There seem to be a fair few gamblers on the board. Just wondering what sort of swings you guys have taken in recent years? Does the wife ever take a swing for you as a result?!
Been over in the States here for a few months and semi-professional gambling seems to be prolific and some of the lads I work with would bet serious money on two beads of condensation dripping down a window!
These superbowl boxes they have in the bars involve serious money too...
I really wish I knew. Its a mugs game really and only the very disciplined and wise make money out of it.Over the years I really dread to think what I would be down. I went mad for a while there but have taught myself a few lessons and really try to stick to things I really fancy no matter what sport. I love Horse Racing but its a sure bet to bankruptcy(unless your name is SammyMaguire or Donnellys Hollow :P)
I really really regret the day I ever started gambling.
£0, zero, zilch, nada
I think gambling is fine, but too risky.
Don't gamble. Invest.
Quote from: Hardy on December 01, 2009, 09:27:09 PM
Don't gamble. Invest.
Loads of people who 'invested' in the housing market in the last few years took a gamble that went belly up!
Gamblers are never up. At very best they are chasing breaking even over time and consider breaking even over time as a great outcome. They always look on the bright side. You can easily read through their terminology. e.g.
"Cleaned the bookie" = at last I've seen back a small percentage of the fortune I've lost over the years
"Did OK" = not down as much as I could have been.
"Broke even" = down as much as I can afford to be
"Didnt have a good day" = absolutely fleeced
Very personal question to be asking Caid!
95% of my betting would be done on the horses with the majority of that being on the National Hunt. I enjoy the flat but I think there are too many imponderables to make serious money on it (draw biases, immature horses etc). Most of my big bets would be antepost wagers so my year is largely dependant on what happens at Cheltenham. Always start picking out a few horses around this time of year and start punting them for March. I've come out of the last few festivals with a good profit mainly thanks to Willie Mullins, Nicky Henderson and Howard Johnson.
As for everyday punting, I try to limit my betting to conditions races where horses will be running on their merits and I tend to avoid handicap contests. Handicap races are a necessary evil in racing and IMO, they encourage trainers not to run horses on their merits. Why would a trainer consistently have a horse running at 100% if it is likely to keep his handicap rating high. If a horse has gone up 10lbs+ in the ratings, the trainer is likely to give the horse a few runs over unsuitable distances, tracks or ground in order for the horse to drop back down to a winnable mark. If you consistently punt in handicaps then I've no doubt you will lose out in the long-term unless you're basing your bets on solid insider info.
If you're serious about betting then I think it is essential to keep a record of all your bets. (I've kept an excel spreadsheet for the past 5 years myself). This allows me to pinpoint over a good period of time the types of races/tracks/horses that I do well with and vice-versa. I tend to do well in novice chases in Ireland so I will devote a lot of times to these. I don't do well in staying chases in England (3miles+) so I either limit my stakes or totally avoid these.
I've made a profit every year since '06 but I used to do my bollocks back in my college days when I wasn't disciplined and I didn't keep detailed records. The girlfriend is well aware that I gamble but she is something of a shopping addict herself so while I'm sat on the sofa watching the racing on a Saturday/Sunday, she is splashing the cash in Kildare Village or Whitewater. This arrangement works well I find! ;)
You only ever hear about the big win from a gambler. My uncle would have been serious into the cards a few years back and he said businesses changed hands in the turn of a card.
Quote from: Donnellys Hollow on December 01, 2009, 09:54:32 PM
Very personal question to be asking Caid!
95% of my betting would be done on the horses with the majority of that being on the National Hunt. I enjoy the flat but I think there are too many imponderables to make serious money on it (draw biases, immature horses etc). Most of my big bets would be antepost wagers so my year is largely dependant on what happens at Cheltenham. Always start picking out a few horses around this time of year and start punting them for March. I've come out of the last few festivals with a good profit mainly thanks to Willie Mullins, Nicky Henderson and Howard Johnson.
As for everyday punting, I try to limit my betting to conditions races where horses will be running on their merits and I tend to avoid handicap contests. Handicap races are a necessary evil in racing and IMO, they encourage trainers not to run horses on their merits. Why would a trainer consistently have a horse running at 100% if it is likely to keep his handicap rating high. If a horse has gone up 10lbs+ in the ratings, the trainer is likely to give the horse a few runs over unsuitable distances, tracks or ground in order for the horse to drop back down to a winnable mark. If you consistently punt in handicaps then I've no doubt you will lose out in the long-term unless you're basing your bets on solid insider info.
If you're serious about betting then I think it is essential to keep a record of all your bets. (I've kept an excel spreadsheet for the past 5 years myself). This allows me to pinpoint over a good period of time the types of races/tracks/horses that I do well with and vice-versa. I tend to do well in novice chases in Ireland so I will devote a lot of times to these. I don't do well in staying chases in England (3miles+) so I either limit my stakes or totally avoid these.
I've made a profit every year since '06 but I used to do my bollocks back in my college days when I wasn't disciplined and I didn't keep detailed records. The girlfriend is well aware that I gamble but she is something of a shopping addict herself so while I'm sat on the sofa watching the racing on a Saturday/Sunday, she is splashing the cash in Kildare Village or Whitewater. This arrangement works well I find! ;)
f**k sammy, ure my new tipster ;) but personally havent made a great deal but i wudnt lose so much that it isnt worth the thrill of stickin a tenner on a 12/1 outsider
Quote from: Donnellys Hollow on December 01, 2009, 09:54:32 PM
Very personal question to be asking Caid!
95% of my betting would be done on the horses with the majority of that being on the National Hunt. I enjoy the flat but I think there are too many imponderables to make serious money on it (draw biases, immature horses etc). Most of my big bets would be antepost wagers so my year is largely dependant on what happens at Cheltenham. Always start picking out a few horses around this time of year and start punting them for March. I've come out of the last few festivals with a good profit mainly thanks to Willie Mullins, Nicky Henderson and Howard Johnson.
As for everyday punting, I try to limit my betting to conditions races where horses will be running on their merits and I tend to avoid handicap contests. Handicap races are a necessary evil in racing and IMO, they encourage trainers not to run horses on their merits. Why would a trainer consistently have a horse running at 100% if it is likely to keep his handicap rating high. If a horse has gone up 10lbs+ in the ratings, the trainer is likely to give the horse a few runs over unsuitable distances, tracks or ground in order for the horse to drop back down to a winnable mark. If you consistently punt in handicaps then I've no doubt you will lose out in the long-term unless you're basing your bets on solid insider info.
If you're serious about betting then I think it is essential to keep a record of all your bets. (I've kept an excel spreadsheet for the past 5 years myself). This allows me to pinpoint over a good period of time the types of races/tracks/horses that I do well with and vice-versa. I tend to do well in novice chases in Ireland so I will devote a lot of times to these. I don't do well in staying chases in England (3miles+) so I either limit my stakes or totally avoid these.
I've made a profit every year since '06 but I used to do my bollocks back in my college days when I wasn't disciplined and I didn't keep detailed records. The girlfriend is well aware that I gamble but she is something of a shopping addict herself so while I'm sat on the sofa watching the racing on a Saturday/Sunday, she is splashing the cash in Kildare Village or Whitewater. This arrangement works well I find! ;)
Just dont make the mistake I did and leave it on the computer in the house where an inquisitive wife may stumble upon it.
I very rarely gamble on anything other than greyhound racing, if its not the dogs it will be the horses but never on handicaps and never never on the all weather in the Uk or Ireland.
I had a terrible year in 06 but would be showing profit for every year apart from that since 2003. The best year to date returning +36.
QuoteThe best year to date returning +36.
£36?
Quote from: under the bar on December 01, 2009, 10:25:29 PM
QuoteThe best year to date returning +36.
£36?
No, I work on a point system rather than a £, but if one point = £ then I would be up £36 for every £ starting out. Its a running total taking into account profit and loss.
I gambled semi professionally for about 3 years. When I say semi professionally, I mean I gambled to supplement my income, and because I was on the crest of a wave and things generally were good for me at the poker table or sports betting. Id say over the course of that three years I broke about 8,000$ over even. There were weeks where I was down a couple hundred, but I never had a losing month really. I laid my biggest winning streak down on my car which was about 6 grand.
Youll never really hear from a gambler how much they lost, but I am sure there were times when I could have used or needed the couple hundred that Id lost, but I generally always had enough money in winnings to pay my bills and still save a dollar or two in the bank.
It really came in handy when I lost the job. I stopped gambling (with the exception of one or two times when I needed to turn the 50$ I had into my pocket into 200 or so).
Now, could I have saved 8,000$ over that time? Probably not. Maybe if Id budgeted real tight (I made 20,000$ a year over that time) I could have - but I wouldnt have had as much fun doing it.
You can check your poker profit with sharkscope, does anyone know any similar websites for bookies? would be interesting to see them all at once, over a period of a year or so
Been a gambler for over 20 years, the vast majority of those years I was the classic mug punter betting on anything and everthing, doubles , trebles, lucky 15's on horses, dogs, tennis, footie, reindeer racing any fecking thing really. Had some decent wins in that time but overall I'm sure I lost thousands upon thousands never had the courage to work it out... Anyway 3-4 years ago I had a Paul on the road to Damascus moment and changed my whole outlook on betting.I realised that I was just gamblin for the sake of having a bet rather than for any enjoyment, backing horses blind without even studying form etc
The two main sports I would follow (GAA apart) and would think I know a bit about are soccer and golf and both are ideal for betting if you are disciplined enough. Golf lends itself to exchange betting (backing to lay or vice-versa) I would usually back 5-6 guys at start of tournament based on current form, how they have done at a certain course before or sometimes such a hunch, all with the purpose of laying for a profit at some stage of the 4 days. Usually u will lose 1-2 straight away, be able to lay another couple to cover the cost of all bets and then hope to have 1 in contention on Sunday when the real money is to be made.
Football betting can be profitable if u stick to singles rather than the big accums that most people do. Itend to look for a price that I think is wrong and might go 3-4 weeks without a bet til I get one. Tonight was an example Man Utd drifted to Evns as a result of what I thought was an over reaction to a defeat by Besiktas last week so I had a decent bet on them. As it turned out United were poor and they were probably lucky to win but the theory was right and I got a few quid.
I have several other systems that I'll not bore ya with right now but the moral of my story is that after years of being a mug punter I am now able to show a modest profit at the end of a years punting (well I have done this last 3 years anyway)
P.S. I still miss the thrill of waiting on that last minute goal to fill a ten team accumulator sometimes
Quote from: stiffler on December 01, 2009, 11:04:55 PM
You can check your poker profit with sharkscope, does anyone know any similar websites for bookies? would be interesting to see them all at once, over a period of a year or so
Would be impossible I'd have thought, the poker tournaments are in the public domain meaning that anyone can watch them simply by being on the site at the time. Ur bookies acccount however is between you and the bookie, a bit like ur bank account is between u and the bank
had my first bet when i was 17 with 3 pound on a 12/1 nag one day and it won from there i was hooked.
That was over ten years ago and since then i have been gambling on a regular basis (apart from my stint in the Middle East where its totally banned).
I didnt really start to get into it until about 6 years ago when i started to realise that horses could have form,weight differences,in form jockies and trainers and other factors included with them running a good race.
I use to spend hours every day in a bookies as i went farming after college and was probably making a small fortune of a loss.
When i met the woman kind of lost interest but got it back when a couple of my good mates started gambling on football and were constantly texting each other and ringing each other with dead certs.
We got big into it with 500 or 1000 euro bets on the likes of man u aresnal celtic or rangers at home in doubles and trebles with odds ranging from 4/6 to 15/8.
Had a good run with this for about a year with a few hiccups.
Got stung badly for three weeks in a row ended up losing 2500 in one month around the beginning of last year and decided to end that fast.
My last fooball bet was 300 on liverpool last november i think at home to west ham they were 4/7 and they drew 0-0.
I switched to rugby handicaps since and i firmly believe these a real moneyspinner and with the betting in running a man can recoup any losses and maybe even winning both bets if the result turns out the right way.
I now spend three to four hours usually evey saturday betting on horses with a limit of 150 if that goes i leave.For instance i lost it all lost saturday but the wednesday night before in dundalk i was up 350 so my profit for the week was 200.
I roughly gamble once maybe twice a week with a pot of around 150-200.
I genereally have made a profit in the last 3-4 years bar last year which was a complete washout.
I have an account with paddypower with a 50 euro monthly limit and a betfair account with a 75 euro monthly loss limit.
I like gambling and i know i can do without it but my outlike on life is enjoy it while you can.
My neighbours son me he did a spread bet last weekend.
I felt sorry for the lad, as he is only about 9 or 10.
i kept a diary last year around this time when i was out of work, it read something like -
november +£38
december +£52
january -£72
february -£67
after that i said feck this and stopped recording my bets :D
I wouldnt even want to think about how much im down :o :o
I just checked my account after reading the title. I was dreading the final total but Im down a lot less than I expected for 2009.
How much does Paddy Power make from gambling each year.
Id cry to next christmas if i sat going through my pp account :'( :'( :'(
Typical gambler i am thinking il get a biggie to clear all :-\ In my dreams
I put a limit on my pp account at the beginning of the year and im delighted i did.
Gets rid of the temptation to place a bet willy nilly during the week and i just use it now just for emergencies.
Opened a betfair account two months ago and my loss so far is 145 euro hope to turn that around in the next two weeks.
Paddypower is creaming up profits at the moment and is looking to breal into the lucrative french market.
For all the gamblers on the board do you ever bet on the virtual horses in a bookies eg portman park,steepledowns?
If so have you any systems or is it a shot in the dark.
I love these races by the way
Quote from: rossie mad on December 02, 2009, 05:24:01 PM
For all the gamblers on the board do you ever bet on the virtual horses in a bookies eg portman park,steepledowns?
If so have you any systems or is it a shot in the dark.
I never back on these cartoons but my mate reckons if you ever see a horse with the same odds as its number to back it. I have seen it come in a few times in fairness. Usually at 12-1 or 14-1.
Quote from: boojangles on December 02, 2009, 05:43:36 PM
Quote from: rossie mad on December 02, 2009, 05:24:01 PM
For all the gamblers on the board do you ever bet on the virtual horses in a bookies eg portman park,steepledowns?
If so have you any systems or is it a shot in the dark.
I never back on these cartoons but my mate reckons if you ever see a horse with the same odds as its number to back it. I have seen it come in a few times in fairness. Usually at 12-1 or 14-1.
Seems to be a higher than normal amount of winners of these races around 12/14s
Jaysus lads not a bit of wonder ye never win if ye backing on them yokes..
I've heard all the systems - number 8 at 8/1 etc, back the one at broken odds (ie 9/2), the numbers of the first 2 horses in this race will give ya the number of the winner in the next :). They are a fixed odds game like a poker machine or roulette table and can't be beaten.
Quote from: stiffler on December 02, 2009, 06:15:09 PM
Quote from: boojangles on December 02, 2009, 05:43:36 PM
Quote from: rossie mad on December 02, 2009, 05:24:01 PM
For all the gamblers on the board do you ever bet on the virtual horses in a bookies eg portman park,steepledowns?
If so have you any systems or is it a shot in the dark.
I never back on these cartoons but my mate reckons if you ever see a horse with the same odds as its number to back it. I have seen it come in a few times in fairness. Usually at 12-1 or 14-1.
Seems to be a higher than normal amount of winners of these races around 12/14s
My mate in work gets 14-16/1 winners regular at Lucksin Downs in Ladbrokes. He never backs a horse with anyones name in it. He recons that the horses with names are backed more by people with a connection to the name and they win less often.
I usually do the 20/1 to 33/1 shot in a big field with 16 plus runners and i get on ok with them.
Usually do two to three horses each way and tend to at least get my money back each time.
i was the talk of my local bookies few months back when i had a 5 e/w 66/1
cudnt believe my luck.it was just those one of the spur of the moment things i remember the name and all tysea sands no 2 in portman park come out of nowhere to hammer the field
doing alright this past while, prob up £120 last couple of months, but i am playing alot more now that im back in uni
Quote from: TheGreatRambo on December 01, 2009, 11:21:39 PM
Been a gambler for over 20 years, the vast majority of those years I was the classic mug punter betting on anything and everthing, doubles , trebles, lucky 15's on horses, dogs, tennis, footie, reindeer racing any fecking thing really. Had some decent wins in that time but overall I'm sure I lost thousands upon thousands never had the courage to work it out... Anyway 3-4 years ago I had a Paul on the road to Damascus moment and changed my whole outlook on betting.I realised that I was just gamblin for the sake of having a bet rather than for any enjoyment, backing horses blind without even studying form etc
The two main sports I would follow (GAA apart) and would think I know a bit about are soccer and golf and both are ideal for betting if you are disciplined enough. Golf lends itself to exchange betting (backing to lay or vice-versa) I would usually back 5-6 guys at start of tournament based on current form, how they have done at a certain course before or sometimes such a hunch, all with the purpose of laying for a profit at some stage of the 4 days. Usually u will lose 1-2 straight away, be able to lay another couple to cover the cost of all bets and then hope to have 1 in contention on Sunday when the real money is to be made.
Football betting can be profitable if u stick to singles rather than the big accums that most people do. Itend to look for a price that I think is wrong and might go 3-4 weeks without a bet til I get one. Tonight was an example Man Utd drifted to Evns as a result of what I thought was an over reaction to a defeat by Besiktas last week so I had a decent bet on them. As it turned out United were poor and they were probably lucky to win but the theory was right and I got a few quid.
I have several other systems that I'll not bore ya with right now but the moral of my story is that after years of being a mug punter I am now able to show a modest profit at the end of a years punting (well I have done this last 3 years anyway)
P.S. I still miss the thrill of waiting on that last minute goal to fill a ten team accumulator sometimes
please excuse the naivety but could you explain the betting to lay thing, i dont really understand it, i bet on the golf a lot but usually just each way.
If you just bet on horses ridden by a particular Jockey e.g. Frankie Detori, Ruby Walsh would you come out on top over a year assuming no injury to jockey?
i put £1 on a tricast on the virtual horse racing about 8 months ago, and won £816.00
QuoteIf you just bet on horses ridden by a particular Jockey e.g. Frankie Detori, Ruby Walsh would you come out on top over a year assuming no injury to jockey?
Assuming you're talking about level stakes all year long, you would lose approximately one large fortune.
The only way to make money backing a jockey is to latch onto the best young prospects as they come through, then get as far away as you can once the bookies start factoring his ability into their prices.
I suppose it depends why your gambling, I used to play a lot poker a few years ago and was quite successful and made a fair amount (to supplement income) then the us ban came in and it became much more difficult so I stopped playing. I was always more interested in the fun of the game than the money. At the same time one of my mates was making a very good living playing online (much better than me) and was buying a house when still at uni, but unlike me when the game changed he kept playing as he was much more interested in the money and his income dropped substantially,added to this he used to be on all sorts of sports, which I never did and he began struggling to make any kind of living. My mate took a job recently and has started to cut back on the poker as he losses were become substantial.
Used to hit fruit machines a lot untill i got into on-line poker. Win on average £25 a week. Fairly low stakes, play 2 nights a week. Never touch roulette, cant been a machine in the long run. Nice to win a few £, but thrill of the game is the thing.Not touched a machine since, really is a mugs game and i was one of the mugs :)