General Archives - Page 13 of 13

How Can You Bet Big Money Without Hassle?

March 29, 2024January 4, 2023 by David

They say money talks.

I guess if we could hear every word and sentence, chapter and verse it would rang from the kindest to the most deplorable discourse you could imagine.

Gambling money could tell a few stories.

As honest as the day is long – to sinister as hell.

However, for many gamblers half the problem is being able to bet without restriction. With the anti gambling brigade spouting ‘everyone is addicted and needs help’ to bookmakers ‘sorry, we are restricting or closing your account because you look like a winner’ it really is becoming a problem for those who able to bet responsibility, if given the chance.

The United Kingdom is so preoccupied when it comes to betting that it will, eventually, paint itself into a corner.

It really is quite astounding how alcohol is actually one of the biggest problems within society and no one, especially within government, says a word about the implications. I wonder why that is? Oh, yes, it’s worth so much money it goes beyond question. It’s the same with the stock market. A global entity which seemingly allows, without question, anyone ‘gambling’ vast sums of money. No restriction, concern or consequence.

It all looks like double standards to me.

I’ve been reading a few Professional Gambler books and I can only imagine most of their bets were placed on the betting exchanges as the likelihood of getting a couple of hundred with bookmakers nowadays is impossible. You may if you are a loser but no hope if they get a sniff of a winner.

So how can you place a decent bet without someone pushing or pulling you in one direction or another? A tug-of-war between the Nanny State and Bookmaker Restrictions.

First of all, don’t lose any money because even the betting restrictions may ask for proof of earnings.

If you want to lump on, betting on the exchanges is one of few options left.

Betting Exchanges:

If you can get the money into the account – it shouldn’t be a problem – you can bet as much money as the market can take. These days, the liquidity of markets is pretty weak compared to the old days unless you are betting at major race festivals such as Royal Ascot or Cheltenham. However, it’s the place to bet if you don’t want to be questioned or restricted.

On-Course Bookmakers:

With the exchanges taking advantage of a near perfect market (which offers value) and the bookmakers apps giving mobile connectivity, the last place most gamblers looked to bet decent money was on course. That’s changing with all these anti-gambling proof-of-earnings credit checks. I can guarantee on-course bookmakers won’t be asking if you can afford to bet as it will be impossible to govern with these madcap affordability checks. If you want to lump on, go to the track and you won’t have any problems. As the late John McCririck used to say: ‘Go Racing!’

Never a truer word said.

What Happened to the Tic-Tac Man?

March 29, 2024November 22, 2022 by David

No, I’m not talking about those refreshing little sweets in a plastic container with a flip-top lid.

If you love horse racing and of a certain age you may remember seeing someone at the racecourse, probably standing on a box to hold an elevated position, wearing white gloves, hands moving with a flurry of activity.

The first time I ever saw a tic-tac man at the racecourse I was mesmerised. He seemed purposeful, intent on getting his message across, with haste, and the only people watching were the bookmakers (turf accountants) who quickly chalked up the betting odds for the next race.

My Dad said: ‘That’s the tic-tac man!’

There was me thinking whether I should buy the menthol, orange or sour-flavour.

Tic-tac is a traditional form of non-verbal communication used by bookmakers and gamblers at the horse racing track to convey betting odds, betting movements, without speaking.

I never see the tic-tac man say a word.

I guess with such skills he didn’t need to shout for all he was worth.

‘Six-to-four the jolly.’

He quickly pointed to his left ear.

Easy.

Tic-tac details information by using hand signals or gestures in a systematic way.

For example, I’m pretty sure the signal of touching your ear represents the betting odds 6/4 (ear’ole,). This comes from watching and listening to eccentric horse racing pundit and celebrity John McCririck, who sadly passed away in 2019.

However, this non verbal communication was used to not only detail the odds for a given horse but how much money a bookmaker was willing to take on the horse.

Other simple examples of tic-tac include:

Odds of 9/4 (top of the head) both hands touching the top of the head
Odds of 2/1 (bottle) right hand touches the nose
Odds of 5/4 (wrist) the right hand is moved to touch the left wrist
Odds of 33/1 (double carpet) both arms crossed with hands flat against the chest

In a newspaper article in 1937 Charles Adamson, a retired bookmaker, said he and his brother, Jack, invented the tic-tac system and used it as far back as 1888.

It was a common sight at race tracks in the 20^th century but declined with the advent of mobile technology. In fact, in 1999 there were said to be just three practitioners working including Micky ‘Hokey’ Stuart.

There are no tic-tac practitioners left in this modern era of on-course bookmaking.

In essence, tic-tac was used as a secret language to communicate information at the racecourse so there was little disparity between bookmakers betting odds. This stopped punters from exploiting any difference in prices.

Also, tic-tac helped form the betting market. With the advent of betting exchanges, the forming of the market was eclipsed making not only tic-tac practitioners but odds compilers redundant. The betting exchanges formed their own market and these were used by bookmakers.

Although for the most part tic-tac has lost favour compared to modern technology, many of the terms still persist.

Personally, the use of tic-tac added a touch of magic to the racecourse experience. It was like a mix of Michael Jackson (gloves), Paul Daniels (magic) and Carol Vorderman (numbers) rolled into one.

The next time someone says ‘levels you devils’ they are simply conveying a horse priced even money (1/1) rather than sending you to hell. Quite often betting odds use Cockney rhyming slang or backslang.

Don’t get me started with Major Stevens. I’ll have a monkey on the nose.

You’ll never see me betting a bag of sand (grand).