What does your bookmaker do for you ?

My Bookmaker gives me a sporting chance. betchecker.betfair.com/

The only winner on Betfair longterm is the com that you pay them. Best of luck trying to beat the worlds best even at 100% and having to pay them com to get the opportunity.

Remember this South African forecast betting is done by one person. Even at 140% he will make mistakes time and again. Now go to Betfair race time and find me the value. When the market has liquidity the shrewdies are in and few bargains are to be found.

Personally I would much rather bet against 1 man at 140% then the world at 100%. All bets I have are done when the the betting comes out and I can spot errors in the 'tissue' price.

The name of this tread is : What does your bookmaker do for you !!

All im saying is
My bookmaker always bets between 100% and 105%
I can ask him for the price I want
I can lay him a bet if I dont like the price he has got
I can get out of my bet whenever I want
I only pay (tax/com) on my winnings


The only down side to betfair is like you said Harris, you cant get on value early, and SA markets are sometimes small and you cant get big bets on if you want. But reading the sad storys on this forum and others about punters having there limits reduced by bookmakers if they win.

You should be looking after your bookmaker if he is paying you on a regular basis and hasn't reduced your stakes after getting value on 140% markets.

Sorry Harris,your credibility just went missing with your take on Betfair/betting exchanges.Who are you trying to bullsh!t?.....us or yourself?

The only shortcoming with Betfair is the shortage of liquidity caused by the propoganda about 'illegal' and the present forex hindrances.
When a betting exchange/s open/s with betting in rands,(or relaxation of forex)your argument becomes complete nonsense.
You know that a 140% basic price agreement cannot compete with a free market,and I suspect you know that as well as I do!

Firstly - My relationship with my bookmaker ( as I have stated often before ) is not one of 'him versus me'. He is my facilitator and enables me to 'get on'. He also knows that when it comes to horses I know nothing and am simply guessing. So it turns out to be the usual uneven contest which will, over the long term, only be in his favour. That's why my horse betting turnover is 1% of what it used to be a decade ago.

At the very worst I may have to take 'the price' on an event or race but he has never knocked me back. Bookmakers who violate or abuse this rule generally do not have a business but rather a parasitic organisation. Nevertheless - I believe it is important to give him plenty of time to 'take back' so will never arrive for a big bet 'at the jump'.

I can take up to R1 million of a horse/team etc., via a simple phone call unless it is for a minor event - eg last race maiden plate at Durbanville. Using multiple bets ( ie doubles, trebles etc., ) I can often get more than R1 million of the bet providing the last leg is a major event - eg World Cup, Met, July etc.,

As I tend to specialise almost exclusively on rugby he allows me to SMS bets of up to R 25,000 to him at any time of night or day without requiring confirmation. This is relevant when Super Rugby comes around as he does not get up until 09:30. ( That's what he likes to tell me! But a really big strike would probably have him up with the sparrows ). He also offers half time prices ( and 'in running' if you ask nicely ) if you happen to have cocked up your ante-post strike.

He is amenable to arrangements insofar as settling is concerned. So, for example, we may agree not to do any settling during a tournament such as a World Cup.

If I land the first leg of a double he will generally 'buy back' a portion of the second leg so as to dilute or eliminate my liability. We often agree in advance how much of a potentially successful double he would like to 'buy back' in the event of the first leg connecting.

He stages an office party once a year to which I am invited.

But to be frank - The really important issue is this : He enables me to 'get on' whenever I want for pretty much as much as I want without having to go and draw a wad of cash from an ATM. And that, I think, is all any punter should ever want.

For you guys - it doesn't really matter who he is because a large portion of national activity ends up in his office; either through direct bets or as take backs.

How do you build up a similar relationship? Very simple : Show some loyalty and settle on time.

I mostly punt on the net and must say BETXCHANGE have send me prsents on a couple of ocasions not big but unexpected and I appreciated it as such -I think the first bookies that will give you some sort of reward in the form of points earned through bets placed (obviously a lot of permutations)say simmilar to your gold and platinum cards where you can cash in your points to take bets or similar will make a killing bookies must realise they are competing for our gambling rand that is why people go to the casino, wth results as it is at the moment I rather go to the casino get loyalty points free holidays etc than punting them ponies

If you follow the threads on bookmakers,it appears that there 2 kinds of customers....those that get their limits cut and those that get thank-you presents....which one would you rather be..... lol.

I would rather have my limits cut, and buy my own presents with his money,

Was a punter with Hollywood , did plenty , over 250 k , didn't even get as a much as a free winning form subscription!!. Nevertheless I closed my account as I simply couldn't win with them and odds were generally shorter than the rest and was only punting with them as Heffer was an ex wen we. Would have appreciated something, anything even a "howz your father" especially as I wasn't winning with them and one would have thought they would have curled their talons into me as we know how quickly they close certain accounts that win more than they lose. Anyway better for it and stick with B World.

I would say, if you want the personal experience you have to support the smaller bookmakers. the ones with there name on the cubical and the bookmaker sitting inside his office on the phone to one of his clients.

I uses to get a Xmas card from the old TAB but dont anymore from Phumelela..

He gave me great satisfaction for allowing me to put his kids through school. <