The blog below is also available on www.golf-monthly.co.uk as an edited article. I have been blogging for GM over the past few months now and am thoroughly enjoying the opportunity given to me by the country's best golf mag. Thanks TC ; )
Stenson won! StensWon,
as he shall be known forthwith, rewarded loyal backers with a 35/1 Betfair
booty bonus and delightfully demonstrated two things. Firstly, that it’s prudent to peruse the
punting purveyors for prices, and secondly that persistence and consistency
lead to confidence and prosperity.
Heroic Henrik was 28/1 with BetVictor before the off last
week, 25/1 with all other bookmakers, but was being readily layed (or laid, if
you’re that way inclined) at 36 on the exchange.
Minus Betfair’s commission (usually around 4-5% unless you
roll high on a regular basis – mine is currently 4.8%), profit on the £20
win-only stake (before being offset against losses) was a devilish 666 pounds
and forty pence. The same money with Mr
Chandler would have returned you £560, a shortfall of £106.40. So don’t get sucked in by those ridiculous
Dennis Pennis adverts.
Equally, don’t always assume that you have to be with Betfair
to “Cash Out”, or that they are the only firm offering value. Yes, their interface makes the ability for punters
to hedge bets condescendingly easy (as shown below), and yes, they are often
better priced than the market (as they were last week for StensWon), but you
are not “settling for less” every time you opt to place your bets the old
fashioned way.
Rather than "Cash Out", I normally favour hedging my bets manually by "laying off", particularly when I still have faith in my original selection
In this week’s Omega European Masters, with no FedEx Cup
stuff in America, focus is fully on Europe, and I like one of the market
leaders: Brett Rumford. Similarly to
StensWon (and this also incorporates my second theme: form), the multiple
European Tour winning Australian has been in scintillating nick this term,
notching up two titles and two strong top ten finishes in the past two
weeks.
Betfair have Rumford at 32 (31/1 in fractional odds). He is currently 33/1 with bwin.com and Bet365. Annoyingly bwin.com don’t do each-way
terms. This is particularly unfortunate
for me since Bet365 restricted my account to Granny-bets after I took them to
the cleaners in a three month winning window of wonder earlier this year, but I
digress.
Knock off your commission on a £20 stake with Betfair and you
pocket £590.24 with them versus £660 with Bet365 (although don’t expect to be
able to get a score on with the Stoke-based bookie the following week if
Rumford revels!)
I also fancy Frederik Andersson Hed this weekend (runner-up
at the stunning Crans-sur-Sierre last year, sixth in 2011 – again; form,
consistency). I don’t need to
demonstrate the mathematics for you to work out that you’re better off with
Betfair at 95 than you are with the bookies at 80/1.
If the prices are the same on the exchange as they are with
your bookie, it goes without saying you should take your business to the
latter, who won’t take any commission if you win (but will take all your losses if you lose,
unlike Betfair, who only take their commission fee).
Clear? Great!
***
Aside from the golf, it's been an
eventful few weeks at Palphabet towers. Actually, that's utter drivel
because I haven't spent an awful lot of time here at HQ. I ventured on an
eight-day professional sojourn to Melbourne and Sydney, which involved five
days of work, two days of enjoyment, and a day of travelling.
The enjoyment came in droves
(whatever they are). Giant scoops of
sporting droves served up in a double-schooner of MCG-branded beakers. Yes, the Melbourne Cricket Ground was every
bit the legendary venue it is cracked up to be.
Talking of crack, or craic, Ireland
was my next stop, where our friends’ wedding took us from County Monaghan to
Galway City, fuelled by the black stuff and the rich tobacco of tightly rolled
Cuban cigars. All the while the gambling
has been going well, until the new Premier League Football season started.
A Full Head on the Pints Only
Mrs Palphabet (right) and Her Pal Jules Sampling the Local Beverages
Finally, a trip last weekend to
the Salisbury Plain. A visit to Richard
Hannon’s yard to see my mate’s new syndicated horse, Mr Greenspan.
Hannon's Gallops and Popular Filly Maureen
Up Close and Personal with Mr Greenspan - a HUGE two year-old colt
Watch this space for a more
detailed blog on Mr G and the MCG, coming soon.
Palphabet
Continuing to Weave Pure Cotton Enjoyment into The Rich Tapestry of Life
