Reflections

If you missed the Zvonereva v Wozniacki match blog I would suggest you read that first here: Zvonereva v Wozniacki as this post is in reference to that match and some of the messgaes and comments received since it ended.

To begin with I will try and answer what seems to be the biggest question and thenmove on to the others.

How can you walk away leaving over £900 on a bet?
I have tried to explain this before but I guess it is all about an individuals mind set so it is difficult to grasp. I perceive my stake purely at the figure of my investment. For example I started the week with £12.35 so that could be considered my "investment". However, though I often refer to this to try and make it easier for people to picture, this is not how I think. I am in profit overall. Therefore I have a fundamental belief that I have a negative investment. I actually believe that the market has invested in me with it's money and I can choose to take more money or hand it back. I also consider the money still in Betfair as belonging to the market. It only becomes mine when I withdraw it to my own personal bank account. Effectively my only investment is my time. However this has a slant on it too. I enjoy my "hobby" and as such would be willing to pay for the enjoyment I take from gambling as most punters do thus increasing the effective investment I perceive the market to have made.

Do you follow a set system and are you trying to sell it or make money from it?
I have no magic system or holy grail for betting I'm afraid. I certainly do not advocate my style of punting either (more on this in another question) as it is extremely high risk and would probably only be mimicked by those that can not afford to lose the money. As for making money from it then yes I do make money from it. I have things on my blog such as google adsense that if someone clicks an ad I earn a few pence. I also have one and may soon add more affiliate links that if someone buys something I would get a commission. However, to put this into perspective, I have earned a grand total of £27.32 since I started this blog. I would hate to add up the hours spent on it, but would hazard a guess that I am earning less than £0.05 per hour. I'm fairly sure I could earn more making clothes for Primark in an Asian sweatshop!! Of course it would be great if the blog earned me a living but let's face it my audience is pretty small with a lot of competition so it ain't Going to happen! (Feel free to click the ads though!! LOL)

Why do you encourage people to be so irresponsible with their betting banks?
Do I? This blog is for entertainment purposes first and foremost as I hope people enjoy reading through and chatting. Secondly this blog is actually following on from the forum where I got lots of questions asked of me by relative novices. Here too I get many questions every day from people I do not know asking for help and advice. I try and give my perspective on their situations and offer solutions to the problems they face. I do not profess to have all the answers and I am always learning myself. However as a punter who has been at the edge of the Abyss looking in I can relate to most of the anguish that can come from being a gambler. If you need to know my history it is all explained in the Betfair forum thread. I make no claims about being successful. I am a gambling addict and make no bones about it. I do not (or try not to) preach as I have accepted that this is a crutch I need in my life but that you have to handle with care or it can wrestle control from you once again.

Do you think the figures you bet with are obscene and rub people up the wrong way?
I had a few questions/comments on this. Some supportive some not! I have taken note of it though as I received one very poignant comment from a person who shall remain anonymous. This particular person is, let's face it, in a mess in their life. It's not a nice place to be, I know I've been there! I understand that £1,000 punts are so out of the reach of the average punter that they can influence others into putting money they can't afford and have even stolen/borrowed in to try and desperately salvage their situations. I have taken one suggestion on this and will just keep working on £100 - £1000 challenges as these can be achieved by the majority and help everyone. I have refused to follow another suggestion though, that I replace actual money for points etc. For me that doesn't cut the mustard and would be like all the other fairy tales you can read on blogs and forums. The idea of this blog and the thread before it is that it is slightly different in the fact that I post up my bets and have started using screen shots (since Rev kindly showed me how). Anyone can post up mythical bets saying I won $1billion dollars etc and many do! Not for me.

And finally:

Do you have the biggest balls in the world?
Yes I suffer from elaphantitis of the nuts ;-) LOL

I may not be making any bets tonight as I am slightly taken aback by some of the response I have received.

Good luck everyone and happy punting!! :-)