BETTING-EXCHANGES.COM

Betfair asked me to post this to help promote Cash 4 Clubs. If you have some involvement in playing sport Betfair is giving away cash to local sports clubs. The scheme is basically funded by Betfair in partnership with the SportsAid charity - helping talented young athletes grow into future champions and Olympic winners.

The Cash 4 Clubs grants scheme is designed to help sports clubs and athletes at the grassroots level, it may be that the club's goal posts need replacing or that you need money for new sports kit. The scheme is handing out cash from 250 to 1,000 pounds so it may be worth a looking at their website: www.cash-4-clubs.com if you want to apply.

The launch has been supported by Mark Foster, a SportsAid alumni, Olympic Swimmer and World Record Holder - he had this to say:

"Community sports clubs are the grassroots of sport. It was at my local club in Southend that I started swimming and developed into a professional and without the support of this community based club I would never have represented my country at the top level of the sport. Clubs need funds and that is why Cash 4 Clubs is such a fantastic scheme as it gets money straight to where it can have the most impact."

posted by Betting Exchange Trader

I used to think that the advantage was firmly with the backers on Betfair. It seemed logical - but only because you had something to compare betfair prices against - bookmakers odds. People would look at the odds on offer with a bookmaker at e.g. 4/1 and see that 9/2 was available on Betfair and then assume that they were getting great value.

In a sense they were getting 'great value' - but not real value. The bookmakers have a large commission built in to their percentage book. Betfair has a much narrower percentage book but at the off - the prices on offer are not value - they are just better value than the bookmakers - which isn't saying much! Then you also need to factor in your commission. For many people this will be 5%.

Anyway Betfair does not really favour backers or layers - taking Betfair SP for backs or lays won't generate any meaningful profit long term - certainly not after commission is applied.

posted by Betting Exchange Trader

I actually managed to get to a racecourse this Saturday. It was Irish Day at Sandown Park and a fair old crowd turned up. I have to say I have never really enjoyed going to the races - but it wasn't a bad day out.

I learned one thing though - I really don't enjoy betting - with cash that is! I can sit at home and turnover large volumes of money but when I am sticking on a fiver with the notes actually in my hand - it's different...

I think it was partly the feeling of helplessness - these were races that I would not normally bet in and races for which I had done little research, but it was also the feeling of parting with my cash - perhaps forever!

It didn't go too badly. I took three horses in the third race I think - one of which was Brassini that won at 7 or 8/1. In the last I had a small each way bet on Callisto Moon at 25/1 - but it was not a big deal as I had taken about six horse in a big field.

Ended 'up' on the day - so I should not be disappointed but to small stakes the profits were meagre. To be honest I don't usually bet when I am having time away from my desk - because it's like work. But being a stag do I had to dip in a bit with the boys!

I remember going to Vegas for a week and not placing a single bet - well hell, I was on holiday after all.

posted by Betting Exchange Trader

I've been working on a piece of software with someone over the past week or so - which will hopefully free up my time a bit during the evenings and weekends. It's just a bit of automated betting software with a few extra bells and whistles - but there is nothing like it available out there at the moment - so I have to have it designed for me. The debugging really is a drag!

The sports pages are alive with football transfer talk. It's a lot of fun reading about all the speculation after the season finishes - but it can also get a bit irritating too. Eto'o for Man City? Come on! Don't think that will ever happen.

The Ronaldo saga rumbles on - perhaps there is a better chance that he will go to Real now that Kaka has signed.

Chelsea have been linked with Aguero - I love that player - he is very small but as we have seen with players like Zola and John Spencer (anyone remember him!) size doesn't really matter. Clive Walker wasn't that tall either and he perhaps saved our backsides in the early 80's when he scored in the last minute to save us from dropping into the third division. How might things have turned out if we had gone down?

posted by Betting Exchange Trader

The last time that I managed to get on one of these - I got a 'green up' of over 600 pounds for the race from a 50 pound stake. I had decided to have a fun trade on the horse in running, laying at odds on - with a view to backing again at over evens. As I placed the back trade the horse shot out to around 300/1 before dropping back to odds on and then losing. Somewhere in the middle of all that I greened up on another horse. Had I been quicker it could have been over a 1000 pounds - but it was luck in the first place so I can't complain.

A similar scenario could have been achieved to day on rank outsider Newmarket Story - with fast fingers and a bit of luck. The horse went out to odds of around 660/1 in running before coming back to win - so it wouldn't have mattered if you hadn't had time to green up!

posted by Betting Exchange Trader

Is there a difference? The answer is yes... and no! But they are not really as far apart as some would have you believe.

The great thing about successful trading is that you will experience a smooth upward curve of profit with low volatility or deviation. The down side is that you require high levels of concentration and discipline which can be hard to maintain. It is also likely that you will fall under betfair's premium charge rules.

The successful bettor's profit curve will often be far more volatile - which again means discipline is a key advantage. Your general levels of stress are perhaps less - that comes at the end of the month when you analyse your results! The big plus is that most genuine bettors will not receive the premium charge - regardless of profit.

When placing bets the trader is looking to back or lay at a good price and then lay off the 'bet' at an even better price. The bettor is simply looking to back or lay at a good price. As long as he achieves this to his satisfaction he sees no reason to trade using the opposite side of the market.

There are of course numerous other positives and negatives to both the above disciplines - however my point is that many profitable bettors could become profitable traders and many profitable traders could become profitable bettors. It is really a question of how you want to make your money.

posted by Betting Exchange Trader

A good friend of mine invited my son and I to go to Wembley to see the final on Saturday. I'd managed to score some tickets for the semis against Arsenal but had already resigned myself to not going to the final when the opportunity came out of the blue (excuse the pun!)

You should have seen the look on my boy's face when Everton opened the scoring - desolate is the only way to describe it. Typical Chelsea - slow starters again - they've conceded the first goal in virtually every round of the 2009 FA Cup.

I thought Everton did well actually but their was an air of inevitability as Chelsea began to put their minds to grinding out a result. You get used to it as a fan these days and are not too concerned if they go behind.

Anway I am looking forward to seeing how Carlo Ancelotti does as the new coach. God only knows we need some stability at the club - we haven't had it ever since I started supporting them in 1970 - it's been a joke really.

posted by Betting Exchange Trader