Pinnacle Review

Pinnacle is one of the most widely regarded sportsbook on the web, due to their policy of allowing winning bettors and their competitive margins. Pinnacle was one of the first bookies I signed up with and I place bets with them on almost every event. However, there are a few caveats with them that affects MMA betting more than other sports, which I will get into further in this review.

Odds

By far and away the first priority when judging a sportsbook is the odds they offer. This is Pinnacle’s strong point and the main reason I believe everyone should have an account with them. Because they don’t limit winning bettors, they are motivated to keep their line as accurate as possible, and their lines often set the direction for other bookies. You will generally see a lot of movement on their lines as they are adjusted frequently, mostly right after the line is released and on the day of the fights. However the accuracy isn’t what makes them appealing to a bettor, it’s their very tight margins (margins explained). For example, in a 50/50 odds moneyline, Pinnacle will often set the odds at -106/-106 , or 1.94/1.94. Other bookies generally offer much wider margins, typically you will see -115/-115 (1.87/1.87) and the more greedy ones will go up to -120/-120 (1.83/1.83). At first glance it may seem like a small difference, but with a $100 bet you’re making $7-$11 more with the exact same odds. Because of these fantastic margins, Pinnacle is simply required for any bettor serious about making money long term.

Bet Selection and Limits

When it comes to MMA betting, Pinnacle consistently offers bets on every UFC event and Bellator event, and some smaller events like Titan FC. They have yet to offer odds on Invicta FC, likely due to the low betting activity on those events. One of the disappointments with Pinnacle is that they offer absolutely ZERO prop bets outside of the Over/Under for rounds. While I do not bet lots of props myself, very often I will like to have the option to bet ITD (In the Distance) as a prop, or Fighter Wins by KO/TKO/Sub. There are many cases that these bets offer better value and I have to look to other bookies for those bets. This is likely due to their sharp risk management, where they understand they can not accurately handicap prop results and so they forego them altogether. This is one of the sacrifices to have smaller margins.

One of the key selling points touted by Pinnacle is that they do not limit winning bettors. This is very important and a good reason to have an account with them. Almost every bookie out there will start to implement limits once they realize their customer is sharp enough to beat their lines. Just take a quick google and you’ll see examples: bet365.com, sportsinteraction.com. sportbet.com, 5dimes.com – they pretty much all do it. Having the security of knowing you can win with no fear of being shut down is great.

However, they still implement general betting limits that are not particularly high, especially when a line is immediately released. It is typical to see a pick’em bet start off with around a $300 limit the day it’s released. For a recreational bettor it’s no big deal, but for those of us with bigger bankrolls, these limits get hit fast. Now once your limit is hit, you can keep betting over and over, but the line will be shifting. So you may start with $300 at -120 and then by the time you get $2000 down the line will have moved quite a bit. I have yet to really test the limits of big bets but I will update this in the future.

Live Betting

N/A
While Pinnacle does offer live betting on bigger sports, they have never offered it for MMA and I don’t foresee it happening soon. The reality is that live betting requires very sharp lines for the bookie to make a profit and I’m pretty sure Pinnacle knows that it would be too risky for them to manage the books. Perhaps one day when MMA betting takes up a bigger share they will introduce it. The lack of live betting is a real bummer, however very few bookies offer it so it shouldn’t be considered a major mark against them.

Deposits and Payouts

Their money transfers are very quick and efficient, one of the smoothest systems I’ve used. I have mine linked to an InstaDebit account and consistently receive my withdrawals and the deposits are instant. You are allowed one free withdrawal a month and I’ve never gone over that, there is a small fee after that.

Customer Service

From my experience I have nothing but praise for their customer service. When lines get cancelled because of a fight being pulled out, the bet gets refunded in a timely manner, usually within an hour. Bets are typically graded immediately, though I’ve had a few take an hour after the event here and there. They respond on their twitter quickly and individually often. There was one situation where they voided bets after the fight was over, citing that the fighter name was incorrect (it was Michael Chandler vs Patricio Friere) and when several people spoke up, they decided to honor the original winning bets. A nice case of listening to the customers.

Site Design and Navigation

Very pleasing design and easy to use. One thing I like is the live odds updates, you can see the odds change after you place a bet without having to refresh. The site loads quick most of the time – though I have had some cases where the page errors and I have to refresh. You can also change the display of odds between decimal, fractional and moneyline to your preference.

Bonuses

N/A
Pinnacle straight up does not offer any kind of sign-up or deposit bonuses. I know this may be a factor for some people, but generally any serious bettor wouldn’t gain much value from a $20 bonus or even a one-time $200 deposit bonus that has heavy restrictions applied. Because they don’t offer bonuses, Pinnacle is able to offer better margins, which I consider the better trade off.

Summary

Every gambler should have a Pinnacle account.  Period. While the lack of in-play betting, prop bets, and bonuses is unfortunate, these are really side dishes that don’t matter when Pinnacle offers what really matters – the best odds, best margins, and no threat of being limited based on your profit. Because of that, you really need to have an account with Pinnacle to ensure that you’re a competitive gambler in the long run. However, I have to take away a little from the rating because I can’t consider Pinnacle a one-stop shop while they hold out from props and in-play betting. That being said, Pinnacle will always be one of my most recommended books.

PROS

+ Best odds
+ No limit for winning
+ Great interface

CONS

– No in-play betting
– No prop bets
– No bonus offers