative option for a lot of futures. For example, you can bet on a Super Bowl winner (or bet on a team to win the Super Bowl as a future) anywhere. But how many places will let you bet that the New York Giants won’t win the Super Bowl when it’s Week 10.

While we’re highlighting a couple of underrated features, make no mistakes about it, Matchbook.com is a very meat and potatoes place to bet. If you are signing up here, you probably won’t be doing much more than just straight betting.

Limits
The limits on the game are set by the marketplace. If someone is willing to post a line where they are willing take a bet for $5/$50/$500/$5000, you can accept it. Matchbook.com is just a middle man.

5. VIP Program/Loyalty Program

Matchbook.com has no VIP or loyalty program.

6. Bonus & Rebate Program

Since Matchbook.com is essentially a middle man, they offer no bonuses for depositing and they have no rebate program.

7. Website & Usability

Matchbook.com has a fairly easy to use website. Their home page is plain Jane but they aren’t in the business of wining and dining. They are all about straight goods.

Once you log in and you choose a sport and line from the left-hand side, you’ll notice a betting pad pop up on the right side. It is split into two sections: Unmatched Bets and Order Pad.

The Order Pad is essentially your betting ticket. When you select a side, the Order Pad is updated and you insert the amount of money you’d like to wager. If you are matching a bet, it is filed under the Matched Bets tab. If it is a line you are posting, it is filed under your Unmatched Bets pad for now.

That’s pretty much all there is to it.

On the whole, the site is simple, fast and clean. Considering the product, you don’t need much more than that.

8. Reputation

Matchbook.com is one of the most reputable shops on the internet. Since they are more of a middleman who has creatively set up and populated a quality marketplace, they really have no action riding on the games and they don’t have to worry about taking losses.

Since that’s the case, they never have issues with withdrawals and since their site is fairly self-sufficient, they hardly have issues with customer service.

Those factors combined with the low juice makes it one of the most reputable places around.