Betfair Official Blog

From Gambling to Trading

Our novice transfers his sports betting skills to financial trading...

Today's Lesson Learnt: Never trust heart over brain - years of being heartless in the face of tramps/girlfriends/trampy girlfriends have left mine in fairly frail nick.

The first time I really begin to notice that I am now a financial trader, not a mere sports gambler, was over the weekend. Whereas in times bygone, the weekend would be my big earner, it is now as quiet as a muted mouse who is undertaking a sponsored silence for some mouse-related charity. So what whould I do to fill the time?

I don't have hobbies before you ask - they are for weirdos. Instead, like any shrewd investor, I diversified my portfolio with a trip to Ascot over the weekend. It did get me thinking however, how different was the 2:35 at Ascot to last week's trading on Brent crude oil or the FTSE? My conclusion - very little. I do a bit of research, put my money down and enjoy the ride.

I'm one of those gullible sorts who love a horse tip! Never mind the fact that the fella dishing out the tips wouldn't ordinarily be trusted to purchase a Mars Bar from, I'll lap up any old rubbish and get right on it. After all, the thought of not putting on a bean and then hearing it win would hurt far more than having a pebble or two on it in defeat. Time to transfer that to the financials! £1.50 for the FT? You're having a laugh - no wander they can afford to dye the paper orange. Sun business news it is then. I read Warren Buffet was buying GlaxoSmithKline, so guess what I bought - a £78 profit. Thanks Warren and thanks the Sun! Bet the FT doesn't give that sort of information, knee-deep in Northern Rock hand-wringing as it no doubt is.

With my sport, I am also an emotional punter - I back England in every competition. Even Eurovision, in the face of some quite stark evidence that it is not a wise move. But having seen my 'follow tips' transfer very nicely thank you from sport, I thought to go with this too. I read that British Airways were the lowest point that they had been for a while so I bought BA shares. God save our queen, national airline, Britannia rules the skies! Things must surely get better imminently. They did - £35 profit. God bless you ma'am.

Nothing wrong with that
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