– From the Desk of: Andrew David
Hi,
The dictionary defines a specialist as: ‘A person who concentrates primarily on a particular subject or activity; someone highly skilled in a specific or restricted field.
The dictionary defines a specialist as: ‘A person who concentrates primarily on a particular subject or activity; someone highly skilled in a specific or restricted field.’
We all know there are specialists in many walks of life – people who know a great deal about their discipline, niche and passion.
When a GP fails to diagnose a condition, or is unsure and needs a second opinion, the patient is generally referred to a specialist for expert analysis.
In principle, betting and trading are no different in that those who specialise get better results and make more money.
More often than not, they also enjoy researching their specialist niche -which is one good reason why they chose it in the first place.
And specialising can take many forms.
One of the most surprising I’ve come across was the guy who – allegedly – every year across a 20 year period successfully selected the two or three contenders most likely to win the Eurovision Song Contest.
Astonishingly, it seems he then went on to trap the winner from his shortlist for nineteen of those twenty years.
Impressive or what?
Evidently, the secret of his success was linked to musical rhythms. He took into account which of the adjudicating nations would enjoy those rhythms based upon their own particular musical traditions.
He took the entries with the broadest appeal and fed them through a series of filters to determine the two or three with the biggest chance.
His success was possible only because he researched every angle which could influence the outcome, including why the judges voted in the way they did.
In short, he turned himself into a specialist.
How Can You Become a Knowledgeable Betting Specialist?
If you wish to specialise in a particular niche of betting and trading, it helps to have a passion for it.
That passion provides the motivation to learn all you need to know to turn yourself into an expert.
In turn, that leads to greater success and consequently creates an upward, positive swing which helps you to become even more proficient.
Now that the official Turf flat season is well under way this could be a good place to start your ‘specialisation for profit’.
I know many who make a good living specialising in certain codes of horse racing. As they become more and more proficient, they seem to exhibit an ability to visualise how a race will pan out.
You could achieve the same level of expertise.
All it takes is the will to drag yourself out of your comfort zone and make a start – and the determination to see it through.
Regularly watching recordings of a selected group of horses in action brings with it a deepening knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses -invaluable know-how you need to progressively improve your selection procedure and profits.
A good starting point would be five and six furlong sprint races over the Flat Turf season.
Take note, NON-handicap races are an ideal platform for the beginner.
Key areas to observe and note…
In a six furlong race you might notice a horse cuts the pace early on and leads up to the five-furlong mark… but just fails to see out the extra furlong. This could be one to look out for when running over the shorter five furlong minimum distance.
Likewise, in a five furlong race, you might notice a selection runs well late on but can’t quite catch the winner. This horse may be ideal for a step up to six furlongs.
Obviously, those are just basic observations when starting out. You’d then fine-tune your selection process by taking into account such factors as…
Did they all get a level break from the starting stalls?
Were any unlucky in running – blocked behind a wall of horses, etc.? (If so, you should also place them in your notebook).
The going may not be to the selection’s liking – check the Racing Post’s ‘PostData’ box to help determine this or download excellent free Apps such as www.BetTurtle.com and check whether the potential selection likes the going or not.
So, when next backing the horse, make sure that…
- The stable is in form.
- There’s the same jockey aboard, although this isn’t essential. It’s the same ‘going’ as the previous race, and/or the horse goes on the current going for the evaluated race.
- Check the opposition with a bit of cross-referencing and form-reading. If necessary, call upon your ever-growing library of recorded races.
- Check for early positive/negative market moves on the day.
All are important guidelines to get you off the ground. If repeated often enough, they’ll quickly become second nature and you’ll soon have a short-list of runners to watch for next time out.
And once you get a feel for the contestants involved (in our example, horses at five and six furlongs) you’ll become proficient to the point where you’ll know the ones to follow to improve your winning strike rate.
This, of course, is not limited to horse racing, you can specialise in football, rugby, cricket, tennis or maybe even politics. The list is endless.
You can find more angles to profit shock results with my multi system approach here for just £1.00!
Featured Image: CC BY 4.0 – Businessman figure with Profit text