Learning from the Pro’s

I have an extensive handicapping library however, I still like to read as much as I can about the game to further my knowledge and hopefully profit from it.

Tooting put me onto a recent week long series in the Racing Post “Betting Masterclass”, where they featured the most successful professional punters in the business.

Dave Nevison is a by the numbers “tissue” punter so I read his commentary first given that I am trying to emulate this approach.  I note that if a horse is available at about a 15% longer price than on his own tissue Nevision backs it. I’ll drop my differential down to 20% from 50% and monitor the change.

At the end of the article he made the following comments:

In Nevison’s view, the recent golden age for punters has passed, eroded by a sophisticated, highly responsive market that makes it difficult for even knowledgeable professionals to maintain satisfactory profit margins.

He asserts that knowledge is power and believes that information becomes property so quickly in today’s environment that it is difficult to exploit an ‘edge’ for long.

So should I give up now?

Not for me as a mere mug to differ with Dave, but I cant help feeling he has not evolved with the times. Being highly opinionated, he maybe assuming that his method is the ONLY approach to punting and now it’s not working, we should all plough another field?

He does end his article with some positive advice to us mugs

Knowledge, discipline, the ability to recognise value, and specialisation in the face of the rising volume of racing, are the keys to success or, at least, to less failure.

Related Posts

• The Wisdom of Crowds