A. The money line is a number that represent odds to take a team straight up (without a spread). An underdog would payout more than money wagered while a favorite would net a fraction of what was laid. The money line format is usually shown based on 100 dollars wagered. For example -200 would mean you would have to wager $200 to win 100. An underdog at +175 would show $100 wagered would net $175.

Q. What happens when spread and outcome are same?

A. In this situation bet is a tie and no funds change hands. This is called a push. A sportsbook’s policy for multiple wagers such as parlays and teasers may vary.

Q. What is a parlay?

A. A parlay is a chance for bettor to win a larger return on usual betting amount. It requires player to pick multiple plays where all must be correct in order to win larger amount. Rarely are parlay payouts large enough to be more profitable than a player having same success with individual wagers. The parlay is often referred to as sucker bet.

Q. Why does spread/line change?

A. The line may change for many reasons. The most basic and common is when a large amount of money or individual bets are placed on one side of offering line. If bookie wishes to have as much even money on both sides he will adjust line or price to make other option more favorable. The line can also change when very smart bettors known as sharps put their opinion on one outcome. A smaller book may be forced to move its line because a larger operation has done so. This is to avoid being sole book offering most favorable line for one offering. If line is not changed then sportsbook could get a flood of wagers on one outcome and force establishment to gamble need many players to be wrong so not to lose money. Game updates will also change line. If a main player in an even is hurt lines are sure to change when that information reaches house.

Q. Where does spread originate and who makes it?

Q. What is reduced juice?

A. Reduced juice refers to price to place a bet that is less than standard 10% (or -110). PinnaceSports.com is best example for reduced prices. They are able to operate on a smaller margin per bet because volume of wagers is high.

Q. How do I know my money is safe?

A. Depending on which book you choose you can often get feedback in various forums and websites such as this. One should look for long standing operations in this infant industry. Many books have never had a legitimate complaint while others slow pay on a regular basis. Australian sportsbooks are regulated by its government.

Q. How long does it take to get my winnings?

A. Many books will pay within minutes at all hours. It is important to form expectations before you choose your book. Some books simply choose to process during weekdays only. Generally it should not take more than a few hours for a payout to be processed during business hours.

Q. How do I stay up to date on how my books are doing?

A. There are many sites that release digest information for you to analyze as you see fit. Many forums will also alert of real time experiences. Some players are simple paranoid about not receiving a perk that they received at a former book while others will tell of messy experiences. It becomes easy to realize what kind of feedback a player is giving.

Q. What countries regulate Sportsbooks?

A. Many books will claim their country regulates it’s betting industry but usually sports book is peddling a false sense security. Antigua books are often mentioned as being over seen but is a few years removed from seeing Aces Gold fall with player’s funds. BetPanam recently closed owing many just months after Panama gaming commission was being advertised. Panam has been closed for months with most customers left high and dry. Australia’s government actually over sees it’s betting establishments. They require players funds to be held in escrow. To date this is only country truly regulated by a legitimate governing body.

The common space includes a large drying room and a games room and bar on first floor and a kitchen, dining hall and sitting area on second floor. A flat ceiling spans kitchen to create a mezzanine sitting area overlooking dining hall. The large attic space over guest bedrooms provides massage and staff rooms with entry from mezzanine. An open cathedral ceiling spans entire second floor dining and sitting area.

The walls would require seven logs per floor. There would be seven long log walls. This meant at least 100 logs to peel by hand. Backbreaking work! Well over twice that number of logs would be needed for milling interior lumber.

The construction crew included four owners, two of their “significant others”, and old school friends from nearby Golden. The women worked along side men operating chain saws, falling trees and running sawmill. Milling went on continuously, day after day. Posts and beams, 2x6’s, floor joists, and decking materials were all needed in large quantities.

Although none of crew was yet 30, their skill with equipment and their construction knowledge was remarkable. They had developed their log-building skills prior summer on a small bathhouse and a staff bunkhouse and now they were facing an immensely larger challenge with tight time constraints.

The "Mountain Lodge Construction" photo journal contains a detailed description of construction process at http://mountain-lodge.blogspot.com.

The work advanced through summer and became a race against weather. Could roof be completed before first snow? It was a close finish, but nature won and first snow came just days before roof was completed. Valuable days were lost shoveling snow and chipping ice from floor of dining hall.

Late September, and roof was on at last. Finishing interior became next race against time. There were 14 bathrooms and a kitchen to plumb, electrical systems to install and entire septic system had to be built. Rooms had to be framed and wallboard installed. Windows had to be put in and ceilings insulated. The building had to be equipped and made livable and endless details awaited attention. The first clients were to arrive on December 27, in just three short months. Nearly everything had to be done by same small crew of about 12 workers.

For first year or so, wallboard would remain unfinished and only plastic vapour barrier would cover insulation. Wood paneling for ceilings and roof gables would have to wait.

Except for kitchen range, there would be no open fire within building. Also, no chimneys were to pierce roof. Heating would be provided by a freestanding, wood-burning outdoor furnace. Heat is transferred to building by a 200ft underground glycol loop. Heat exchangers create hot water for bathing, cooking and hot tub and hot air for convection heating. A 1,000 gallon hot water tank buried in crawl space acts as a heat sink. This maintains an even building temperature as furnace burns high or low. Small electric heaters in bedrooms, along with opening casement windows allow guests good control over bedroom temperature.

The finishing phase brought new diversions. Large quantities of materials now had to be brought from Golden. Limited local supply meant many trips to Calgary in search of furnishings and special materials. Four valuable hours lost each way! The tight budget required tireless shopping for bargains.

Everything had to be brought to site by road. Helicopters were far too expensive. Using a four-wheel drive farm tractor and a 22ft highway trailer, Dale spent many autumn weeks bringing materials to site. Rising very early each frosty morning in Golden, Dale would tow loaded trailer 100 km. north to base of Chatter Creek road, hook trailer to tractor and crawl last 17 km to site. Arrival by noon was critical. The uphill trip could only be made with road still frozen and hard. If he got stuck, excavator would have to stop work and crawl off down road to provide a tow. Hours of work would be lost. As Dale hove into sight, all hands would appear to unload trailer and Dale would head off, down road and back to Golden to assemble next day’s delivery. Almost 30 loads were delivered in this weather dependent operation.

In end, impossible was done. On December 27, 2002 last sawdust was swept up, dishes were washed, last bed was assembled and made, bathrooms were stocked and bar was made ready. The first guest helicopter arrived at Vertebrae lodge at 3:30pm. By 4:30pm, 24 admiring guests were roaming lodge in awe.

Chatter Creek President, Dale McKnight, was heard to comment, “Thank goodness we never really understood at start just how big and how difficult this project was going to be. We probably would never have started. But we did, and now it’s done!” Others in team had thoughts of their own. Jevan recalled time he sunk D4 bulldozer in mud while working on road. “Right up to seat. It took excavator hours to dig it out.” Lori and Isabelle remembered bugs. “There were ‘mossies’ around building and bugs and beetles around sawmill. We went through boxes of ‘Croc-bloc’, but we were still being bitten.”

Vertebrae Lodge stands as a testimony to hard work, perseverance and ability of Chatter Creek partners and their crew. It’s a magnificent structure that was built under difficult conditions and in a very short time. It represents not only a feat of construction, but also a feat of coaxing some very tired equipment into steady operation. The excavator, in particular, was in constant use feeding logs to sawmill, leveling ground, digging pits and trenches, burying tanks and piping, clearing septic field, moving heavy loads, towing stuck vehicles up access road and building winter roads for snowcats. Both excavator and crane had had their cranky moments but, under Dan’s tender care, both these mechanical relics stood course and, with sawmill, continue to be used to this day.

Footnote: In summer of 2002, partners built a 9500 sq. ft. bedroom annex to Vertebrae Lodge. Solitude Lodge provides 6 more double-occupancy guest bedrooms, staff accommodation and a large new drying room. The added space has allowed bar and games room in Vertebrae Lodge to be doubled in size.