About

“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 sports investor.

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 punter requires time, experience, expertise 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 (or longer) to acheive my objective.

I’d say it took me twenty years to learn how to consistently break even and another five to become a regular winner.

Alan Potts, Professional Punter

“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)

As I embark on my journey to become a professional investor, I need to demonstrate that my methods generate enough income over an extended period (approx. 3-5 years) to sustain/maintain my lifestyle.

In short, if I cannot achieve profits on paper or with a fictitious betting bank, then I deserve to return to the ranks of the “mug punter”.

If my selection methods are sound my return on investment should increase and my results will determine the right time to “take it to the next level”.

For the moment my interim objective with be to continually develop my betting knowledge and punting skills; to bet “systematically” and work toward developing an alternative investment strategy/career.

Until the happy day, all that remains is that I execute to the plan, retain self belief, have the confidence that I can succeed at the same time having fun!

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/