Learning from Experience: Betting and Life

I used to play rugby union for my local team ''The Bears''. March Bears, a town named after the third month of the year. That isn't quite right because it was originally called Merch so I guess someone in the Fens couldn't read or write the Queen's English and the letter E turned into an A. 

Hardly surprising, hey. 

As if you look into your family history a surname often changes for no apparent reason. 

Anyway, let's talk about the subject matter of Learning from Experience: Betting and Life. 

Thank the Lord we learn a few things on our long or short journey of life. I guess some people are as stubborn as mules and either fail to learn or do so all too late. Sean Coronary, didn't listen to his ticker until it didn't go tick-tock.  

I used to be quite a good rugby player and a leading try scorer for consecutive years. 

However, I was stopped in my track when I tried to kick the rugby ball as did an opposing player (who was wearing shin pads) and my leg snapped. I'm not sure if you have ever heard a human or animal bone crack but it sounds like a piece of wood. The harder the impact the louder the noise. My tibia and fibula cracked in two causing a compound fracture to my right leg. The sound could be heard from one end of the field to the other. A sickening crack that seemed to echo in my ears. 

I'm not sure if the spectators or my teammates heard it twice, but I hope not as the first time was enough to make people feel sick. It was a horrendous leg injury. Bones sticking out the back of my leg. I was still standing and this is the thought that ran through my mind 'How do you fall over with a broken leg?'' I did so as carefully as I could, falling on my backside, laying flat out for a second or two then looking at my lower leg to see the damage. It looked pretty gruesome; as if about six inches of the shin bone had been removed and the skin sunk down. 

I can imagine you are reading this and wincing if not feeling sick. 

I can't say I was feeling too good myself but strangely it wasn't too painful, a pins and needles kind of feeling no doubt due to nerve damage. The only time it hurt was when my leg was moved to put in a splint and it felt as if someone had stabbed a red-hot knife deep into my leg and dragged it about a bit for fun. I don't mind admitting I gritted my teeth at that moment and said to myself: ''Keep calm and be strong.'' 

I did exactly that.

I was in shock. The incident played through my mind as if on a loop. I could hear the sound and impact playing in my mind and it felt as real as the original. I'm sure this is what happens to a stressed mind as it tries to make sense of what is happening. People say when you are drowning your life flashes before your eyes. I'm pretty sure they mean if you are involved in a serious impact and injury you revisit it a few times before the dust settles.  

You may be thinking what did I learn and how does it relate to gambling. Firstly, I realised trying to kick a rugby ball wasn't the best idea when it was bouncing all over the place. 

I learned that I was strong, tough enough to cope and that if I grit my teeth and battle on it would be ok.  

This doesn't make me any different to 99% of the population who would do exactly the same. 

The thought of breaking your leg so it looks quite mangled isn't what you would wish for. 

However, you would cope even if you don't relish the thought.

Someone asked me if I wish it hadn't happened. Logically, you say yes. It seems a little bizarre to say I was pleased to have been involved in this injury that took one second to happen and almost two years to recover. I was walking on crutches for a year after a two-hour operation to put a titanium rod down my tibia (shin bone) via removing the kneecap and two screws holding it in place at the top of the tibia and two at the bottom a few inches about my ankle. After eighteen months I had to have the bar and screws removed. In all, my leg didn't feel right for about two years. 

In many ways, I'm pleased to have had the experience however disturbing at the time. I am a wiser person for it and learned something about myself and importantly about others. 

A number of my teammates rallied round and looked after me as I lay flat out on the turf thinking about the situation. All good people. They were most certainly there for me in my time of need. One of the spectators, who played regularly for the team, and a paramedic didn't help because he said he was off duty. I'm not sure if there was a legal reason for not helping me but he didn't. I don't hold it again the person but I don't forget either. Like it or not I don't think it was a particularly caring attitude. Perhaps they had a perfectly understandable reason and I will take that as being the case. I can't say I was impressed and I never looked upon the person the same thereafter. 

So not only did I learn something about myself, I learned something about others. 

In ways, gambling is the same. It is all about living and learning. And we can be wiser for both wins and losses. It may be a big loss or a small loss. It may be a big win or a small win. But each happening is a moment to learn. It may be the case something minor triggers an understanding that will save or make us a lot of money in the future or a wise decision for ourselves or others. 

So even a bad day can turn good if we learn a thing or two. 

**KNOW THE BEST HORSES IN TRAINING (BEFORE THEY RACE!)**

This Racing Lark is Bad for U.S

I can't say I know much about American horse racing. 

Is it true that they all run left-handed or is that an old wives' tale? I could Google that very point but I would rather be oblivious until the end of this post. I'm sure one of my lovely friends will tell me the answer.  

Over the last two years, I have been lucky to live in West Palm Beach, Florida. It is a beautiful part of the world. I think the closest racecourse is Gulfstream Park, which is nearer Miami if not Fort Lauderdale. Searching on Google Earth, I was surprised how it was just a stone's throw from the coast. 

I haven't been to the races in the U.S. 

Why is that? 

I don't understand American horse racing. 

I'm most definitely a creature of habit. 

After spending 30 years plus understanding British two-year-old horse racing I have neither the interest nor motivation to dip my toe into the unknown. As I have said before if you can make your racing pay simply double your stake rather than read twice as many books. 

With one thing and another, I run a lot of horse racing websites. Well, they are related to sports, gambling, with a touch of wit & wisdom. For the most part, I enjoy what I do. It can feel like there aren't enough hours in the day but I'm sure there are plenty of people who feel the same. I don't really need to do anything, so it is my choice. And that is a luxury few can share at this time.

Anyway, I have been updating Horse Trainer Directory. It is a curative website detailing UK horse trainer websites, blogs, social media, articles and lots more. Basically, we promote horse trainers for free.

I've been updating broken links. I should have done this task months ago as I noticed a good few point towards the abyss of pages no more. I am gradually getting sorted. The website is a valuable resource which basically saves time. 

It's free. 

I noticed one trainer Patrick Gilligan. I'm not sure why I left his name on the list as he must have retired from training in the UK for a good few years. I often leave them on the page as a mark of respect, the same as those who have sadly passed away. Alan Swinbank, Pat Eddery and many more. 

While checking the info regarding Patrick Gilligan I noticed a story on the Paulick Report. It detailed that Gilligan had a dim view of U.S racing. He moved over the pond in 2014 to help his son, Jack, a jockey, pursue a racing career on the Midwest circuit. 

In an interesting and informative read, he said: ''U.S racing is seemingly designed to harm the horse in some way.''

 He continued: 

“I have to start with the track and the strict diet of left-hand galloping, day after day, after day. “You don't need to be an expert in equine biomechanics to understand that horses – who are designed to run more or less in straight lines – are likely to be harmed by the repetitive, unrelenting galloping left-handed on a daily basis. 

And then they start breezing left-handed, flat out around a turn, placing more torsional stress on the pastern and cannon bone.” 

Gilligan also points a finger at dirt surfaces, which he says are at odds with a Thoroughbred's lower limbs since they evolved to run on grass. “There is no bounce from a dirt surface, the horse's leg just hits it, time after time, two and a half times a second when breezing or racing, and the dirt does nothing to help the horse spring forward into its next stride at all.” 

Gilligan considered synthetic surfaces, which he notes have been substantially improved since they were first installed years ago, and on Lasix, he opines that bleeding is not an issue that needs fixing: “Minor bleeds are not a serious health or welfare issue. If the horse bleeds to an extent it negatively impacts performance, tough. That animal is not fit for purpose. Retire it, find it another life. Do not breed from it. The old adage is breed the best to the best and hope for the best – not breed the unsound bleeder to the unsound bleeder and find some stronger meds.” 

Photo: Pixabay free fro commercial use and no attribution but given 

**KNOW THE BEST HORSES IN TRAINING (BEFORE THEY RACE!)**

Are Gamblers Superstitious?

Wait a moment, I'm putting on my lucky socks.

I wonder if you are a gambler? I wonder if you are superstitious? So are you a superstitious gambler?

Only 13% of the population admit to being superstitious. I imagine the true figure is much higher. To test out my theory I would love to run an experiment that tests a ''subject'' to the max with black cats, ladders, mirrors, rabbit's foot, and a free bet to assess beginner's luck whether at the races or local bookmakers.   

I don't know the percentage, but I have an inkling gamblers are more susceptible to a magpie or two than your average homo sapien. 

I know I have some funny, little way...but let's talk about gambling superstition. 

There is one thing I never do and that's tempting fate when assessing the chances of a given ''no-hoper''. Just by saying: ''That horse can't win'', literally cuts its odds in half...and every word after that in the negative halves it again and again. So that 33/1 shot is 6/4 before the start of the race. You watch, smiling in your confidence that you are tempting fate, to learn you made a mistake. The one-eyed, three-legged beast trotted up (well in a tripod fashion).

I've seen it happen too many times. In fact, Tony saw a Michael Bell debutante filly at Great Yarmouth racecourse and started to question its chance because it looked, to him, a touch small and skinny. A bookie heard him talking and the odds halved! (Yes, that is a joke.) But Honest Joe wishes he had when Lady Light cruised home to win by four-and-a-half lengths at odds of 8/1. 

Tony wished he'd kept his mouth shut. He actually fancied the horse before looking at it under the microscope of skepticism. He really should buy some rose-tinted spectacles.

No wonder I keep stum because I could tempt a three-legged pit pony to beat Shergar if I slagged it off enough.

I guess punters always fear the unknown or try to make the unknown known with a lucky four-leaf clover. A rabbit's foot or a sprig of heather from a gypsy with a winning smile. 

I wonder if you are superstitious - whether good or bad.

Good luck!

Photo: Pixabay free for commercial use and no attribution but given 

Fond Memories of the Grand National back in the Day

One of the first horse races I can remember was the Grand National. 

Being a 70s child I grew up with the greatest steeplechase in the world on the TV. Every April, we were glued to the box, come rain or shine. 

In fact, it was one of the reasons I grew up to have an interest in horse racing although these days I am more of a flat racing man that the National Hunt, although I do appreciate both. 

I've been the Huntingdon and Fakenham racecourse for the National Hunt and enjoyed the meetings. I think 90% of the racegoers were local if not regulars. It was nice to see they allowed patrons to take their pet dogs as long as they were kept on a lead. I think I had as much fun watching a selection of pooches, some wearing little jackets to keep them warm, on what was a truly bitter-cold day. There is something about being on a racecourse in the middle of winter which gets to the bones of young and old alike. I guess I had got used to enjoying summer days at Great Yarmouth although I have been caught in a storm or two there. As they say in the UK, we have four seasons in a day and that is what makes it special in its own way.  

I enjoyed my day at Fakenham, which is located in the county of Norfolk, as it had a very traditional feel about it.

My Dad loved his racing. I'm not sure if his father enjoyed it or not. I know his brother, Keith, did as do many of my cousins and Uncle Fred was a keen racing man as they all enjoyed the Eastern Festival at Great Yarmouth, which takes place every September. 

Our summer holidays always coincided with the Eastern Festival and we loved our family holidays. The worst part was coming home because the school had started the week before and it was a nightmare trying to get a timetable or work out where to go. I remember this especially well when starting our secondary school. It was a return I would rather have forgotten.    

I think every race fan has fond memories betting on Grand National. My brother followed a horse called Classified who never fell in his life but was tarnished with that tag when his jockey was unseated. I remember another fan writing to the Racing Post to display their utter disdain at this slight. 

We all have our favourite horses and that's what makes it special. You could pick a 100/1 shot and no one can say your horse is a loser until after the race - and even then, sometimes, you will be correct. 

Classified never won the Grand National but was remarkably consistent either placed or in the first five for a number of years. 

I was lucky enough to pick Aldaniti (pictured) who won the big race on the 4th of April 1981. It was a truly remarkable story for both horse and jockey. Many gave up hope on both steely characters who said: ''Just you wait and see.''

Bob Champion rode the race of his life and successfully battled against cancer and raised millions of pounds for charity in the process. 

The Grand National has always been a race where dreams are made, built on blood, sweat, and tears (and a glimmer of hope). 

For many, Red Rum is the greatest Grand National winner of them all. 

He won an unprecedented three times: 1973, 1974 & 1977. 

In truth, every winner of the Grand National tells a story few would ever believe. 

Whether, horse, trainer, owner, jockey, even commentator, or lucky punter down the road. Those who would never bet in all their life are ready to put the cash down and hope it is their lucky day.

We all remember the year we had a winner on the greatest race of them all. 

The Grand National. 

Photo: Pixabay free for commercial use and no attribution but given 

Myth: You Can't Make Money Gambling

It always makes me smile when people talk about gambling. 

In fact, it is one of the main reasons why I don't chat with people who have no understanding of this subject matter.

Why?

Because they lack knowledge. And that leads to them falling back onto cliches. 

''Gambling, it's a mug's game!''

''You can't beat the bookies!''

I could go on forever. It really is a waste of time giving your thoughts, time, or energy to someone who doesn't have a basic understanding of the subject at hand. To me, it's the same as someone going to the doctors and trying to tell them what it's all about. You know what the doctor thinks when you leave the room. 

''What a twat!''

Most GPs are probably a bit more polite even in mind but they think it. Because you are literally taking the piss out of them (but the individual is too brainless to register that point).

Talking to someone who doesn't have a foundation of knowledge has nothing to offer (unless you want to talk about the weather or how many furlongs in a mile, because they don't even know that, but they ''know everything''). I don't waste my time with such people. It's a survival method - for them. Because I feel like cracking their skull before the conversation has ended. They tell you where you are going wrong even though they have not the slightest idea about anything. It really defies comprehension. I base this chatter on a person who has little intelligence. Sad (for them) but true. 

I don't take fools gladly. 

I have met more stupid people than I care to consider. Those days have gone because I only talk to people who I wish to express an informed opinion. My opinion, knowledge, wisdom has worth and I don't intend to try and convert brainless morons who don't even know the basics. 

I follow the niche of two-year-old racing. I've had people trying to tell me that horses start racing at three. This is the level of ''knowledge'' in the primordial soup.

Anyway, you get the message. 

Expertise is no different in any area of life or work. To prove a point, you would have enjoyed talking to my dad's brother. My uncle Keith was a painter and decorator. He was old-school. He was trained to a high level. He painted with a brush, after preparing whatever surface as if he was painting the Mona Lisa. You may consider yourself a painter and decorator. And I do admit times have changed. However, if uncle Keith saw you painting a wall with a roller (even if you had a decade of expertise) he would have considered you an amateur. He would have laughed at your efforts and considered you a joke. I'm not saying it to be nasty. It's just a fact. If there had been a competition he would have painted your wooden spoon with his brush. Sure, you completed the decorating job but while you painted the house down the road, he's been patting a corgi down the neck after Her Majesty the Queen remarked how pleased she was with this work.

He was in a different league. I think the word we are looking for is an EXPERT.

Gambling is the same. Some people just know a lot more than others. They didn't wake up one morning and magically know more. They worked hard and that put them ahead of the game. It's like a student who revises for a year while another pupil didn't read any books and just kind of hoped they would pass. 

When you consider how many businesses are operating in the country. How many make more than a million pounds a year? As a percentage, it would be small. That means most are just about getting by while a few are coining it in. 

Gambling is the same. 

What I find astounding is the number of gamblers who simply do not improve from the first bet to their last - even if this is over decades. It doesn't make any sense. Would you go to college or university for a decade without learning something more than most? 

Before making your next bet, consider how you can improve your knowledge and successful betting will follow suit.

Photo: Pixabay free for commercial use and no attribution but given 

**KNOW THE BEST HORSES IN TRAINING (BEFORE THEY RACE!)**

Interrogated by the Gambling Thought Police

You meet some people, hey. 

Annoying bureaucratic people who ''have a job to do''. 

I'm not going to say exactly what this is all about or the company/person I was talking to because I am fearful of them reading this post and tracking me down like Channel 4's Hunted. 

I was left feeling like I'd been interrogated by the police for doing nothing wrong. 

This all came about when I noticed a certain money services platform kept flagging up my account as having a problem. I had no idea why. I haven't done anything wrong beyond using one account for a few personal transactions when it is specifically meant for business. 

Big deal. 

I'm a sole trader. As far as that goes personal and business is one and the same thing. As long as the books are accurate then what's the problem. It certainly shouldn't be the concern of some woman at the end of a phone who just couldn't bring herself to say what she thought so she kept using the term ''Let's call a spade a spade!''. I hate that term. I hadn't got the slightest idea what she was talking about 

However, she kept going on about reading terms and conditions and asking me about specific small money transactions. 

I really don't know what on earth she was talking about but I was left with the impression that a number of £10 payments were being viewed (I can hardly bring myself to even say the word) as a transaction for what I will define as an illegal product. Whether this was the truth of what she was saying or not I didn't ask beyond saying everything is legal and above board. I didn't want to state the obvious because I was suffering from shock, bewilderment, and annoyance. To have some random woman at the end of the phone talking as if reading a page or two from George Orwell's 1984 seriously annoyed me. 

It simply shows how these companies work and what they are all about. All I have done is to pay them a crazy amount of money in commission for doing very little work. 

Sure, I work in the gambling industry with regard to running websites, writing articles, and promotion. I don't sell horse racing tips. I don't sell any dubious products and 100% legal in all I do. I have never even been stopped by the police, had a traffic ticket or anything. In fact, I am more righteous and legal than just about anyone you will ever meet. 

Who on earth are these companies who can cast aspersions acting like some form of law enforcement when they have no power to do anything at all? 

They simply hinder someone's business because they don't like the fact it's an off-shoot of the gambling industry. 

I was questioned over a £25 payment that was refused. The reason only these idiotic people know. 

I was asked what was this money for? You can't make this up. The truth of the payment is as innocent and kind-hearted as I am. 

I had a free competition which horse racing fans could enter. I gave a £50 prize to the winner of the competition. Two people found the winner so they shared the prize. 

The £25 I was questioned about was an act of generosity. 

The person who was receiving the money said they would donate it to the NHS. So you can imagine I was peed off because I was stopped from doing this. Disgusting. I tried to pay it via the NHS Just Giving page. It wouldn't go through. 

You wouldn't believe this. The same jobsworth women had the nerve to specifically ask what was the payment for when I tried to send it via the Just Giving charity. 

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. 

I was made to feel like a criminal for doing the right thing and appreciating others. Many times my account has detailed other payments to charity as I try my best to help support others. 

This is the world we live in where we are guilty of an imaginary act and have little opportunity to prove our innocence. 

I can assure this ''person'' that I could account for every single received payment and free to question every single person regarding these small transactions (£10 entry fees to take part in the tipster competition). 

I'm going to close the account and work with a company that appreciates its customers rather than make them feel like a common criminal.   

Pixabay: free for commercial use and no attribution but given 

Author: Unknown

**KNOW THE BEST HORSES IN TRAINING (BEFORE THEY RACE!)**

Free Horse Racing Tips

You never know who is searching the net. 

I received an email from Neil C, asking if I was interested in selling horse racing info. 

Firstly, I like people who introduce themselves and have money to put on the table. I bet you think, yes you would because you're interested in the money. You know what, you would be 100% wrong. 

I say that because I don't have anything to sell. 

That isn't completely true as I could easily sell my tips but I don't want to as it's a thankless task and a distraction from making money myself. I'd rather enjoy horse racing for me. 

Who wants to be held accountable for a paltry sum? To be honest, I would have to be earning an additional £40,000+ a year to be bothered with the hassle. Unless I could secure that level of investment I really wouldn't want to share my info or time (the latter is more important). 

Neil asked me about selling info to him. 

I enjoyed his email because it was well written, courteous and grateful for my time. (As I am of him for taking the time to write and take an interest in Craig's Betting Blog and Talkbet, where he contacted me).

I invited him to subscribe to Group Horse because it is informative and free of charge. I mentioned that I am adding to the mailings so we will be sending on a weekly basis because two mailings a year are positively sedentary. 

We'll never simply fire emails at subscribers as a way of filling our pockets at the expense of the receiver. It's disgusting and self-interested. 

I've paid for a couple of online courses and every other email is trying to sell something. I do find this a touch irritating. It seems the nature of the beast that once you're on a mailing list they just cannot help but keep going to the well. I think website and blog owners need to respect those who are good enough to sign up for whatever they offer without becoming a pain in the arse. 

We will never get to that point. It has to be 99% free stuff and 1% selling. Clearly, we need to make money along the way but I intend to sell products that actually make money and something that cannot be found anywhere else. In addition, we give a guarantee that if we do not live up to expectations you will get a full refund. You may not appreciate this point but sending emails can be a very expensive business. ConvertKit charges $119 a month to send to 10,000 subscribers. I think the price is bordering on criminal. In fact, if you send monthly mailings to 105,000 subscribers it cost $679 (a month). What on Earth is that all about.  

As far as selling horse racing tips go, I think the industry is stuck in the dark ages. Their marketing is literally dire and lacks imagination. 

I'm not going to say too much about how I am going to work and what I will be offering but it will be something that punters are looking forward to receiving at an affordable price. 

If you want to be part of our journey to ventures new, then subscribe to Group Horse because you will be impressed by what we have to offer and especially the new approaches we will be introducing this year. 

Thanks for your support. 

Pixabay: free for commercial use and no attribution but given  

**KNOW THE BEST HORSES IN TRAINING (BEFORE THEY RACE!)**

Do You Need to Bet Thousands to be a Professional Gambler?

Lots of people like a bet. 

They do as they do. 

Although I am not in favour of punters betting for fun. 

Why? 

Simply because too many gamblers are naive to what they are doing and the potential implications of that first, small, bet. 

Sure it makes the football match more fun. 

But tell that to the compulsive gambler or addict who started the same way. I know you will say: ''Well, that won't happen to me!''

And you know what, I agree with you. On a statistical basis, you are, thankfully, unlikely to become a problem gambler or struggle with psychopathology. 

But here's the thing you need to consider. If you bet for fun, and you lack experience, knowledge, understanding then don't consider yourself the same as the few gamblers who make their betting pay. 

I'm not trying to be funny, but you are a million miles away from them. 

''Well, how are they so good?''

They have worked for years to hone their skills. You see to be a professional gambler isn't about betting thousands of pounds. You may have seen a few wealthy (naive) punters betting thousands like you bet £25. 

Trust me, that doesn't make them a professional gambler. They may be a professional idiot with a bundle of cash to burn but it's like saying the person who shouts an answer to a question is the most intelligent person in the room (just because they have similar DNA to a foghorn). 

You notice a lot of these professional gambler/pundits on TV. Most of them made their name by betting big money. That doesn't mean they know more than the person who bets quietly £100, £200 or £500 a time. However, everyone wants to know about extremes. TV shows are built on stories based on conflict. That's why Emmerdale Farm went from talking about cows in the field to a plane crash where half the cast was killed (partly, I guess, because their acting skills weren't much better than Ermintrude from the Magic Roundabout). In this day of political correctness, we cannot say she was a pink cow just in case there is some confusion about sexual orientation or prejudice.

In ten years' time, Emmerdale will see an alien invasion where the actors are replaced by robots.    

It's the same as all forms of media. 

That's why the Daily Sport wrote a story about the Men of March Public House in our little town saying it had so many windows so the girls in the ''brothel'' could easily see the police coming (no pun intended). 

It was all lies but it sold a few papers. 

A professional gambler, in my opinion, doesn't need to be a big bettor. 

They simply follow their undoubted passion in a very professional way. They didn't wake up one morning and consider they are a professional gambler just because they bet their gran's inheritance. 

Just as a plumber, an electrician or plasterer didn't wake up one day and decide they would be a tradesman (or woman).

You may think betting is betting but it's not. It's no different to someone trying to change an engine on a Porsche 911 but they have no idea the engine is in the back. In fact, you don't even have any tools. 

This is why to be a gambler with any hope of winning money comes down to a game of knowledge and principles. You can be exceptionally good at picking winners but still make little money because you lack the many and varied principles to be efficient in all you do. 

This aspect of gambling is even more important than the exceptional knowledge you may have at hand. 

In truth, the best gamblers are the ones who don't really enjoy gambling at all. They do so because they are convinced they have the odds in their favour. Anything can happen short term. You could have 20 losers in a row. To others, it may look like you have no idea what you are doing. However, long term the truth will show. 

TV adverts detail gambling as fun. The buzz. If you bet for the buzz then start beekeeping, at least you get a jar of honey. 

Betting is a serious business. 

When you calculate how much a gambler can lose over a lifetime betting a tenner here and there it's a scary thought. If you smoke, drink, and gamble (to excess or badly) your health and finances are going to look like you - a shadow of your former self. 

The best gamblers in the world aren't the people with books and notoriety they are the clever people who keep their mouth shut and get on with business in a professional manner and love their sport with a passion. 

They don't need anyone to pat them on the back to say well done. 

They couldn't give a toss.

Pixabay: Photo free for commercial use and no attribution but given 

Can You Win Playing Roulette at the Casino?

The short answer is no. 

However, there is more to that answer than meets the eye because it doesn't guarantee you will be a loser if playing at a brick-and-mortar casino or going online. 

So how can there be a difference from having seemingly no chance of winning to some chance when we are still playing the same game of roulette? 

It has a lot to do with how long you play and how you bet.

Let's face it, the only way you can win playing roulette is to get lucky. Sometimes we all need a little bit of luck. In fact, some people have made a fortune by wishing on a shooting star. 

For example, wouldn't you rather have an ounce of luck when you have a bet to win one million than one pound?

Clearly, we can all appreciate that thought.

In ways, gambling at the casino and especially at roulette is the same. Believe it or not, I have won good money at the Grosvenor Casino in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. This listed building has a touch of class - then I turned up!   

I've won several hundred pounds betting no more than £20 - £50. And starting at small stakes is really one of the keys to winning because you set your limit and really have little to lose but something to gain. 

With a little bit of help from Lady Luck. 

So what's all this luck about?

As I said earlier, the only way you will win when playing fixed odds is via luck. You may imagine there is some skill involved but I don't think there is any evidence that you can manipulate the statistics to improve your chance of winning unless you cheat. I know a few of you will say you can use the martingale system and you're sure to win. The trouble is you may need a million pounds to win a tenner if black or red comes up umpteen times. And you will find that the limit of perhaps a couple of grand bet on a single number puts pay to you doubling up infinitely. 

Even if you could do it, I don't think it would be a good idea. Simply because black came up 20 times, it still levels you devils it will come up again. In fact, it is slightly less as you may have noticed zero is green!

However, I do consider betting on the single number is the key to you, potentially, winning money. 

To win you need a touch of luck and that can come up just as easily on a single number as it can black or red. The difference being one pays even money while the other thirty-five to one. 

Simply play your stake betting on the same single number and hope it is your lucky night. If it comes up once you are pretty much guaranteed not to lose and if it comes up twice you are flying high. 

It's as boring as watching paint dry, but, in my opinion, it is one of the few ways you spend a little with the chance of winning a lot. 

Good luck to all.  

Do You Follow Trainers in Form?

I remember watching Racing UK, as it was known in the day and James Willoughby said there was literally no logic following a trainer in form. 

Now, I know James is an intellectual and he certainly knows a lot more about statistics than I do  (although I do have an understanding from my research within psychology, which is enough to bamboozle the life out of me). I enjoy his analysis although I do feel his rambles can go on a little too much at times and listeners lose the thread of the subject matter. That's talking about horse racing let alone statistics, which to most people in the human race equates to watching paint dry. I was going to say listening to paint dry but not sure if that makes much sense, but you get the idea. 

He is very much in the mould of John Berry who is another racing pundit (and talented horse trainer) but someone so stop-start in his dialectical materialism that I am kind of fascinated and losing the will to live at the same time. Please, if you are fans of either or both, these words are not meant as a criticism as I admire both and they have a lot more to offer than the generic racing pundit who would be at a loss without the classic cliches (which well and truly have me pressing the mute button). 

I do enjoy an original thought or piece of information (even a word) which tells me this person knows their stuff. That is a rarity if not difficult when talking in soundbites for a media that isn't really interested in going above and beyond the norm for the happy medium (which is a fair stat in itself).

But here's the question: Do You Follow a Trainer in Form?

Whether this has one ounce of logic or not, I do tend to follow horse trainers who are in form, and even more, try to avoid trainers who are missing the mark. 

Richard Fahey started this two-year-old season out of form. It's a surprise as he is normally a handler who literally hits the turf running. Fahey said after a number of two-year-old disappointments that his early string was simply not as good as they had hoped. Which must be a bitter pill for any trainer to swallow. These things have to be taken in the context of a whole season because Mews House, Musley Bank, Malton won't lack in classy two-year-old because based on a numbers game they must have 100+ in their ranks. 

However, the fact the stable has struggled to win with their two-year-olds this season does make me keep my money in my pocket until they start to find the winner's enclosure. 

Similarly, Brian Meehan has started this season with a bang and a purple patch with just five two-year-olds running so far and four winners, three on debut, two at double-figure odds. 

Throughout the season we will see a number of peaks and troughs with trainers and they will (hopefully) come out the other side with a few, if not, many winners. Sadly, a few well-known horse trainers struggle when the winners dry up, being funded by a few rich owners who rightfully want to see success. 

I remember Olly Steven was one such trainer who made it public that he had a couple of years to prove his worth or his hopes and dreams would fall by the way. He started his career with a number of two-year-old talents and things looked prosperous but the second season didn't see such rich pickings and he fell by the way. 

Just think of the number of talented horse trainers who have come and gone. In this economic climate, I am sure many others will be fearing what the future holds. 

I felt sad for Mark Brisbourne who had a small string but a very talented trainer and very much a family concern. However, after a 30-year career and sending out 560 winners his business was literally culled when the Earl of Bradford sold the land to build five homes and he was left with no option but relinquish his trainer's licence. 

His fateful words: ''I'm being forced to quit.''

Racing is all about the horse's finishing position but also the story behind trainers big and small. 

Sometimes those very statistics hide a bucket full of tears. 

Photo: Mark Brisbourne