You're new here aren't you? What's your story? Two years ago I used to post on another forum. Then I got an invitation to take a look at the old Punters’ Paradise when it launched. The serious approach to betting that OddsAgainst, Jamdog and Doc advocated was right up my alley. My transfer request was accepted and I signed papers on the spot.
When that first PP forum was killed in the disaster of May 2005 I volunteered web space for the new forum and some promotional ideas. OddsAgainst interviewed me in the Jockey Club rooms at Newmarket (not) and the guys invited me to join the PP Board for a trial run. I have another project or two on the go, so my time for promoting PP is a bit limited. If my efforts can make a worthwhile difference then we may prolong the relationship.
Looking at the results they have achieved with the new forum and this superb web site leads me to believe that it is Best of Breed. That’s after just two months of hard work by the lads, who all gave 127.56% according to Doc’s latest spreadsheet.. What you see now is only the beginning. It’s going to have some unbelievable features and be a an even more fantastic betting resource in a very short space of time.
What's the reason behind your alias: Many years ago when I was living in digs, the landlady used to roar “you’re a hoojie”, as I failed miserably and loudly to sneak up the stairs with a bellyful of beer of a Saturday night. She was one colourful old dame. Heart of gold but couldn’t boil an egg.
So this betting thing then. Why? To make a second income and because there’s all that betting money floating around, waiting to be grabbed if you have the smarts to do it. It’s a fantastic scenario if you think about it.
There’s an old technique whereby you tell somebody that you are going to ask them a question and they must tell you the first response that pops into their head. In my case, the question was “What would you really like to be?” My split-second response was “A professional gambler”. Like most of us, I am too busy making a living to spend the time it takes to succeed in a serious way.
How did you start? About 25 years ago I saw an ad in the Sporting Chronicle for a little device that the makers claimed had predicted the 20/1 winner of the Grand National. It cost about £200, from memory, a huge sum for me at that time.
I borrowed £300 from my then girlfriend and started backing the ponies. It was a good little device, with dials to set the various weightings for age, form and so on. I wish I still had it because it would be a real curiosity piece now. Amazingly, it did not quite live up to the claims. I can’t remember if I ever did repay her!
What are you betting on now? I am a systems man at heart with a football database that I use to build my own EPL predictions. Once the season starts I will be betting on that. I also back the selections of our own experts here on PP, time permitting.
Your finest bet: Sitting in Larry Murphy’s pub on Dublin’s Baggot St one Saturday afternoon with only a tenner in my pocket and a rendezvous later that evening, I decided to go for broke. One 16/1 shot jumped out from the racing pages based on a simple system I used. A fiver each way on that winner was a joy that I have always savoured. I’ve had much bigger bets and some nice winners but that one always sticks in my mind
Your worst bet: LateFriday night poker when I should really not come within an ass’s roar of a computer after a few too many. (see some of my midnight posts on PP for proof!!)
Where do you see Punters' Paradise in a year's time? By the first of August 2006, a roaring site with about 1,500 forum members. Doc will have installed feeds that show the temperature on the far side of the moon and what Sir Michael Stoute’s Derby hopeful had for breakfast. Jamdog will have exchanged links with Buckingham Palace, Malcolm Glazer and the Tallahassee Police Dept. OddsAgainst will be shouting at us to stop bringing in so many new members as he does not have time to toast his marshmallows any more.
Seriously, though, I would rather take a medium term view over the next three years. We have some top notch brains at PP, between Mods and contributors. Ideas will flow and so will our popularity. I firmly believe that huge numbers of online punters will make PP their first port of call every day and the PP name will become a byword for successful punting. I expect one or two big name endorsements, but that’s down the road a little.
Best piece of betting advice you've ever received: “If a man bets you $50 that he will make lemonade spout from your ears, believe him son and walk away!” Amarillo Slim’s Dad to the young Slim
Best piece of betting advice you can give: Always look for value and buy cheap – every decimal point counts for long term ROI.
Best bookmakers: When I was doing serious arbitrage I had accounts with over fifty bookies worldwide. Centrebet (Aus) and Canbet struck me as being good. Bookies are a bit like banks. Everybody has their own favourites and horror stories.
Worst bookmakers: The two that went bust, taking my cash with them. I was lucky.on both occasions but it still hurt. Of the remainder, I detest Bet and Win with a vengeance. If you win a fiver off them they will cut your stakes back to 50p.
Name one thing that would most improve the quality of your betting life: Better self-discipline and more time to study stats and techniques. OK, that’s two. What was that about self-discipline?
The worst thing about betting is: Losing a bet or a hand of poker because of a stupid mistake that I should not have made.
The best thing about betting is: Backing a winner that you selected by using your own grey matter. That’s the greatest boost to the old self-esteem that you can imagine.
Any last words? No doubt this may sound very OTT, but all of you reading this who are members in August 2005 will be proud to have been in at the start when you look back in five years time. You will have bragging rights “I was one of the founder members back when PP had less than a hundred on its books .”
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