Bets and Pieces

I’m sure many readers who have found this article on the search engines answered: Yes, you bet!’

Even though this book was published back in 1992 by Aesculus Press Limited it is still one of the best reads for budding gamblers. Such was its success that Betting For A Living was a best seller. I think the definition of a best seller is offloading at least 5,000 books in one week, which is no mean feat in the horse racing world with a small niche market.

Betting For A Living had at least six reprint from 1992 – 96.

I have one copy, so I was part of the success story.

Betting For A Living is a big old stamp of a book with over 300 pages.

The dusk cover is prominently duck egg blue in colour, Betting For A Living in black capitalised text, Nick Mordin written, underlined in fonts coloured in racing green. A couple of betting tickets (so much better than the modern receipts now given on course) and rent book filled with cash. The cover was designed by Iona Stern and Kevin Macmillan. Layout by Legend Design, Bristol.

It has been a long time since I read this book and there have been many changes within both horse racing and technology. Certainly the advancement of betting exchange the biggest aspect for consideration. However, I am sure the fundamentals of reading form, finding your approach and working with discipline are the basic foundation for any would-be gambler. I intend to read this publication over the next few weeks. I look forward to it. There may well be a few articles written off the back of it too.

Betting For A Living features 15 chapters in the first part and the second part a Journal: Turning Theory into Practice.

The book is a true testament to the passion of Nick Mordin’s work. It details why he wrote the book, what the book is about, how to predict how a race will be run, why different horses win at different courses (especially the all-weather), how to analyse the effect of the draw, how distance effects horses, assessing the look of the horse, assessing horses by their class, listening to trainer comments and their trainer methods, horse fitness, how weight affects horses, betting with value, maximising your winnings and how much to bet, how to use systems, which factor suit a particular horse, how to watch a race and more.

Part two details a journal following six months of using the method at the races.

I particularly like the forward written by Mordin himself which is humorous and can only be described as ‘racing fever’.

The aim of the book was for Mordin to digest as much information as he could and write a publication to help punters make their betting pay. Not only would he write a best selling book but apply his wisdom to betting on course. In fact, this is exactly what he did during the winter 1992/93. He did exactly what he proposed making over £1000 a month betting in his spare time at weekend and bank holidays.

A great read for all those who love their horse racing.

I went to church today.I’ve lived in my home town for 53 years. I can count on one hand the number times I have been to a Sunday service. None of my family are particularly religious although we are Church of England. The classic weddings and funerals.

Christian, perhaps more in spirit than practising.

As I walked towards the church, the bells rang out. It was a welcoming sign and as I headed towards the gated entrance, Rev Andrew Smith, dressed resplendent in his gown, walked into the church with me chatting about a wintery morning.

I’m pretty sure most, if not all, members of the congregation must have wondered who I was. I noticed a few of them look round and some said hello. The Victorian church looked beautiful, tranquil, and uplifting with about 20 or so parishioners. I had been there before with my girlfriend, Marlene, who lives in Florida, and much more of a church goer than myself. In fact, it was her suggestion we went to my local church. I told members of the congregation about this anecdote. I said it as a humorous story although I wasn’t quite sure if it was a little off centre. My church experience was a good one.

As a gambler, I wonder how it would be classed as a sin. Although I have no idea how investments would be viewed because everything is a gamble.

For me, life is about having faith. I think people often associate faith with religion but to me faith his faith. It is an enduring belief in what you do, your hopes, dreams, and having the character to keep believing in times of difficulty. We all face challenges in life. To triumph over adversity – to keep the faith – it is very much about finding answers to questions. You often don’t even know a question exists until it stands before you. We fight the good fight. It is often shown the battle is internal.

What is the answer, the best answer to the question?

The greatest strength you will ever find and need is your personal faith.

There may be many things you associate with Uri Geller but probably not being a horse tipster.

To fair, this story isn’t so much about tipping a horse to win a race as buying a horse to own and win. Now Uri Geller is the kind of man who could put his mind to anything with a mystical, sparkly touch of magic.

I’m sure Geller would be horrified to see his Wikipedia page saying the Isreali-British citizen is an illusionist, magician, television presenter and self-proclaimed psychic.

What about the pure magic?

Unfortunately, you don’t see Geller on TV as much as he used to back in the 1990s. I guess he’s fallen out of fashion. However, I’ve seen him do some impressive things with spoons. He once started a broken clock which sat on the mantelpiece for years, while he did a turn on some program on television. In fact, he has published many books including Uri Geller’s Little Book of Mind Power by Robson Book (1999).

He has telepathic powers gifted to him by extraterrestrials. In fact, Geller said he was send to Earth from a spaceship 53,000 light years away although later denied the space fantasy claims. Also, his friend Andrija Puharich claimed Geller had teleported a dog through the walls of his house.

Anyway, this is the longest introduction, unknown to many, Uri Geller had an association with Sir Clement Freud which he detailed in his book Freud On Course: The Racing Lives Of Clement Freud, published in 2009 by the Racing Post.

Freud, a Liberal Member of Parliament, met Geller on the 27^th October 1999 at a fete in his constituency. Geller refused to buy a raffle ticket because he said he always won and people didn’t like it. Freud bullied him into buying one ticket, out of 2,500, and he won.

No doubt feeling Geller had the touch of the Gods, he asked him to look at a horse sales catalogue to buy a yearling. Freud had a long history of owning race horses and Winter Fair, Grunty Fen, Weareagrandmother and Nagnagnag all won races.

He said: ‘I liked finding them names, enjoyed seeing my colours carried in races, had the occasional win and much fun.’

Geller chose the horse of which they went into partnership. The filly was called Spoonbender.

She didn’t win a race. Apparently Gellars skillset can only get you so far at the races. I prefer to have faith in freebetsuk.uk and the like as that’s the definition of a true no lose gamble in my view.

Freud continued: ‘Uri came up with some quite impressive reasons why she run so badly.’

I wish Geller was back on TV as for entertainment value alone he certainly has something.

Gambling can be a bad idea.

In fact, if you don’t have a very good reason to gamble it is advisable not to bet. Ever. You know the only good reason to bet? Because you are convinced you will win. You have the knowledge to outwit the layers with brains rather than brawn.

The only time you need both is if you are betting on an arm wrestle!

For most punters the hope, ambition, goal (whatever the story) of achieving that lofty level of knowledge and skill is remote. If your dream is simply based on making easy money without much work then you will soon find out you are mistaken. In fact, if you have the thought and belief you can somehow ‘magically’ win money without being exceptional at what you do, you are foolishly naive.

You can’t see the competition but it is there in all its guises.

Yes, I’m a would-be pro gambler bubble popper.

Not to say people don’t make money from gambling. They say 2% of gamblers make a profit. Traders on the stock market are no different in their aim to make money. The only different is that they don’t usually bet with their own money. So to conclude no one can make money gambling is ridiculous.

Every financial transaction is a gamble whichever way you want to dress it up. Knowledge isn’t simply ascribed to someone who walks around wearing a trench coat, carries a briefcase and has a Financial Time under their arm.

People make money from selling toilet rolls while others arms dealers.

Your everyday professional gambling sits somewhere in between.

[Thoughts of someone stricken on the bog dropping a couple of bombs after a bet went south.]

Gambling for a living can be very stressful. Losing money is never the best feeling and no one fancies working all week and finding themselves in the red.

That’s why being a professional gambler it’s important to create a gambling life that works for you. It needs to be a pleasurable experience, if not relaxed. This may sound impossible but it’s not. Because you have the option to make your working life work for you. This will take some thought and action but it is possible. You have the opportunity to make your gambling life whatever you wish.

An act of freewill over determinism.

I’ve had this conversation with my brother and one of the most important aspects of professional gambling is having an approach, method and process that incorporates within it a pleasurable experience. Ultimately, a working day that works for you.

Reading many professional gambler books the journey of most successful gambler is one of ultimate stress.

This often comes from betting a bigger stake than they can cope with emotionally. It is a very personal thing and while some people can literally bet millions others find it difficult to bet a couple of hundred, even though they can easily afford the lesser loss.

Your success or not as a gambler comes down to your skill and understanding finding value and working within the limits of your human condition.

However, an important part of being a successful gambler isn’t just about your knowledge and betting power but finding a way of working which is pleasurable and stress-free.

It is a decision you need to make.