You're not from the Gulf and you're no king. So what's the reason behind your alias:
Gulf King was a horse from 1987 that finished 1L 5th to the mighty Ajdal. On his subsequent run, I had a large wager of £5 on him to win. He won at 25/1. I'm not too sure about the dates because I didn't take racing too seriously then but the name 'Gulf King' has stayed with me.
So this betting thing then. Why? I look at it as a self funding hobby and thoroughly enjoy it. I rate myself as a competent bettor just beginning to long journey to becoming an expert. How did you start? My Father was a bit of a betting shark around Hull when I was a kid and we usually came back from our holidays with more than we went away with. I suppose handing over my pocket money for a share of the winnings got me interested in the first place.
What are you betting on now? I'm currently working on a handicapping system, that's got me pretty hooked, at the moment. Most of my current bets are value based bets on handicap races.
Your finest bet: That was 31/3/2003 on a horse called Aldora, £50 to win. Aldora won at 33/1 with quite a bit of the £50 matched at bigger prices on the betting exchanges.
Your worst bets: All of the bets after Aldora until September 2003 when I had to go back to work and get a job! I think the win gave me a touch of the 'Messiah Syndrome', but unfortunately it didn't pay the bills for too long. Somehow, the whole betting thing got out of control for a while. Looking back now, I think I was temporarily insane for about six months. Realising that I was about to be thrown out of my house seemed to cure me pretty quickly and I didn't place a bet for about a year.
Tell us about the Horseracing forum: The Horseracing forum is all about betting and gambling. I like to think it's a place where like minded people can come together, help one another, swap ideas and with a bit of luck turn a profit. Things have worked out pretty well so far and we've managed to get a profit every month since we started at the beginning of the year. The forum grows every month and we've picked up some really good people. I'm very happy to Moderate it and always feel a great deal of warmth towards contributors whether they are new people or old faces.
Best piece of betting advice you've ever received: If you want to win big, you've got to bet big. If you're not prepared to lose big, don't bet big .. (my Old Man)
Best piece of betting advice you can give: Manage your expectations, always assume that you're going to lose, everything that comes after that is a bonus.
Best bookmakers: I like to bet with the Tote.
Worst bookmakers: Laddies .. I was refused a bet a few years ago in our local shop, after a string of small wins and haven't been back since.
Name one thing that would most improve the quality of your betting life: I'd like to be able to write computer software. My maths is okay, but handling large amounts of data really needs these types of skills. It's not holding mae back at the minute but could be a problem in the future, if I don't do something about it.
The worst thing about betting is: Get rich quick merchants.
The best thing about betting is: You can always learn something new and I've met some great people and interesting characters along the way.
Any last words? Always maintain a good sense of humour a--nd don't get to serious about betting whatever your sport is. Manage your time and don't waste your life away trying to fathom the unfathomable.
BBC
