Tony Calvin is senior press officer with Betfair and when I approached him and his colleague Mark Davies to ask whether they would contribute to this book, they could not have been more obliging. The exchanges are no easy field for the less-than experienced to negotiate, so these pointers should prove invaluable, and contain much of considerable interest to even the long-standing exchange aficionado. Sometimes, the price a layer is willing to offer will surprise.

 

Always try and predict the way the market is going to go, instead of looking for a winner. There is a phrase among exchange bettors: ‘Don’t tip me a winner, tip me a price.’ The reasoning behind this is that if you can identify a steamer (a big shortener) in the market before it becomes a gamble, you can back it at the highest price and lay it off at a much-reduced level, thus ensuring yourself a free bet.

 

Bets don’t get any better than that. So, keep an eye out for such gems as team news in Carling Cup matches and the like. Never be scared to request a price. If you don’t ask, you definitely won’t get. Betting exchanges match people who disagree on the outcome of an event; the more opinionated the layer, the bigger price the backer is likely to get.

 
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