How Do You Win at Slots?

Ask a casino owner where they make most of their revenue and you will hear them say: ''Slots'' In fact, most casinos make about 70% of their money from those technological one-armed bandits. 

True the arm has gone to be replaced by a button but basically, punters can't get enough of online slots. 

Take a look at Casumo's welcome bonus to get 200% up to £50 + £20 free spins.  

For all you slot players out there, you may have one question to ask.

How do you win at slots?

What strategy should your everyday punter use?

Is it possible to make a living from playing slots? To be fair, I haven't met anyone who makes a living but that doesn't mean to say people don't make betting on slots pay. 

Take a look at these secrets:

1# Bankroll management

It's an old adage, but bet what you can afford to lose. If betting £100, then you are wise to bet at a lower level unless you really want to chance your luck with high-priced spins. Basically, bet to your budget.

2# Connect play lines to... costs 

Whether playing live or online, play lines matter. 

Take  a look at what this expert had to say on the subject: 

''A common mistake slots beginners make is to consider pay lines relevant only when it gets on how to build a winning spin and calculate a number of coins won, while where pay lines matter the most – again – is the calculation of your slot machine’s actual cost. 

True, if you sit at a 25 pay lines slot and you bet only on 5 of them you can simply forget to hit one of those absurdly large payouts and see a six-figures jackpot coming to fatten your bankroll.

But try not to forget our first slots tip, as betting on all the 25 lines of trying to hit the jackpot will cost you considerably more than just going for a handful of those aiming to a more modest win. So, once again, what does your balance say? Can you really afford all those bets at once? ''

3# Don't be a slot player stalker

This isn't going to happen in your living room. However, if you go to a brick-and-mortar casino you will notice a lot of gamblers are playing. Like they have some kind of formula which means they win while you are like some newbie finding your feet. 

In actual fact, they are looking for what they term ''hot'' or ''cold'' slots. The hot slots being ones that haven't paid pay for a considerable amount of time, while the cold being those which have given someone a bundle of love (cash). 

Here's the thing you need to know. 

It's a lie

Modern-day slots don't work like that. It's all very random. If they pay out big, it doesn't mean the next spin will not go one better.   

4# Go for the maximum bet 

When you have loaded your slot with money you have to make a choice: 

The amount of money you will play on each bet. 

The point being that betting £1 four times is the same as one £4 bet. Although costing the same in total, they have different consequences. 

Our expert quote: 

''That is because online slots generally offer identical payouts whether you bet 1, 2 or more coins – changing only the multiplier you will have to multiply your winning by. Bet one coin and you will multiply your winning by 1x; bet two coins and the multiplier will be 2x; three coins and you will go for 3x and so on.''

Good luck. 

How Do I Use Betfair While In The USA?

It's great to go on holiday. Even better the chance to visit West Palm Beach, Florida. All parts of the state are beautiful and there is plenty to see and do. 

But there's a problem. I love UK horse racing. In fact, it is my business to follow the Flat racing season. Also, I need to place bets on the betting exchange. I have a Betfair and Betdaq account. So what's the problem? Have you ever tried to access the betting exchanges while on holiday in the US? If you have, you will know what I'm talking about. 

Your access to the site will be blocked!

Annoying. You may question why this is the case. America has a very different view of gambling than other countries. To be fair each and every country has its own little ways. Many prohibit gambling full stop. The main problem with the US is that they are interested in looking after the bandwagon which is known as Las Vegas. No wonder the city in Nevada is synonymous with gambling. The Strip. The shows. The casinos. The lobbyists who are paid good money to make sure that potential wad of cash goes into the pockets of the few.

I think the only state in America where you can access Betfair is New Jersey. However, that's not much good if you are in Florida or any other state for that matter. 

So what do you do? 

You may have heard people using VPNs which help disguise where you are accessing the internet and website. However, this isn't legal and it has been known for Betfair to suspend people's accounts because they realising they are breaking the law of the land. 

Another alternative may be to use Team Viewer. This still may be illegal but it would probably be very difficult to prosecute. Team Viewer allows you to access another computer even from a different country. So you could have a laptop switched on in the UK and access it in Florida. So technically you are using your laptop at home. It makes life easier. It is also a lot easier to access all those things on your laptop at home because it's not practical to carry your desktop and monitor across the pond! 

Anyway, it is a way to gain access to your Betfair account as long as you have wifi. 

Don't be restricted.

Personally, I phone my brother in the UK to place bets for me as it is both legal and easy to work. 

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I guess most people have bet at some time. It may have been in your local casino or even Las Vegas. You don't need to be a high roller to enjoy a bet even when others are betting tens of thousands down the Strip. You don't need to be a tycoon to enjoy some fun betting responsibly. 

The cost of travelling to play at a casino is one reason why online platforms have flourished in the last decade. Make the most of promotional codes and you might just be one of those who Play with Jackpot Joy.

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Tips on making a profitable career from horse race betting

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could follow your passion of only watching horses race and placing bets? After all, doing what you love is one of the secrets to a happy life.

Contrary to what most non-gamblers think, betting on horses is hard work. There’s the strain of the constant emotional ups and downs of victories and losses. There’s the nerve-wracking decision making process of which horse to back and how much to place on a bet, and much more. But what are the chances of turning this into a full-time job that’ll finance your mortgage and send your kids to college? With races such as the Kentucky Derby, and the 2017 Breeders Cup coming up perhaps you're tempted to try and follow suit.

Well the short and brutal answer is your chances are very low. Why? Because horses like people are very unpredictable and the likelihood of you winning as many bets as you need to remain financially stable is dependent far too much on the mercies of Lady Luck.

The most successful bettors and handicappers all support their passion for the races with a day job that pays the bills and provides them something to fall back on when things aren’t going too well on the track.

But there’s still hope

While I did say the chances of being a fulltime bettor were low, I didn’t say they were non-existent. If you insist on following your dream, below are just some of the things it would take to make a steady and dependable living from playing the races.

• Finances

Well you can’t be a gambling man or woman if you don’t have the bankroll to finance your passion. The key to successfully gambling and not falling into debt is ensuring what you put into bets never exceeds what you currently have. But if you keep putting money into the races without winning, you’ll eventually be left penniless. Plenty pro gamblers often don’t earn profits of greater than 10% of what they’ve invested in races. Will that be enough to sustain you especially after you factor in your general life expenses?

• Solid Handicapping

Handicapping is important because it points you in the direction of horses that are more likely to win. You could pay for handicapping services from a pro to help you place better bets, just make sure it’s giving you winning horses

• Confidence and self-discipline

It’s very important you don’t let your emotions get the best of you while you are at the track. If you have a plan, stick with it and avoid being lured into playing with your prime bankroll at a race you have no genuine certainty on.

• Money Management

There really isn’t one perfect way to manage your finances if you opt for gambling as your chosen line of profession, but you could try out the Kelly Criterion. This involves optimizing wager size on the perceived edge on a race based on fair odds assigned to your pick against the track odds.

Other management options you could pursue are the Percentage of Bankroll, and Fixed Wager Size.

• Learn from your mistakes

There are rules to winning when betting but none of the rules are set in stone. If you try something today and it works, it doesn’t mean it’s going to work again tomorrow. So be prepared to be constantly learning and avoid making the same mistakes twice. This will save you from less regret and keep you ahead.

• Hedging

If you are good at trifectas and exactas then hedging bets with a win bet can help you break even when other bets don’t work out like you expected.

• Varying Exotic Wagers

Vary the amount staked in exotics depending on your expected payoffs. By doing this, you’ll be hedging your wagers for in case the favourites come in and make room for a reduced but profitable wager on longer shots.

Conclusion

Keep in mind that every successful gambler has their own winning formula which they update from time to time. If you have your own way of betting that works out perfectly for you and you are disciplined and smart with your money, I suppose you could head over to the Kentucky Derby and many more races to make a living. But just to be safe, don’t get too excited and quit your day job just yet.

What does the rest of 2017 have in store for horse racing?

There is still plenty of top racing to get stuck into during the rest of 2017 and it will be to the north of England that attention turns later in August.

York’s prestigious Ebor Meeting gets under way on Wednesday, August 23, with the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes the undoubted centrepiece of the four-day meeting.

Run over a mile-and-a-quarter on the Knavesmire, it attracts some of the best Flat horses around and could well see Churchill, Barney Roy and Ulysses go head to head.

Barney Roy heads the ante-post market at 11/4 and Richard Hannon will be looking for some payback after losing by a nose to Ulysses (3/1) in the Coral-Eclipse.

A repeats of his display in taking the St James's Palace Stakes would go down well for connections but Churchill (9/1) might also have say in proceedings especially if he can bounce back to winning ways at Glorious Goodwood.

Another Group One contest, the Yorkshire Oaks, brings together many of the leading three-year-old fillies over a mile-and-a-half.

King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Enable has been slated for an outing and is as short as 1/3 to claim the spoils.

However, Aidan O’Brien’s Coronation Stakes winner Winter, currently on offer at 12/1, might have a say in proceedings.

A few familiar faces may well line up in the Irish Champions Stakes on September 9, with Cliffs of Moher (6/1) and Jack Hobbs (10/1) thought to be in the frame for a Leopardstown run out.

The former was runner-up to Wings Of Eagles in the Derby but fourth in the Coral-Eclipse while Jack Hobbs has fluffed his lines twice since winning a Group One in Dubai back in March.

Doncaster’s Group One St Leger takes place on September 16 and the world’s oldest Classic might well see a rematch between Aidan O’Brien’s Irish Derby winner Capri (3/1) and Cracksman (6/1), who was just beaten a neck on that occasion.

Scottish racing will be to the fore in late September, with the six-furlong Ayr Gold Cup one of the season’s most sought-after sprint handicaps.

My Racing has all the best free tips available for online betting and provides betting offers and a nap of the day for all the biggest meetings.

Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire Meeting follows soon after which includes the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes but as Halloween approaches, it will be back to Ascot for British Champions Day on Saturday, October 21.

There is something for everyone, with sprints and longer distance contests and, while it is too early to safely say which stars might grace the Group One Champion Stakes, Almanzor has been priced at 8/1 to defend his crown at the Berkshire track.

The four-year-old has not been seen since claiming the spoils under Christophe Soumillon but it is sure to be a tough task with the quality on show.

National Hunt racing will take prominence later in the year, with the prestigious Ladbrokes Gold Cup at Newbury always popular for jump racing fans, while Kempton’s King George VI Chase over the festive period might well see the likes of Thistlecrack (3/1), Sizing John (4/1) and Douvan (6/1) do battle once again.

Friday's Racing Tips

Friday 11th August 

A busy day so not much time to look too in depth. 

1:50 Wolverhampton - 

The three big guns in the betting and all held in high regard by their respective trainers. Mokaatil, Corinthia Knight & Moseeb have significant entries. Moseeb seems a touch temperamental and disappointed at Ripon last time. Mokaatil doesn't have to shoulder a win penalty which is a clear advantage. I can see a few punters fancying Corinthia Knight as a fair each-way bet if drifting a touch in the betting. A fascinating race. 

6:35 Newmarket - 

A big maiden. Plenty of horses with reputations. Wafy is worthy of note for Charlie Hills. 

Debating Betting Odds: What's the Shortest Price You'd Bet?

Betting. It's a subject that has fascinated the everyday gambler to the greatest philosophers. I wonder if many readers have heard of Pascal's Wager? 

Pascal's Wager is an argument in apologetic philosophy devised by the seventeenth-century French philosopher, mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal (1623–62). It posits that humans all bet with their lives either that God exists or that he does not. Pascal argues that a rational person should live as though God exists and seek to believe in God. If God does actually exist, such a person will have only a finite loss (some pleasures, luxury, etc.), whereas they stand to receive infinite gains (as represented by eternity in Heaven) and avoid infinite losses (eternity in Hell).

Pascal's Wager was based on the idea of the Christian God, though similar arguments have occurred in other religious traditions. The original wager was set out in section 233 of Pascal's posthumously published Pensées ("Thoughts"). These previously unpublished notes were assembled to form an incomplete treatise on Christian apologetics.

Historically, Pascal's Wager was groundbreaking because it charted new territory in probability theory, marked the first formal use of decision theory, and anticipated future philosophies such as existentialism, pragmatism and voluntarism.

Source: Wikipedia

I guess most of us who like a flutter aren't musing if we should back heaven or hell unless they are the names of two greyhounds in a race at Wimbledon. Perhaps we should! 

However, it is interesting to consider the logic of Pascal's wager because have you ever questioned the types of bets you choose? Making the right or wrong bet could well be the difference between winning and losing. 

You could be a budding philosopher.

I'm sure you have been chatting with a friend about a bet and they haven't so much questioned your selection(s) but the bet itself, especially the price. It is interesting because most gamblers are creatures of habit and often find it difficult to break or perhaps even notice they stick with a given bet which by its very nature dictates a certain mindset. Perhaps it isn't broken or in need of change.

There's one thing you can guarantee - everyone has an opinion. 

I have often placed an each-way treble and been criticised for having an even money shot perched somewhere in the three. Comments of ''Good luck with that...'' clearly showing an element of disdain or bemusement of thinking they or the royal we knows better. 

It's a tricky subject. Well, it might be. Perhaps it isn't an issue at all. Definitely ''No bet!'' It's definitely ''Bet!'' 

It's all about opinion. 

Who is to say what is a good or bad bet? I'm sure someone will be thinking, even myself included, that doesn't look a good bet. 

However, how do we measure any bet? By one criterion - long-term profits. If you have what many would consider the most ridiculous bet ever placed but you are in profit year on year. I'd say those laughing should, with wisdom, be laughing at themselves. Perhaps in ten years time, they will be laughing at you because you have been proven to be a loser.

If I placed a £50 each-treble on:

2:30 Romford: He's Lucky 4/1
4:50 Chester:  That's Too Short 1/1
6:00 Goodwood: Icing On The Cake 7/1

Who likes or dislikes the 1/1?  Without know the horse, form, tipster quality....which way the wind is blowing that day. I can guarantee a number of people will be citicising the even-money jolly. 

''Each-way even money? That must be wrong! 

One-fifth of the odds 0.2 for a place. 

Criminal!!!!!!

But what about the man who bet a place on Betfair at the same odds? What about the gambler who bets at 1.01 in-running?  

It's a matter of debate. Perhaps, when it wins, you'll say that's one hell of a god bet. 

At the end of the day if you are in long-term profit isn't that the true test of whether a bet is correct win or lose.

Feel free to comment. 

Grand National: Five Leading Contenders

The Cheltenham Festival is over for another year but now focus turns to the Grand National meeting at Aintree. Some of the best thoroughbreds in the business will compete at the three-day event but the majority of attention will be on the Grand National – arguably the toughest race in the industry. Here are five leading contenders for glory ahead of April’s big race.

CAUSE OF CAUSES

The nine-year-old romped to victory in the Cross Country Chase to secure his third Festival victory in as many years and all signs point towards a good run at Aintree. Cause of Causes has won now the Cross Country Chase as well as the Kim Muir Handicap and the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham and a Grand National triumph could be on the cards.

Last year, Cause of Causes completed the famous Aintree race; coming home in eighth – a respectable effort to say the least. This time around, his preparation has been perfect and trainer Gordon Elliott looks set to give the green light for a run at Aintree.

HIGHLAND LODGE

Highland Lodge is somewhat of a course specialist and the 2015 Becher Chase winner could feature prominently if he gets decent track position early on. Trained by Cumbrian-based James Moffatt, the 11-year-old missed out on this race last year after he fell short in the weights. This year, he should make the cut fairly comfortably.

In December, he attempted to win the Becher for the second year in a row but missed out by a short head to Vieux Lion Rouge – currently a strong tip and one of the ante post favourites. Should he avoid trouble, Highland Lodge’s consistent jumping gives him a fantastic chance.

THE YOUNG MASTER

One to watch. He fell in December’s Becher Chase but his fifth in the Ultima Handicap at the Festival should be respected and Neil Mulholland will be quietly confident of Aintree success next month. He has been well backed in recent weeks and that effort at Cheltenham may be enough to tempt punters to have a nibble as Aintree draws closer.

Unfortunately, he is still young and he has a lot to learn. In the last 14 years, only one eight-year-old (Many Clouds) has won this race and history is certainly against him. However, he is talented enough to go far and he could surprise us all.

THE LAST SAMURI

Jockey David Bass was given a dream ride on The Last Samuri in this race twelve months ago but Rule The World found more in the final couple of furlongs to snatch victory under David Mullins. Last year’s effort means that The Last Samuri must be respected and, barring a fall, he will be there or thereabouts at the business end of the race.

He was disappointing in the Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster earlier this month but The Last Samuri will enjoy a return to Aintree. He finished third in the Becher Chase in December but may appreciate a longer trip; don’t rule him out just yet.

VIEUX LION ROUGE

But perhaps the pick of the bunch is Vieux Lion Rouge. He’s had the beating of these rivals in recent months and David Pipe will be full of confidence after a successful Cheltenham. He is well placed to go well off his current mark and will almost certainly have Tom Scudamore on board if all is well with both horse and jockey.

Like The Young Master, he is only eight years old but experience is nothing when you boast so much talent. Vieux Lion Rouge won the Grand National trial at Haydock last month and he is probably the pick of the bunch based on recent form.

Betting Tips from Professional Gamblers like Dave Nevison

Professional gambling. Plenty of everyday punters would love to give it a go. In fact, it's a subject matter which captures the imagination of many gamblers who fancy they can beat their bookie. 

High-Class Equine has many a varied professional gambler stories. You can read highlights here with this article: Top 10 Professional Gamblers in the UK. 

But what are we to make of these pro gamblers? I read an article mentioning Harry Findlay who was very much in the limelight not so many years ago. He was a larger than life character and big gambler. Was he an investor? Well, he was declared bankrupt in 2013. So, perhaps, that answered its own question. 

We have seen gamblers who clearly made a lot of money within their expertise. I'm sure readers will remember Terry Ramsden. A man from very humble beginnings who became a multi-millionaire with his company Glen International. When his Japanese stocks crashed and his betting losses were totaled there were few winners. He was made bankrupt in 1992 with debts of £100m. Terry was quoted as saying that betting was his hobby. It was an expensive past time when you consider he made colossal bets up to £1m. 

Quote: A spokesman for Ramsden said that his client was confident of settling with both J Investments and Hoodless Brennan. "Both cases are in the hands of his solicitors," he said. Ramsden made his fortune transforming investment firm Glen International. At his peak the bond trader, who left school at 16, reportedly owned two helicopters, a Gulfstream jet, 27 cars, a dozen houses, 120 racehorses, a 30 per cent share of Chelsea Football Club and the whole of Walsall FC. But when the Japanese market collapsed in 1987, so did Glen International and Ramsden's fortune. Ladbrokes alone was owed £58m.

Dave Nevison is another professional gambler who I suspect was much better at media than actual winning bets. He had years of winning but his biggest success was reminiscing his gambling stories which saw two publications including A Bloody Good Winner & No Easy Money written by Nevison and the excellent wordsmith David Ashforth. 

Nevison's interest in gambling has turned into a role of a pundit these days. No doubt it offers a guaranteed return rather than betting. 

It is interesting to note that reading many professional gambler stories they have very contrasting approaches. You can find opposing views from Phil Bull to modern successes such as Patrick Veitch. 

What does this tell us? 

There is no right or wrong approach. What most of the very successful gamblers detailed is a niche. For Phil Bull it was something as simple as a stopwatch and recording of times. Clearly, these gamblers worked tirelessly to learn their craft. The discipline of betting in its practice is as important as the knowledge and insight of the selection itself. In that I mean it is important to reinforce a positive approach without bad habits. I would go so far to say that some of the best gamblers and biggest winners didn't enjoy the thrill of the betting at all. It was a means to an end. It was work. It wasn't about fun. Betting as a professional is a business that winners take seriously. It isn't about being the best. It is about being that little better than most and for some that led to incredible riches. 

The Worst Place for Gamblers to Commit at Crime

Underage gamblers beware. 

A New York man hit the headlines winning an undisclosed slot machine jackpot whilst playing at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Pennsylvania. 

However, things turned sour when he forfeited his winnings and was then charged with underage gambling.

Most US states prohibit players under 21. Needless to say, Pennsylvania law requires a person to be over 21 to gamble in casinos, much to the annoyance of Rong Lin of Fresh Meadows, New York, who was aged just 20.

Mr Lin tried to get past the state laws by using fake identification to enter the casino, playing the slots. Although the amount of his winnings have not been revealed, if it had been less than $1,200 he would likely have been able to collect the money and leave without much fuss. However, above that threshold a casino worker is automatically summoned to deal with an Internal Revenue Service form related to paying taxes on winnings, and a player must provide identification during the process.

Apparently, at that stage a casino security manager then became suspicious over the validity of his identification leading to a state trooper being called out and confirming Mr Lin had been using false identification.

Commenting on the whole incident, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board spokesman Doug Harbach, said: “We say all the time, casinos have got to be the worst place to go to commit a crime. It’s just not a risk people should be taking. They report this kind of thing right away. For these individuals to think they’re going to get away with something like this, they’re wrong! And there’s criminal charges attached to it and you could end up with a record.”

Levin Gamble: ''Living in Cloud Cuckoo Land''

Big gambles come and go but not many are described by the horse trainer as ''Cloud cuckoo land''. But that's what County Kildare handler Johnny Levin said of his Dundalk runners which had been hammered in the betting.

Twitter was on fire with speculation that a plot was afoot as his six runners at Dundalk has been substantially backed. 

However, Levin was quick to respond on Facebook:  "We're on 16 winners for the year so far which represents a record year for the stable but anybody thinking we'll end the night on 22 winners is living in cloud cuckoo land. Don't be fooled by your bookmaker! "I'm updating early today from the sales in Newmarket as I'm informed my runners have moved in price and feel it's important to update the betting public as to my thoughts."

The trainer wrote: "Deeds Not Words has done nothing but disappoint this year. He's off an ordinary mark in an ordinary race and I gave up fancying him with any confidence four runs back."

Notable gambles of recent times

Byrne's treble 

Bookmakers reported losses of £1M after three horses were backed from double-figure odds at Roscommon.  

Sheena West plunge goes west

Her four runners were seriously backed in favourites but only one beat a horse home.

Barney Curley Knockout Blow

Legendary punter has executed many high-profile gambles including the Yellow Sam coup in 2014. Bookmakers lost £2M.  

Staking Strategy & Discipline

I wonder what Staking Strategy & Discipline mean to you as someone who bets? It is an interesting subject although you may consider if you are not one of the 2% of gamblers who make their betting pay does it matter? 

I would suggest it does. Why? Because no one wakes up one morning to find they are a professional gambler. They make a transition which takes time. It might be a stepping stone to understanding and proficiency. 

This article was inspired by one of my blogging friends, Jerry Banks. His website Jerry's Best Bets featured a post forwarded by Peter Sackville. I don't know Peter but you may enjoy his informative read by clicking on the link above. 

One thing to note is that whether you bet for fun or for a living any gambler can have a run of losers. It is these times which often make or break you because if emotion takes over it can be oh so easy to chase losses. [Not me]

His article emphasises the importance of strike rate and how this matter. This relates to value. If your bet doesn't have value then you are doomed to lose whatever your win rate. 

A great staking plan can ''Skyrocket your betting bank and help protect it.''

Sackville goes on to question the level stake approach insisting that to make a return you have to be very good at choosing your selections and picking winners. 

He details that instead of the level stake approach that it is much more beneficial to bet the cumulative approach of 5% of your betting bank or 2.5% each-way. This is arbitrary and you may bet 3% or even less depending for example.  

What is the advantage of this style of staking? It's simple. It means you bet less money when you are losing and your bank goes down but you bet more when you hit those winning streaks.  

This is a simple format which used long term can help. 

From my perspective, this information details one of the major points of success or failure and that is discipline. 

How many punters do you see in the betting shops and they have no idea whether they are winning or losing? A tenner in the slots, an each-way bet here, across-the-card double there, trap 6 at Romford... 

It is important to keep a record of your bets. Considering the main part of my betting is done via the exchanges it is simple to see. It is something that shouldn't take any consideration if you just have an account and use it without betting from your pocket. [You can but keep a record]

If you lose continuously - stop betting. If you can't stop betting...find professional help or at very least talk to someone. 

I have found discipline is very important to my betting success. In fact, I can't get across how much difference it makes. I have many guidelines to help me make the right decisions rather than acting on the spur of the moment. That often leads to dire decisions. I've made plenty of bad decisions my time even with being careful. But these valuable lessons, if learned, actually help you to find the right road to success. 

This is one reason why I suggest if you are interested in betting professionally you never bet for fun. Why? Because you are likely to have many bad habits when you bet for fun. If these spill over into your professional bets you face an uphill struggle. That's why from a psychological point of view you should look at positive reinforcement. Keep following good procedures until they become habitual. 

It is the reason why I often go to a race meeting and don't bet. In fact, it is usually the case that I don't have anything of interest on a course because I bet selectively and within my niche which is two-year-old racing. 

The thing to remember is that your approach or discipline is most likely to be different to mine, your mates or perhaps everyone else on planet earth. It doesn't matter. Because it should match your personality, understanding and goals. It is your discipline.

The difficult part of discipline is the appreciation that there will be times when a guideline shouldn't be followed. Because, as with all aspects of life, very few things are black or white...but an endless misty grey. 

It is important to learn and you hone your skills. However, I would suggest that you take baby steps rather than giants leaps and don't push too hard because it can destroy your knowledge and confidence. 

Confidence is something that grows with experience from a foundation of discipline.    

Horse racing is a game of research

There are many sporting events out there that rake in millions and millions in gambling revenue every year. Football, in particular, stands out amongst the crowd with it being so big in the UK and across Europe.

But while football becomes increasingly unpredictable, throwing off seasoned ‘experts’ left right and centre- who saw Leicester winning the BPL and Portugal winning Euro 2016? Horse racing allows for a more measured and informed bet. After all, you don’t know what is going on in Football player’s heads, what has happened at home or at work with the team, a horse, should be easier to read.

Thus, Horse racing isn’t such a game of chance like other sports betting and your run of the mill standard gambling. It’s not like a game of roulette, for example, where winning consecutive rounds reduces your probability of success, it’s a game of skill, research and rhythm.

To win big in horse racing you have to do the research. There is so much to take into consideration when it comes to betting on the gee-gees. The racers past form, the jockeys, the strengths and weaknesses of the horse and the condition of the course all factor in to the potential success of your bet.

One great way of getting to grips with all the ins and outs of the races and the events in question is to physically attend and get speaking with experts and other horse racing aficionados. It’s this social element that can also help you better learn potential tips and rumours about certain racers and riders which could greatly affect the outcome of a race.

It’s important in any aspect of gaming to keep your head especially when nothing appears to be going right for you. Don’t bet angry and make sure that the bets you are placing are made when you are in control and thinking straight. Nothing upsets a professional gambler more than suffering certain patchy spells and even losing streaks, it can knock their confidence and wind up letting them make thoughtless bets and losing more than they originally intended.

Horse racing is the ideal way in which to better understand various elements that can affect the outcome of a bet that you place. The races themselves are fast, frantic and fun and it’s very easy to get lost in the excitement of race day. But the skills that you can attain from betting on horse races can seriously help develop your skills and intuition to become a better gambler.

William Hill Planning to Introduce Self-Serving Betting

WILLIAM HILL are planning to introduce self-serving betting terminals and will also ensure all employees are paid the national living wage from April 1, as the bookmaker unveiled their full-year results for 2015.

In a trading statement last month the firm revealed a 22 per cent drop in operating profits to £291.4 million for the 52 weeks ended December 29 2015, compared to £372.2m for the same period in 2014.

This was largely due to the introduction of the point of consumption tax introduced by the government in 2015.

Overall net revenue was down one per cent, but the company believe they are now in a good position for 2016, and announced a £200m share buyback, as well as raising their share dividend 2.5 per cent to 12.5 pence.

Good international growth.

The Australian arm of the brand performed well at the end of 2015, and that has continued into the new year. The betting app is one of the highest-rated in the country, and during the William Hill-backed Australian Open, around 1,000 new customers were acquired each day, leading to a 680 per cent increase on tennis in-play betting.

A self-service betting terminal is due to be introduced in shops during the first half of 2016 as part of William Hill's omni-channel approach, and from April 1, all employees will be paid the government's national living wage of £7.20.

The wage has been extended voluntarily to all employees between 18-25 as well as those over 25, and is expected to benefit around 4,500 of the 12,500 William Hill UK retail employees.

Commenting on the results, William Hill chief executive James Henderson said: "In the last 12 months we have made substantial operational progress against our three strategic priorities of omni-channel, technology and international.

"As one of the largest scale businesses in gambling, the board is confident in the outlook for the year ahead and believes the group is well placed to deliver on its growth strategy." 

At 9.15am on Friday, William Hill's share price had fallen 0.85 per cent to 398.30 pence.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup 2015: It's A Road To Riches

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is one of the biggest and most popular events in the horse racing calendar. This famous steeplechase is held at Prestbury Park run over 3 miles 2 1/2 furlongs with 22 fences to jump. The Cheltenham Festival is a race meeting that excites horse racing fans across the globe and brings with it thousands of Irish supporters who look forward to their annual pilgrimage to challenging the best National Hunt horses. Come the 13th March, 2015 riders, trainers, punters and horses will be chomping at the bit. This could be a good time to bet on the Cheltenham Gold Cup. 

So what are we to make of this year's betting at Paddy Power? Well, looking at the prices it is a pretty open race as far as the betting is concerned. Silviniaco Conti heads the field at 3/1 favourite. Bar Paul Nicholls hope all other horses are priced at double-figure odds with the exception of the Irish-trained Road To Riches. 

This Irish bred son of Gamut - a talented Group 1 winning sire who raced over the Flat for Sir Michael Stoute - has crept under the radar for this year's Gold Cup. 

There's one thing you can guarantee, the talent of this bay gelding, owned by Gigginstown House Stud, is no surprise to Noel Meade. With fifteen races under rules he has won eight times. This bay may have fell on his debut but his performances since have been pretty much unblemished. The last six races saw four wins and two narrow defeats by less than one length. In less than a year this eight-year-old has risen 22lbs in the official handicap and although needing to improve to win at the highest grade this rapid rise to fame could see a bold show when competing at Cheltenham for the first time. A horse who could hold each-way claims and keep those Irish eyes smiling.  

Expert Vs Novice: Place Your Bets Now

So what's your selection? To even contemplate such a task takes considerable knowledge, let alone successfully finding a winner! 

But wait a minute. 

How come my mate Joe is ahead of the game? In fact, he seems to have the bookies running for cover. He's been banned by most! I guess you could call him a professional gambler. 

But is there a difference between how an expert and novice solve problems?  While it is obvious experts know more than novices, until recently the lay person's view of the expert might presume their skills were due to a superior mental capacity rather than a vast body of specialist knowledge. 

However, there has been a shift in emphasis with ground-breaking research regarding chess skills. The chess analogy is interesting because not only does it investigate problem-solving strategies but it has the focus of the adversary opponent. 

De Groot (1946/65) conducted a series of chess studies which conflicted with the assumption that skilled problem solvers must have superior information processing skills.  He asked five grand masters & five skilled chess players to think aloud as they studied a chessboard and choose a move. If grand masters used such superior information processing they would be expected to make broader searches for their next move. Interestingly, evidence illustrated there was no qualitative difference between the expert and novice. The difference between the two groups was unremarkable - the grand masters simply made the better moves.  Players were  shown chessboards with pieces arranged from actual games. The boards were presented to players for a short time and then removed. They were asked to construct the board positions from memory. The grand masters constructed the board almost without error while the novice faltered (91% - 41%). Skill level was linked to the amount of information remembered about the chessboard positions. Further research from Chase and Simon (1973) suggest experts not only posses more knowledge but it is organized in more meaningful and readily accessible ways.    

Larkin et al (1980) were interested in the possible strategic differences between experts and novices. They asked expert and novice physicists to solve a range of physics problems. They found that experts tended to use a working forwards strategy. Using the information to derive a solution. Novices use a working backwards strategy starting with the goal. In gambling terms this would amount to thinking ''I must find the winner''.

It appears experts use their knowledge to generate good problem representations which support working forward strategies while novices rely on trial and error.

It is often said 'practice makes perfect'. But what researchers noticed many years ago that performance improves with practice in a very systematic and predictable way. The 'power law of practice' has been known for a long time. Practice seems to be a factor in the development of skills over a range of activities.  Performance improves with practice because individual task components are executed more efficiently; sequences of task components are executed more efficiently & qualitative changes occur in representations of task structure.    

Performance improves with practice because the time to recovery memory is reduced and importantly sequences of units or chunks. In addition, performance improves because the task is restructured.

But how much practice is needed to achieve excellence? Ericsson et al. (1993) have given ten years as a ballpark figure for attaining high levels of performance in a variety of areas (chess, mathematics, violin playing). Ericsson (1991) suggests that it takes at least ten years to reach the international level of performance in sport, the arts and sciences. Simon and Chase (1973) estimated it took 3,000 hours practice to become an expert and around 30,000 hours to become a chess master. Many of those who achieve excellence start at a very young age simply because it takes such a long time to acquire the necessary knowledge. 

However, it is possible to train participants to improve on their best performance. Ericsson and Harris (1990) trained an individual who was not a chess player over a period of 50 hours to recognise chess positions almost as accurately as some chess masters. Although Ericsson and Polson (1988) found, practice itself is not a guarantee of superior performance. In their study, the waiter most skilled in remembering orders used more effective encoding strategies compared to equally experienced counterparts. The critical point is not how much practice individuals have, but what they actually do while they are practising the skill. (This point will be explored in our next article.)

What Next For Frankel After His Retirement?

"One of the greatest displays on a British racecourse", one of the many comments given to Frankel in his glittering 14 race three-year career.

After his first race in 2010 at Newmarket Frankel quickly became noticed, winning all four races that season. In 2011, he had much to live up to maintaining his winning streak and he did so in style winning all five races that season. 2012 saw Frankel's amazing form continue and after his 14th and final race on October 20th, he made history when Timeform published his rating as 147, the highest-rated horse in their history.

Bigfreebet.com published several articles about Frankel's amazing career. Apart from Frankel's success a lot of bettors also had a lot of success betting on him! After that 14th and final race at Ascot, Frankel was retired.

So what next for Frankel and why was he retired? Over his 14 races, Frankel won a total of £2,999,302 which is just under £1m per year. However following on from "Sea The Stars", the champion Irish Thoroughbred who earned £9.5m (€12m) in his first season as a stud, Frankel's owners have concluded that their horse's value also lies in being a stud. Experts believe that Frankel could fetch between £80k - £120k (€100k - €150k) per mare, meaning in one year the owners could see returns of between £11m - £17m (€14m - €21m). Compare that to the £2.9m prize money that Frankel received in three years for being one of the most successful horses ever, and you can see why his owners chose to retire him. There is much more value in being a stud than a racehorse if you have the potential to produce race-winning offspring. This was proved with Sea The Stars as many of his offspring have gone on to be sold for healthy profits. So if Frankel hasn't already realised that he is special, he soon will do when he starts his new job as a stud!

Frankel may be gone from the racing world, but his blood-line will continue and it may not be long before we see one of his offspring attracting the same attention that he did on the race track. The bets are sure on the names of any horse-related to Frankel.