How many of us here are pro's?

[JEFF]

That is to say, how many of you do this thing as a full time occupation? I doubt I'll ever reach that level -- either in skill or in comfortability with that kind of risk -- but its just something I'm curious about.

For those who are cappers by trade, how long were you in the game before you went full-out, and what happened that convinced you it could be done with success, maybe even a great deal of it?

Just an interesting question that popped into my head, not trying to call anyone out or anything like that ..

 

[jmizeus]

very interesting! very tough to just do this! i do this along w/my brother! between the 2 of us -we have a very large cash flow! not bull shitting either-lets say over 100g's! honestly i want to make a busines out of it someday-but have to get all sports down before i even think of it! nfl,ncaa football,both basketball (ncaa and nba are usually good to me! but baseball has been a problem over the last 2 years! between the 2 of us we are looking @ more insights! i have been e-mailed already to go into a partnership w/someone else from another site! he is solid in bases and i can keep my own in the rest!
now will i do it? dont know! but guys like fletcher ,kc wolf,raymond,and hoops who i know all are doing it! wish them all the luck in the world and keep there success! alot of ups and downs! the key is money mgmt and games! i force to play alot on weekends but if i ever ran a service-that wouldchange in a heart beat! starting next week-end my games will change! college will play 3-4 early and maybe 2-3 nite games! problem is there are so many in the ncaa! as for the pro-this week-end i got carried away! my brother does no handicapping whatso ever, i do it all!

gl!

 

[Felonious Monk]

jmizeus,

I can get you your own website going. Let me know your interest.

 

[british bulldog]

I've been backing full time for over two years. By full time I mean for a living. I have no other job or means of income. My original betting tank was large to commence with. 50 x my max bet. I had an accident at work which was my employers fault and I received compensation. Not a large amount that would have been awarded if I lived your side of the pond. Shortly afterwards, the injury I sustained had left me disabled preventing me from doing my job. I was ill health retired with a lump sum payment of one years salary.
This gave me my stake. I had kept records for the three previous years of all bets and decided to strike out, although I had very few options to be truthful. My employment prospects were bleak. It is one decision I am glad was forced upon me.
It is a stressful occupation at times. You live and die by your sword. But above all, the two most important ingreadents are TEMPERMENT and MONEY MANAGEMENT. Without these you will be blown away.

 

[british bulldog]

I've been backing full time for over two years. By full time I mean for a living. I have no other job or means of income. My original betting tank was large to commence with. 50 x my max bet. I had an accident at work which was my employers fault and I received compensation. Not a large amount that would have been awarded if I lived your side of the pond. Shortly afterwards, the injury I sustained had left me disabled preventing me from doing my job. I was ill health retired with a lump sum payment of one years salary.
This gave me my stake. I had kept records for the three previous years of all bets and decided to strike out, although I had very few options to be truthful. My employment prospects were bleak. It is one decision I am glad was forced upon me.
It is a stressful occupation at times. You live and die by your sword. But above all, the two most important ingreadents are TEMPERMENT and MONEY MANAGEMENT. Without these you will be blown away.

 

[NySportsfan]

I posted a thread similar to this a few months ago, but mine was whether someone can do it, as I was speaking about myself....This is ultimately what i want to do with my life, as strange as that seems since Im 19 years old, its rare for someone my age to know exactly what they want to do, but this is it for me. Have been watching sports for years and betting for 4-5 years, have gone broke with illegal local bookie, gone through the fukin trenches, and learned along the way. Obviously not as much experience as the guys on this board, but I know very much about every sport with the exception of NHL, I watch a lot of games and the like and know the games quite well and the teams and the like. Even have played golf, think its very winnable...Basketball my favorite I think its the most beatable if you follow it, MLB is VERY stressful obviously as are other sports but nothing takes a toll on you more thean a closer blowing it in the 9th to lose your bet.....
back to the question. I have done the math and basically for a $200 unit, you need 10k if u wanna bet each game at 2%.....now, if your a good capper, you could possibly snag 58% if you apply all your advantages.........The key is using all your advantages I believe, when you like 9 games on a college hoops weds, play all 9, if your good youll hit 5-6 most times and win nicely......now, 1450/2500 plays....1450 X $200= $290,000 - 1050 X 220= $231,000.....that is $59,000, pretty damn good, doing something you love...do this for a few years, add some to the bankroll every year and raise your unit, or raise your unit every few weeks if you have some extra $, you can make a lot more. Im NOT implying its that easy.....gambling is VERY stressful for a living, not having a job and relying on your games coming in, or else having to withdraw from the bankroll to pay bills which you dont wanna do. Its frankly the most rewarding job though if you are good enough, you will bust your tail, but you pick your own hours, days off, etc etc, plus all the tax breaks........I would love to work in conjunction with some of the fine cappers on here and do some kind of joint thing like jmizenus suggested, but I dont know exactly what, hopefully in a few years when the $$ and time is there and the like Ill be doing this, its certainly the only living I want to do.....Good thread, Thx fellas

Mike

 

[ryson]

Its frankly the most rewarding job though if you are good enough, you will bust your tail, but you pick your own hours, days off, etc etc, plus all the tax breaks...
Mike

NY,

I get all that and more writing software......if you are good enough. Get the freaking education first then you can have the ways & means to fund your sports plays.

 

[NySportsfan]

Good Point. I just hated HS and have taken time off to work but havent gotten to where I want to be at this time. School I just hate, doing the papers and the like just dont like it, Im not the first one, unfortunately much of this country revolves around having the college degree for some reason, although 50% of america doesnt have it, overrall you make more $$ with one then without one, there are exceptions though....tough call in that respect, I had the aptitude in school, just was disinterested in obeying orders,LOL and doing the assignments but if involved in something I enjoy Ill bust my tail to no end.....good point though if u do well youll have plenty of $$ to fund sports betting

mike

 

[yak merchant]

NYSPORTSFAN.. I would like to know how the hell you are going to get 2500 bets in one year in which you have a 58% advantage. That's about 48 a week. So in basketball season maybe, but in football season, that's every damn game on the board. And yes there are plenty of baseball games, but I can't find that big of an advantage on 7 games a day. I'm the one that gets crucified for betting too many games. Don't know how many times I've heard "Can't make money betting that many games" Well I know that going 55-45 doesn't make near as much money as 550-450. So I agree with you there but unless you are teaming up with other people (Ie betting on cricket, turkish soccer, Rugby, etc) You will have a hell of a time finding more than 1000 bets a year that you have a 58% chance of winning.


British Bulldog... Like to hear some of the sports you punt. I was in London for a long while and believe there is tremendous amounts of money to be made in racing over there if you have the right tools. Did SIS and the Horse Racing Board ever come to terms on the broadcasting over there?

 

[dr. freeze]

the most REWARDING occupation is one where you SERVE other people.....gambling does not do this....it is all about selfishness and breeds envy, greed, and serves no one and benefits no one but oneself.....plus it is highly addictive and we all know that.....gambling can cause one to be narrowminded and tunnelvisioned and lose sight of everythign else life has to offer.....

it is a solitary lifestyle and you do not interact with people very often.....friendships that could be formed never are, and relationships with other people whom you are close suffer....yeah we all love the action that gambling offers -- but there are other ways to fulfill this love -- AND it is not good to let this love of action overwhelm us as the aforementioned consequences result....

there is not a person on here who in the back of his mind does not think that he/she cannot win or that he "learned from his mistakes" last year or whatever.....truth be told 99% of these people are deceiving themselves......but even if you are in the top percentile and actually think you can ascertain success you have to overcome the prospects with which professional gambling brings......

my suggestion: gamble for periods of time -- take plenty of time off though so that you can enjoy all life has to offer.....pursue another career that serves other people and society -- this will give you a much greater fulfillment than gambling can ever bring

 

[TCSN]

I agree with Dr here. I gamble & have the means to do so but I also have other business ventures I'm in too so I'm not depending on gambling for a living but at times it sure feels like it with all the work I put into it.

I disagree when you say gambling isn't rewarding. We all have different opinions on what is rewarding so your opinion on that isn't a fact like it seems you are trying to imply but I'm with you on the fact that gambling is a very hard thing emotionally & it is best to take some time off here & there.

I at times have stayed away from it even when things were going great as it was just too taxing on the mind & it takes you away from the other things in life so I always make it a point to take some time off whether it is a week or two or even a month or two as when you get back in the saddle you'll feel much better after each break trust me

 

[british bulldog]

This is a good thread, great viewa and observations. Yak Merchant, firstly SIS was the f*#king pits. Owned by bookmakers for bookmakers. Now all Sis do is relay the prices alongside the press association.
I bet many sports, not so much the horses. I live 20 minutes from the biggest training centre of horse's, namely Newmarket. The information that flies around on the whole is crap. Do have a few contacts but only provide a few bets per year. Most do win so it helps with the bills. Back two systems over the years, the last to be exact. Produce about 250 bets ayear with a win rate of 35%. Backing at level stakes wins approx 50 points profit.
I am prepared to back most sports if an angle can be found. Grand Prix, formula 1 I look for the sub markets, driver X against driver Z usually some way down the grid. Cricket, football, tennis,golf although I cant compete with Stanley on this site or his web site. Now he really does specialise in this one sport. I also bet Rugby, both union and league.
I will be posting information on a regular basis in the forum "off the wall", although I am 0-1 at present. I will try and help all you members to some ?'s ( $'s ).
As I said I have a 50 point bank, my max play is 5 points (10%) and minimum is 1 point (2%). My average stake over the last 2 years is 2.35 points per bet.
If anyone wishes to discuss any matters regarding betting or British sport please leave a message for me as I am a regular visitor and I will reply either by thread or by e-mail if you wish. I will try and help/assist on all matters if I can.:thumb:

 

[Billy]

Ditto Dr. Freeze....

 

[dr. freeze]

here is a similar argument.....my favorite thing in the world to do is play golf.....question would be -- why shouldn't i become a club pro? I would get to be at the golf course the whole time and serve people by helping them to enjoy the game -- improve the quality of their life by expanding their interest in a healthy, leisurely activity -- a great service to people.....why wouldn't i do this??? because then my whole focus woudl be on golf and the golf course.....

i would spend 50-60 hours a week teaching/doing bookwork/etc, at the golf course and then try to sneak in a round or two and work on my own game whenever else i could....my life would be consumed by golf and because of my love for the game and competitiveness, i would play all the time.....sure this would be fulfilling and challenging, and I would be even serving people in this instance -- but variety in life for me would cease.....

i would much rather pursue another career and use golf for an OUTLET and to get my mind to rest from the everyday stresses that any job brings and focus on a little white ball and how can i get it into the hole in a hurry....kind of similar with gambling.....it is an outlet from everyday stress and a hobby to have fun with....but go with it for a career and it will most likely consume you.....

 

[Billy]

holly fricken schmolly.........Doc.....my office is 110 acres of turf...
I USED to be good, ( high 70's), but day in and day out I have
customers, (golfers), tell me what a great experience they are
having on MY golf course.......I don't play much anymore
because of work and coaching my 11 year old in baseball and
golf......but I know that what I do for a living brings enormous
satisfaction to over 110,000 people a year, (rounds)......

 

[NySportsfan]

Great thread everyone, enjoy reading some real interesting stuff...Yak merchant, yes I know what you mean. maybe not that many bets, but I know golf pretty well, and if bulldog could help with other things can find the spots...I never looked into nascar but maybe theres $$ to be made there.....again though, theres only so much time in a day and how much stuff you can work on, so either do what you know or in addition get fed straight picks from someone knowledgable on golf, soccer, or whatever else. By rewarding I meant, happiest it would make a certain person who has a passion for it. Of course helping kids and people is much more rewarding in the pure sense but I didnt mean it that way, meant rewarding to the person doing it if they love it, and as far as schedule goes and the like..I agree on a few things though, the burn out factor is tremendous...you NEED to take days off to succeed or you will burn your brain cells out...I found mondays and thursdays in MLB to do the least amt of work, and/or take the entire day off...also as jack has said before, its best to spend more QUALITY time handicapping than real amount of time.....2-3 hrs of efficient time pouring over numbers is better then 5 hours of doing 2 things at once with 1 being capping....simply takes its toll on you, and very mant teams to follow, either gotta pick certain conf's to follow, or try and be well versed on everything as a whole and watch the line moves and team logs like I do in college hoops...pro sports require lot less time to handicap. I dont even run #s for nfl itsuseless, I watch who publics on and I watch the games and make my picks, I mean its so high profile I dont think #s even worth running yardage and the like, just watch the teams and get a feel..college sports need to do this as cant see lot of the games......keep in touch everyone, thx britishbulldog for advice may take you up on your european picks if you have an advantages..ive seen formula 1 offered on some books lemme know if u can beat it.....

Mike

 

[dr. freeze]

holly fricken schmolly.........Doc.....my office is 110 acres of turf...
I USED to be good, ( high 70's), but day in and day out I have
customers, (golfers), tell me what a great experience they are
having on MY golf course.......I don't play much anymore
because of work and coaching my 11 year old in baseball and
golf......but I know that what I do for a living brings enormous
satisfaction to over 110,000 people a year, (rounds)......

i don't know if there is more stress than being a golf pro to be honest with you......very tough job......that is what happens to 90% of their games too -- goes down the toilet......hard to play well when you are at work -- i worked on golf course for summers in college and was a +2 hdcp in high school but lost 4-5 strokes just because i couldn't concentrate on my game like I used to.....just something about play and work that didn't go together for me....110k rounds per year is enormous and i can imagine what a responsibility that entails.....golf course maintenance is probably the most thankless job i can think of....most never acknowledge you unless something is wrong....golf pros are a little more rewarding because you are interacting with people directly but also i know a bunch who get criticized for things out of their control too.....lots of hours into that job.....anyways, we need good pros and maintenance guys cause golf wouldn't be near as good without good ones

 

[fletcher]

Days off, work when you want your hours fun in the sun. Great cash flow rewarding.

Your got the wrong idea, first of all i put more hours in then i ever did coaching in college. Days off not hardly,around all-star break and a few here and there it sucks to take a laptop every where you go and the first thing you do before you enjoy your vacation if you take 1 is get in your plays that you worked on the night before when your other half is asleep. Then in the back of your mind you wonder while you are trying to have fun on the beach or where ever how games are going, and most time if you are away on vacation they go bad because not the right amount of time spent, then your spouse is pissed because you are not on vacation just in a different office.

Pick your own hours sure try mprnig till about 1 pm pst my time sleep till 3;45 pm then start watching 4 pm games incase you need to buy back or go with a late game,then your up till 10 or so with that,then you look at over night lines to see if you have a go and do works up and might get to bed about 1;30 am pst and up again around 6 to get a few hours of work around house and look over 8 am line do work up go put in games, go shop for food yard work and pay bills then nap time for about 2 hours or so before games start again, it's a big circle same shit day in day out.

Make money yes you hope to but it's money that can not be spent it has to go back into business or part of it does because it is a business,then you have to fund a roth or 2 a few cd's or another ira,and don't forget med bills you must have that and life insurence if you own a house and have a spouse,not cheap and then you have bills. So the money is hard to enjoy because you never know when it will end.

Trust me it's not the life style you think ,you must be frugle and down right tight and if planned right you will enjoy it about 58-60 if you heart can make it that long or you don't end up in the bottle,also don't count on spending much times with friends because you cut your self off because its almost a 24 hour job and 365 days a week.

Like i said money can be very good but also very hard to enjoy and spend. And it will take 3-5 years before you will even think about spending after you go through te first few spending sprees when you have a good month and feel good about your self then bam bad day,then bad week and insted of stopping and waiting a few days to clear the head you will chase because you think the next day is there and smack across the face again and that is now a bad month bills are late and your busted out and it will happen a few times and nothing is more humbling then to have to ask for help to keep what you want to do going from a family member and if you lucky they might help or might not just depends on if they have faith in you and think you can do this.

Its tuff and very stressful,do i do good over all yes but paid my dues more then once,do i enjoy it yes do i enjoy the life style and the strss it brings to family no. see family or most do not under stand the part about not spending the winnings except to run the house hold,yes some times you have to give in and spend some but it sucks because each day you are starting at best at even because if you won the day before it over and put away or should be and that is at best at worst is you are in the hole for a few days or more, nothing can beat you down more then working 70-80 hours in a week and be in the - side of things for your payday.

There is a lot more to this then you see it's not high life fast cars and bars and women every night,but more being locked up in a room 2-3 tv's going on sports shows radio running and reading newspapers and shit, your like a shut in and that's just the way it is.

Then if you get to the point where your cah flow is good the life is nice where you know there is money in the business and bank to pay the bills for at least a year but you still can not enjoy much for your self or you will be broke again.

This is something for the long hull to enjoy at a way later date if you are lucky enough to live that long. But it is also something i choose to do, and the last thing you will not enoy sporting events because they are not games anymore they are work and you just do not get the enjoyment that there is in watching when you don't have anything going.

Lots more to it but it is a live and learn thing what works for one might not be for the next guy, it's all about comfort and till you find your zone and sometimes you won't you will think life can't be any worse. You either make it or you don't and more don't,and it's because of a poor plan,not spending the time to do work and not knowing the sport,reading does not let you know the sport,hands on does. everything has a human factor that can't be taught in a book read off the net or learned through a trend or chart. You have to have a grasp of the sport from the inside to really make a go in the long run and strick money management is the first and number 1 thing and hardest to follow i still screw up a few times a year just because i did something wrong on the money management part not on the work ups.

well good luck and you only learn by doing what you find works best for you and not what others tell you,except money management.

 

[JEFF]

Fletch-
First off, great post.

Second, a few questions, just out of curiousity. What made you decide to cap for a living? How did the family take it? Do you tell acquaintances what you do for a living?

Hope this stuff isn't too personal..

 

[THE KOD]

There is a lot more to this then you see it's not high life fast cars and bars and women every night,but more being locked up in a room 2-3 tv's going on sports shows radio running and reading newspapers and shit, your like a shut in and that's just the way it is.

Lucky bastid. No people. Sports on 2-3 TVs , sports papers. shut in and thats the way it is. Where do I sign up.


Great article there fletcher from someone who has obviously been there. Somehow your spelling and word associations have improved dramatically. You been sneaking off taking writing courses ? You actually sounded elequent or however the frig you spell it.



Scott-Atlanta