Reason behind alias: When I signed up for Ezboard I wanted a name with a gambling flavour and had actually picked OddsOn. It wasn't available and OddsAgainst was the first alternative that came to mind.
So this betting thing, then. Why? It's a challenge. If you end up with a profit you have beaten compilers who are handsomely paid to frame odds to ensure you lose.
How did you start? It was a winning double on the horses courtesy of a school mate. After that I always had a fixed odds soccer coupon on a Saturday but was not really interested in horses although I do remember winning 10p with a single on Brigadier Gerard. I'm sure if I knew then what I know now I would have cleaned up on the fixed odds.
Good things don't last and this was no exception. Into the second year the odds on the tips were being chopped and I was offered reduced stakes on a few occasions. Soon the bookies won the day and it was no longer possible to profit on the tips. The bookies were phoning as well.
Your worst bet: It is said that anyone can make a mistake on Betfair. After 4 years on there I thought I was safe. I thought I knew the ropes. Watching the last ten minutes of a European game in which Rangers were playing away, I was bored and had a look at all the live markets on the game.
I came across the "player to score" market which was open. To my amazement someone was asking for 1.3 on Prso to score. Now this was a silly price with ten minutes to go, even though he had already scored in the game. 1.3 to score in the last ten minutes or less, I'll have some of that I thought. So I laid some and then some more. More small requests come up and I lay them.
Yes, I should have wakened up by now but I carried on until I had a £50 liability on the bet. Luckily for me, one of the many good punters on Betfair put up a fleeting request for a grand at 1.01 and I got the message.
Looking back, the market should not have been open but if I had checked the rules I would not have thrown the case away. Lesson learned the hard way.
Paula Radcliffe or Kelly Holmes? It's got to be Paula. I like a girl who finishes early.
Best piece of betting advice you've ever received? "This is the dentists, son, Corals is next door..."
Best piece of betting advice you can give: I guess with the advent of exchanges it would be "don't close a bet just because you can." From what I glean from various forum posts "going green" is a very popular pastime.
Frankly, I think that a lot of the time punters are throwing money away because they don't know any better and there are plenty of Sharp Minds waiting to hoover it up. Close a bet only if the closing bet is a value bet, a bet you would have made regardless of the opening one.
If the closing bet has a negative expectation then you may go all green on the day but you will at best eat into your profits and at worse you may lose all profits in the long term.
If you back a team at evens, they go a goal up in the first five minutes and you can then close at 1.9 it should be obvious that it makes no sense to do so. If you can lay 1.01 of course you do so, just don't close out just because you can.
Ellen MacArthur or non-specific urethritis? NSU please. I understand Ellen is spoken for by one of the Punter's Paradise Admins and I don't want to tread on any toes.
Best bookmakers: Betandwin. They have some tasty soccer prices.
Worst bookmakers: Betandwin. They have restricted me. With them this is not a compliment or testament to one's ability, it seems like it is policy to do so if you happen to get a few hundred ahead on your account.
So what exactly did happen to Marco Negri then? Nobody really knows. Some suspect a bookmaker conspiracy as locals cleaned up on the goals markets, other suspect there were complaints from other clubs that he was not treating their professionals with the respect they deserved. I mean, scoring five goals in the first half is not really on, is it? The truth is that a black eye brought his career to a premature end. How he got it is another story.
Name one thing that would most improve the quality of your betting life: A Phd in statistics.
The worst thing about betting is: The vast number of accounts you must maintain to get the best prices.
The best thing about betting is: The satisfaction of beating the odds.
As the owner and spiritual leader of Punters' Paradise - the thinking man's gambling forum - do you have any life lessons you can impart to the devoted? Always watch your back.
Any last words? If a price at Betandwin looks too good to be true, grab it. You'll be able to lay off easily at the exchange.
BBC
