Punter Interviews

I initially put in a couple of hundred pounds just to play about with, and bought some more systems (a lesson I should have learned), and spent seven or eight months on a roller-coaster of winning and losing. Now I see where the possibilities are in Betfair and have a structured approach that is close to being boring...... Read More

Bet Angel is a bit of an accident really. I used to be a coder many years ago but I lost touch with my roots and didn't have the time to keep up with developments in the market for a quite a few years. So I decided to try and get other vendors to implement the features I wanted to be able to trade the market more effectively. When most of them didn't follow up my suggestions I guessed maybe they were more interested in selling the software rather than using it. So I got together with some other traders and created Bet Angel.

It will be in the bookshops soon according to the publisher, but why not obtain it free via the Internet? The publication deals with all aspects of percentages, instructing readers how to make their own ‘book’ relating to all sports, not only horse racing. The key point to make is that the book is free to everyone that visits the AboveAllOdds website.

Later on, I tried out a few ideas, mostly mathematically based, since I don't know much about studying form and so on. I think I discovered for myself a form of the "favourite longshot bias" (long odds on shots tend to be more favourably priced), but in those days there was betting tax, and it was very hard to make money from betting ... I didn't make any, anyway, though I only bet tiny amounts.

I have been interested in horse racing since my teens, and can remember my first bet. I had just watched an interview on the TV, I think it was ‘grandstand’, and the commentator interviewed a professional gambler, who in the course of the conversation said he had come to the racetrack to see one horse in the first race, and that was all he was interested in....

I expect the name Joseph Buchdahl, is familiar to many of you. Not only is he the author of the highly regarded book ‘Fixed Odds Sports Betting: Statistical Forecasting and Risk Management’, heavy, yet essential, reading for people looking to take their betting to the next level, he is also webmaster of football-data.co.uk, a site which charges a minimal fee for a plethora of football statistics over a wide database and owner of his own very successful football betting system (1x2betting.co.uk). I bought it when it only cost £10 (it’s now £25), and it was the best £10 I ever spent!

About 10 years ago I fell into the trap of sending my hard-earned money to some Tipster telling me that it really was possible to make money from betting on Horse Racing. Even though he failed, it didn't stop me from being mesmerised by the next (and the next, and the next...) glossy mailshot to come through the door promising the same.

I have played the ponies for about 30 years off & on.  I just started to use the betting exchanges last year, but quickly found out that unless one had a fast response alerting tool running, the full potential of the exchanges would not be realized.  So since I have not done that yet, my exposure to the betting exchanges is somewhat limited.

My costliest lesson was a horse that my brother had received info about. He gave me some money and I was to go to the bookies and get what I thought he said was the first price, he claims however that he said the best price. I listened for the prices and heard 11/4 and so I went up to the counter and asked for the price. The lady looked a little surprised and asked if I was sure?

The betting shops were the next port of call. It could be a very entertaining afternoon out, and these places abounded with characters. I watched plenty of people do their wages in, and thankfully that helped me to realise that a betting bank, and its protection was paramount if you were to mount any sort of assault against the bookies..........