“The Impossible Dream” -
- from MAN OF LA MANCHA (1972)

” … its the hardest way of making an easy living that I’ve experienced …”
(Anonymous betfair post on going professional)

Firstly let me clarify the following.

I have no aspirations to be a tipster for reasons best described below.

“It’s actually a futile exercise tipping horses to the masses - the bookies have to collectively win long term to stay in business, so anyone who is any good as a tipster long term achieves nothing more than to have the average odds of his tips shorten up until he is no longer profitable to follow.”

I have no inside information or access to trainer stables and I am not trying to peddle a horse racing selection system. In summary I am a relative amateur and one step above a mug punter.

Inspired by large wins on the crap tables of Las Vegas, motivated by Nick Mordin’s book Betting for a Living and disillusioned by my current career, in Aug 2003 I decided to embark on a path to becoming a professional punter.

This web site will act as my weblog (blog) and on a weekly basis I will post my thoughts, update my current progress, post useful handicapping articles and the results of new selection systems I am developing in the hope that my experiences will help others to avoid my mistakes and learn/share from my successes.

Please accept this advice as being worth what you paid for it!

“Racing is a great leveller. The day you think you have mastered the game, you will be made to pay for it the following day. What you must do is build up a bank of experience that allows you to reduce and eliminate as far as possible the factors that make for foolish betting. In a word, you act to strict ground rules always and you endeavour to become an investor rather that a pure addictive gambler … … …”

(J.P. McManus - Legendary Irish Punter and Owner)

These statements crystallise the other objective of this web site which is to create an informational database that can be used as a reference for future investments.

Becoming a successful professional sports investor will takes time, experience and knowledge.

For example it takes at least 3, 4 or even 5 years (or more) to learn the trade of a bricklayer, plumber, engineer and I expect it will take me this length of time to acheive my objective.

“Don’t try to become a professional in on day, or one week or even one year. It is too hard a discipline, and will crush those who do not respect its requirements. Rather, accept that you are in the midst of a journey to handicapping excellence, and that you must master many skills along the way.”

(Schmidt, Hambleton, Pizzolla, Sartin – Pace Makes The Race)

During this journey, feel free to drop in from time to time to monitor my progress directly or via the ‘Really Simple Syndication’ (RSS)

http://www.slipperytoad.co.uk/feed/