How much do you make or lose from gambling each year?

[Caid]

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...

[boojangles]

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 )
I really really regret the day I ever started gambling.

[Orior]

£0, zero, zilch, nada

I think gambling is fine, but too risky.

[Hardy]

Don't gamble. Invest.

[comethekingdom]

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!

[under the bar]

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

[Donnellys Hollow]

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! 

[Tony Baloney]

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.

[randomtask]

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

[oakleafgael]

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.

[under the bar]

The best year to date returning +36.

£36?

[oakleafgael]

The 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.

[Puckoon]

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.

[stiffler]

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

[TheGreatRambo]

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