Unmatched Bets On Betfair

[dennis60]

Interested to know if anyone has had anything similar happen to this. On at least two seperate occasions now I've effectively been queue jumped by others when I've had unmatched bets. The first time was a few months ago on a Barcelona match where there was less than £100 already requested at the price I wanted. I entered my stake and the amount to lay changed accordingly. When I next checked the account over £700 had been matched at that price which would have covered my stake and the £100 or so requested before me, yet only half my stake had actually been matched. I sent them an e-mail querying this but recieved a standard answer which didn't really address the issue.

The same happened a couple of days ago on the Triestina v Juventus game to be played this weekend. I requested 1.31 on Juventus (nothing had been matched at that price by this point) and only £14 had already been requested. So I was 2nd in the queue after the £14. When I next checked £1252 had been matched at 1.31, easily enough to cover my stake. But again my bet had only been partially matched. I sent another e-mail to which I've yet had no reply.

I get the impression they aren't really taking this seriously, but there has to be an explanation. The first time it happened I assumed it must be my error. But having had that experience I now keep a close watch on what has already been matched and what has been requested at any particular price on any market on which I'm betting, and am 100% sure the amounts are correct in relation to the Juventus game. Love to know if anything similar has happened to anyone else.

[Inup]

There is no way to know if you are the second in the queue.

[dennis60]

I meant 2nd only with regard to being after the £14

[Inup]

There is no way to know in which position your money is.

[dennis60]

Course there is. If you request a price before anyone else you are first in the queue.

[Inup]

whatever... you cannot know you are the first one that requests for it.

Explaining the whole thing to you would take me too much time... so I give up. Certainly betfair has been cheating on you. Happy now?

[slapdash]

Originally Posted by Inup

whatever... you cannot know you are the first one that requests for it.

Explaining the whole thing to you would take me too much time... so I give up. Certainly betfair has been cheating on you. Happy now?

Sorry? Once you've requested the bet, you can see the total amount that
has been requested and matched at those odds, can't you?

I find it hard to believe that Betfair cheat in this way, and without intending
any disrespect to dennis60, I think the most likely explanation is that he is
mistaken. Possibly somebody else requested the odds for a large amount at
about the same time that he did, and he didn't notice.

But if I'm missing something, I'd be grateful if you'd explain why "you cannot
know you are the first one that requests for it", because I don't
understand why not.

[dennis60]

You can track what has been matched at any given price, and what is available to back or lay by clicking on the team, horse or whatever and bringing up the market information. I'm not saying you can always know exactly where you are in the queue, but you can under some circumstances. Anyone who actually knows what they are talking about care to back me up on this?

[dennis60]

Originally Posted by slapdash

Sorry? Once you've requested the bet, you can see the total amount that
has been requested and matched at those odds, can't you?

I find it hard to believe that Betfair cheat in this way, and without intending
any disrespect to dennis60, I think the most likely explanation is that he is
mistaken. Possibly somebody else requested the odds for a large amount at
about the same time that he did, and he didn't notice.

But if I'm missing something, I'd be grateful if you'd explain why "you cannot
know you are the first one that requests for it", because I don't
understand why not.

Thank you for that. I am fully aware how ludicrous the whole thing sounds and have wondered numerous times whether it is my error. Which is why I posted this in the first place, to see if anyone else has had the same happen to them. The fact is I ended up losing money as I had to take a lower price with the remainder of the stake. And betfair "cheating" on me is not the way I'm looking at it. Could be a technical thing or an unscrupulous employee. Certainly stranger things have happened. Top horse racing tips by the way.

[georgej]

Could it not be something like:
£50 was matched for a backer
The same £50 was matched by someone laying
Total matched £100, but only on £50 total wager??

[Inup]

Originally Posted by slapdash

Sorry? Once you've requested the bet, you can see the total amount that
has been requested and matched at those odds, can't you?

I find it hard to believe that Betfair cheat in this way, and without intending
any disrespect to dennis60, I think the most likely explanation is that he is
mistaken. Possibly somebody else requested the odds for a large amount at
about the same time that he did, and he didn't notice.

But if I'm missing something, I'd be grateful if you'd explain why "you cannot
know you are the first one that requests for it", because I don't
understand why not.

I was just trying to be a bit ironic when I wrote that betfair cheated on him.

The problem is that the whole betfair thing is asyncronous... so there is no way to know if the 50$ you bet are the ones being shown at a certain moment under the odds, could perfectly be somebody's else money, the one who requested it and his request arrived 1 millisecond before.

I'm strongly convinced that betfair is not cheating at all...

[Inup]

Originally Posted by dennis60

You can track what has been matched at any given price, and what is available to back or lay by clicking on the team, horse or whatever and bringing up the market information.

That information is not updated Real Time... so you cannot use it as the oracle for the most recent bets.

[dennis60]

Originally Posted by Inup

That information is not updated Real Time... so you cannot use it as the oracle for the most recent bets.

Well it seems to update pretty quickly for me. Go to an obscure football market, such as a sending off in the Man City v Boro game on the 30th. Ask for 100 or some equally ridiculous price on a sending off then click on 'Yes'. You will find your unmatched stake listed in the Lay column. You may have a point in not being able to track what is being traded in in running horse racing for example, but that is not what I'm getting at. And just to clarify my original point, there was £14 to lay at 1.31 on Juventus, I added a further £988 to this. I then clicked on the market information which showed a total of £1002 to lay with nothing having already been matched. The next day the market info. showed a total of £1252 had been traded at 1.31 but only £600 of my stake had been matched. Unfortunately only betfair can clarify whether my figures are correct and as I said earlier are not willing to do so.

[abookiesworstnightmare]

Of course it is possible to see where you money is you just need two brain cells to work it out, someone wants £14 at 1.01 I request £2000 at 1.01 and now there is £2014 being requested when you hit the refresh market button, You telling me that it is not my £2000 waiting behind the £14?
It's never happend to me btw dennis, I have no idea about the original query

[Phil Ureboots]

The amount shown matched against a price on BF is double the backer's stakes, not the sum of the amounts on each side of the bet. A £5 bet matched will show as £10 no matter the price. It looks like the figures are correct.

[dennis60]

Originally Posted by Phil Ureboots

The amount shown matched against a price on BF is double the backer's stakes, not the sum of the amounts on each side of the bet. A £5 bet matched will show as £10 no matter the price. It looks like the figures are correct.

Well that would certainly explain things. And the figures do add up. Just a pity betfair couldn't have explained that if it the case, especially seeing as they take a small fortune off me in commission every week.

[Xray]

Originally Posted by dennis60

You can track what has been matched at any given price, and what is available to back or lay by clicking on the team, horse or whatever and bringing up the market information. I'm not saying you can always know exactly where you are in the queue, but you can under some circumstances. Anyone who actually knows what they are talking about care to back me up on this?

Dennis,

I know how you must feel but I think there is a delay between the time bets are matched and when they appear in the screen showing what has been matched at any given price. I have noticed this for a fact and I think read about it somewhere on the betfair site. The only way to know the true figure is by using the api via a program.