Posted: Saturday, 27th December 2008

Here is an online interview with top Betfinder tipster Mistermind who has kindly agreed to share some of his advice and experiences of betting with us.

Q1.) How did you first get involved in betting?
A.) As a uni student thinking horseracing could be solved like a maths equation.

Q2.) What one piece of advice would you give to a total newcomer to online betting?
A.) A long hard look at the P&L balances of 227 tipsters in Betfinder YTD league -- the consequences of living by the sword.

Q3.) Can you give any indication of how you arrive at your selections such as form study or the use of systems, tools, web sites etc.?
A.) The night before I select just a few races and print off lifetime horse formlines from Racingpost.com for study backed by vast experience. Hard to see how punters looking at the 3 most recent races can compete with that. My prediction advantage is accordingly reduced in the case of young horses with short CVs.

My PC tools will have to stay private. I use no tipsters and laugh at the conclusions of RP journos. I do not check oncourse prices the way I should, because I have a 9-to-5 honest job which acts as a counterpoise to the enormous ups and downs of betting.

Q4.) What changes or improvements would you like to see on Betfinder?
A.) Subsequent non-runners and reverting to SP spoils the joy of nicking ricks. I tipped UNITED at 12:20pm at 20/1. My bookie settled at 18/1 after Rule4, Betfinder settled at SP 11/1. The quick-and-dirty halfway compromise settling at 15.5/1 cannot come soon enough.
For tips input, 5 preformatted lines submitted with one click would save tipsters time, attracting those without time . Suggested new column: ROI

"Total of wins" is a wasted column, being virtually a duplicate of "Strike Rate". "Betting Bank" constitutes investment capital to survive not only the "Longest Losing Sequence" but also additional non-consecutive losses. Say set "Betting Bank" to double "YTD LLS"? Avoiding the complexity of variable stakes, divide "Level Stakes Profit" by "Betting Bank" would give "Return on Investment" as a percentage. For Anthony Lucas, ROI = 1200 % profit, phew - watch if he can keep it up.

Q5.) What do you like/dislike most about the Betfinder Tipster League?
A.) Betfinder is a small outfit, therefore able to respond nimbly whilst big websites are bogged down in committee meetings. If preformatted input (date, track, horse, price, bookie) is implemented maybe tips settlement could be speeded up.

Footie tipsters allowed big-price forecasts are slaughtering gee-gee tipsters denied same. On a level playing field geegee sparks will fly.

Q6.) What is the most costly lesson you have ever made when either betting or trading?
A.) Betfair in-running has been a goldmine matching outrageous prices. In the splitsecond rush of blood to the head though, the sword can and has cut both ways.

Q7.) Which sports do you specialise in, and why?
A.) Besides horseracing I wish I knew which end of Manchester United is up while looking enviously at 80-1 correct-score and HT-FT odds landed repeatedly in Betfinder. Snooker, golf, cricket, tennis etc all offer golden rewards to those who put in the hours, but there would be long apprenticeships for me and I have no time. With my dance background I watched Strictly Come Dancing and made a small little earner.

Q8.) How do you deal with the inevitable losing run?
A.) I bet unambitiously and do not have long losing runs. In November when the turf flat ended and jumps horses took centre stage with little recent form I hit a limited losing patch. That was the month when I should have gone easy. When my Betfinder tips win I win, there is no way I tip a 20/1 winner and not bet it - betting before tipping. I have put up my current P&L breakdown in my tipster profile.

Q9.) Anything else you would like to say?
A.) A profitable New Year to all! Very good luck to tipster Brushingteethtime (but not too good, lol)!

Please post your views on this article in this thread in the Betfinder forums.