whenever I get in touch with a new local I usually do this:
First I'll call in a 4 team parlay usually all favorites usually on the most overpriced favorites. Small money maybe a bill or so. Similar to creating a loose profile at a poker table. On this call I dont ask what the lines are, or just verify them as an afterthought. I also bet the same teams SU and throw them in some teasers, I'll often have the opposite (dogs) somewhere else for 10 or 20 times the amount, I'm basically greasing the wheel for weeks to come with the local.
Win or lose with crap above I'll raise the amount by double the next week with the same guy. I'll throw in a couple dogs being sure to name some standout player or off-the-wall stat as my reasoning for "taking a chance with a dog". It's important to throw in some dogs early so it wont seem unusual later. If I actually won the week before with him it doesnt seem unusual to raise the stakes, if I lost I definitely want him to think I'm chasing.
Week 3 is when I tend to get a grasp on the teams, so at this point I'm looking to start the earning process from the guy. Best case scenario is to have lost with him the previous two weeks that way I can bitch and moan about BS bad beats on teasers, parlays etc. Depending on what kind of read I'm getting on the guy, I'll usually ask for a rundown on the spreads (NFL and Big XII only) and ask a couple "who are they playing?" questions since I only 'want' the spread on the favorite. If I'm down to the guy I'll ask how much do I owe you and make up some BS about glad I finally got my tax return money. If I'm up I'll make up some BS about being down huge with the other local I'm using so I need to double up to make it back before the wife I dont have notices the bank account.
After the rundown I'll probably get an extra half to full point on some NFL games, and often 2-3 points on Big XII games. I'll tell him I need to look at who's playing who today I dont want to take up your time but hesitate....'aw shucks my wife pulled up I better do this now damn, I need to just go big on one game and I remember seeing some random WR for Baylor 3 years ago in high school' and take them getting 27 at home when WA is 24. Then I'll say something like, 'man I cant just leave it all up to Baylor, what am I doing? I've got to take another couple, heads it's Notre Dame tails it's Blind and Deaf University (always comes up tails for the dog with the imaginary coin flip), same with the other dogs, and the occasional rare favorite I'll get a decent price on. I'll usually add 'and dont let me call back later with anything else unless I'm up' and now the image of degenerate loser/chaser with a gambling problem will help me for a few weeks. Sometimes I get hassled about limits, usually an offer to swing by with cash upfront that I won yesterday playing roulette or craps solves that.
I will almost always call him later for the late games. By that time I'm completely hammered after being at the tailgates/game since the night before. I already have everything circled, and usually the lines have moved in my favor. I've found it useful to get teams and lines confused on these phone calls, and sometimes I'll get a friend to get everything confirmed over the phone as if I'm incoherent.
The locals that bet usually wise to this type of ploy relatively quickly, the locals that only book sometimes never really figure it out. Either way it's usually a decent idea to throw some fakes and bet the other way somewhere else to keep/increase your limits. It just depends on what the limits are and the value of the lines you are getting versus the cost of vig. Usually the locals that will give you relatively large limits do so because they've been around the block and arent giving you a line that they cant find better odds on somewhere else for higher limits.
The funniest shit is when you try this routine with a 'new' (to you) local, and he already knows who you are and what you are up to. One local tape recorded some of my calls and it took me three or four weeks to realize that he knew all along what I was up to. When he filled me in I remembered that his phone would always mute, and he said it was because he was laughing so hard. He's now one of my best drinking buddies. Then there's another guy I've been betting into for 6 years, he's a complete moron, he still gives me a point or three on everything except MLB totals. I used to worry about him pulling a stiffy, but after reading the forums over the years, I worry more about my lighter running out...smoke
