Monday 20 February 2012

The complex gambling world

As a student, with not much going for him in his life, I often venture into the gambling world to provide myself with a little excitement on an otherwise dull saturday afternoon. I know the cruel fate of a last minute goal, and I know the jubilation of a modest win. Even if you only win a couple of pound, the sheer exilexrence is enough to entertain me on a saturday.

First off, let me direct you towards an article by a University friend of mine, who entails about the cruelness of a last minute goal. Football match betting is one of the hardest to predict, yet it seems so easy. Surely, Manchester United should beat bottom club Blackburn Rovers. No. Bet lost. Okay then, football world, I bet on Blackburn Rovers to beat the inconsistence Arsenal. No. Bet lost. So this is the case, it can take one players individual brilliance or one players catastrophic errors to take the money straight out of your hands that you're already licking your lips at collecting.

Luckily, last week, I was on the receiving end of a last minute goal. It really could not have been any more last minute as Leeds United scored in the 99th minute against Doncaster Rovers to seal the win, and ensured that I could walk proudly and smugly into the bookies, to collect my £80. Not a monumental victory in my battle of me vs. ladbrokes, but it felt good to win.

The infuriating point is just how difficult it is to predict. If I hadn't won my bet two days ago, then this moan would have been completely different and me agonizing about how long ago it seemed since I had won a bet. It's easy. You just pick so many teams, have an educated guess, and you get money back. You can study the form book, the previous meetings, the injuries, the managers track record, and still... still, you get it wrong. Now, I have seen the errors in my way. By betting on many teams, the chances are your bet won't come through. So much so, I actually bet on 17 teams once, and was promised a sum just short of 430 million great british pounds, if my bet was to come through. It didn't, obviously. Yet, i'll tell you now, it wasn't far off.

Now, I only bet on 3 or 4 teams and I now see that my chances of winning are boosting spectacularly. If you're in the similar boat to me, don't put a pound on 10 teams to win. Put 2 pound on 5 teams to win. You may lose an extra pound if you don't win, but your chances of winning go through the roof.

Similarly, the Cheltenham Cup and the Grand National are fast approaching. Being in a family that has always bet on the Grand National, I was overjoyed last year when me and a friend predicted the winner in Ballabriggs and returned a tasty £150 for the both of us. Sheer jubilation, crossed with anger as our each way bet of Niché Market finished in 5th position. One position off of the top 4. If I don't win this year, you'll find me cursing at the telly and tearing up my betting slips. It should be easy, yet there's always some jockey with his eye on upsetting your bet. Ultimately, I know that lady luck plays a humongous part in betting.

I'll continue to bet, as it's always a nice way to earn a little bit of money, and so far I have earned more money than I have lost. Yet, you'll never know the shear infuriation that goes through my head when the somewhat 'safety' bet, is chewed up and spat out by lady luck.

My next moan: The decline of the music industry

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