What are betting exchanges

WHAT ARE BETTING EXCHANGES? - AN EXPLANATION AND BASIC TACTICS. Betting exchanges online were only introduced a few years ago, by British firm Betfair, and have grown so rapidly, that they now, not the bookmakers, set the prices for most sporting events. The bookmakers have to consult and respond to what is happening on the exchanges. Even if you have never had a bet on the exchanges, you should be very happy about their existance. A visible example is the prices on offer in British horseracing, whereas at one time it was most unusual to see an outsider at odds of more than 33/1,but now many runners are of ten returned with starting prices of 66/1+,this is entirely due to the exchanges. Not so obvious is the day to day tightening of percentages on all betting events which benefit all punters. Despite this you can still get far better odds on the exchanges, typically 20% better according to the exchanges themselves. Betfair is the dominant betting exchange, with Betdaq a good alternative. There is very little competition - is this a bad thing ?.Absolutely not. If you think about it, the best exchange is going to be the one with the most punters, both bettors and layers. The exchanges. don't actually do anything !.They just open the doors, maintain the site, but it is up to the people who enter and participate who create everything themselves. HOW DO YOU BET?.You can back anything on the exchanges, you can lay anything on the exchanges, and you can back and lay the same selection. In fact this is the best approach, if you can back a horse(we will use horseracing in most examples, but could be any sport)at, lets say 12.00(11/1)and then lay a horse at, lets say 9.00(8/1),you are now in the happy position of not being able to lose. Lets say you bet in $10 units(you can have much smaller, or larger bets if you so wish),so if the horse wins, you will win $110,but of course you have to pay the person who bet the horse at 9.00 with you. In this example you win $110 and pay $80,meaning a profit of $30.If the horse loses it has cost you nothing, you bet $10,you layed $10,and in effect you have had a free bet !.Don't worry about trying to keep track of your bets, the screen will automatically show you what your liabilities are for each horse - green for profit, red for loss. Also bear in mind that the exchanges have to make money somewhere, and they charge commission on winning bets, nothing on losing bets. The commission is usually 5%,but this figure falls as you accumulate loyalty points. For presentation purposes decimals are used for prices, this allows the minutest of price changes to be catered for, but it is awkward at first for punters who are used to fractional odds, but you soon get used to adding stake into prices displayed. Some examples - 10.00 = 9/1, 14.00=13/1, 4.5=7/2, 2.1=11/10 etc. THINGS CAN GO WRONG. Sometimes you are going to take a price, with the view to laying at lower price, only to be dismayed to see the price drift alarmingly. What to do now?.Well don't panic, not yet anyway!.You have got three choices. Firstly i assume you fancied the selection, so maybe just let it run, after all just because it drifts, it does not mean it can't win. Secondly you may want to lay it at a bigger price than you backed it. In other words, hope it gets beat and you finish level. If it does win you will have to pay the difference between the price you backed, and the price you laid. This is the worst option - it is infuriating to pay out money on a selection you fancied originally. Thirdly, you can also back horses(again i refer to horseracing, but applies to any sporting event)in running, during the race. This i feel is the best option. But what price do you offer ?.You can dive in and out of the race offering different prices as the event unfolds, or you can offer high price or low price and leave it. Well should it be high or low?.It depends!.If you offer a high price(by high i don't mean higher than you backed it)you are more liable to get a buyer, as most horses, or teams, at some time get into contention sometime during an event. So by laying high you could get out of trouble and finish level. However finishing level is not too exciting, so offer low price in running. If you take this option you can turn a bad position into a decent win, even if your selection loses - just so long as the selection flatters sometime during the event. For example you back horse,$10 at 9.00,and it drifts - wait for the off and offer at about 3.75 for $20.It doesnt have to win, just be a challenger at some time and hopefully someone will take it on. If it wins, you win $80 and pay $55 = $25 profit. If it loses, you lose $10,and collect $20 = $10 profit. If the selection never shows, well no one is going to take up your bet, and you have done your money this time, but at least you went down fighting. Bets that have already lost, but still available. Sometimes the odds available may look unbelievably good, if that is the case there is probably a good reason. Maybe somebody in the know has access to information that you don't. It can be anything - change in going, team struck down with flu virus, injury that may mean player may not even participate, a non trier, and on the very rare occassion corruption. So if a fancied selection drifts alarmingly, beware, there may be a reason for it. Digital television is delayed - often you will see say 1000(999/1) appear suddenly on the screen, this is because a horse has just fallen, or team scored etc. If you are watching on digital tv you will not be aware of this fact for maybe 2 seconds. Not long, but still time enough for transactions to take place. Arbitrage between exchanges - forget it. This is when you can back on one exchange and lay on another. I have no doubt that if you work at it you can make a small profit, but it will be small. The exchanges always converge pretty quickly, and the gaps will always be tiny. The only way to get "value"perhaps is to note a tightening of price on the exchanges, and back selection with a bookmaker - if the price stays solid or reduces further, the bookmakers odds will almost certainly have to constrict. These tactics are exactly opposite to what used to happen just a few years ago, when you would back on the exchanges knowing that their prices would have to converge with the bookmakers prices. This is no longer the case, the exchanges, that is the punters themselves now set the prices. You haven't the time to sit at computer all day ?.To get full value out of exchanges, you really need to be at that blasted computer screen for an unhealthy amount of time, but as we all know it can be very tiring, and a bit boring. However you can still play the exchanges. Remember you set your own prices, and if nobody wants to play with you, the bets just expire, with no cost to you at all, no matter how many bets you leave on the exchange. So, if you are horse player, or sports bettor - get in early - as soon as the markets open. You can then leave your bets open, say overnight for horseracing, and maybe several days for other sporting events. Your tactics should be to leave MANY MANY bets - all at, what appears even to yourself ridiculously optimistic prices. Believe me, you will be amazed at some of the bets you leave that are taken on - remember you may leave 30 or 40 bets for lets say, tomorrows racing, and if 3 or 4 are layed you are already in the driving seat. You can either let them run at fabulous odds(recommended!)or you can lay bet to other punters now, either with a view to covering your bet or making definate profit now. You can of course use the same tacics for laying bets. The bigger the odds the more value you get. It can be hard to grasp, but you get better value the bigger the odds. The movement on the favourites is minute - there are legions of buyers ready to pounce as soon as it moves. The bigger the odds there are of course fewer buyers, this can lead to volatility on a grand scale. Volatilty is what the shrewd punter likes most of all. It is not unusual to get odds of approaching 200/1 for a horse that may be showing just 33/1 in the morning racing press and starting price. This happens because bookmakers do not parcitipate in this end of the market, they are watching, and backing the fancied horses which are the ones that will inflict the damage to them. Also the big hitters usually back the fancied horses to big stakes and lay the outsiders to small stakes. So both bookmakers and big players concentrate on the fancied horses, this leaves room for you to operate successfully. Most races are won by fancied horses, but you only have to win very rarely at these odds to show a very healthy profit. Also remember once you have this huge price, you can lay your selection in running and still make a profit whatever the result. These are just basic tactics to be employed on the exchanges, and you will develop your own tactics as you get comfortable with the systems. However make no mistake the exchanges are the best thing to happen to regular punters - ever .

Why can i make profits from online poker room

Regarding online Poker, I was completely had the same opinion just as the common people which is don't touch it, otherwise you will lose a lot of money. The reason is simple, I didn't trust it. I thought it was also a kind of gambling. As we all know, the result of a long-term gambling is losing your money. The gambling sites holders are depend on the 0.5%-5% advantageous probability to obtain the huge profits. But after heard about some successful experience from my friends at online poker room. I decided to do some research on it. Is it really a tool which we can make some porfits with it? After the investigation, I found that there is more than 500 online poker rooms on the internet, most of them are reputable and worth trusting, and the online poker room is better than land-based poker room, we can make pofits or win money with online poker room easier than land-based poker room. Why? Because a lot of online poker rooms offer the new players a first deposit bonus, some of them even offer the players a monthly or weekly bonus. For example, partypoker offer the new players a free $25 on first deposit over $50,or 20% up to $100,if you choose to receive the free $25 bonus, you should deposit min $50,then the $25 bonus will be credited into your bonus account, you can not withdraw it unless you meet the Raked Hands Requirment(7 times bonus raked hands within 7 days of making your deposit.)Raked hands are defined as follows: When a minimum of $5.00 is in the pot, a Raked hands is counted. Poker is different from casino, in casino, for example, you play blackjack, when you got 16,the dealer got 10,you cann't say:oh, I must be lose, can I fold my card and get my money back? But in poker room you can fold you card at anytime(except for the Blinds),without placing bets on the table to meet the Raked Hands Requirment.(To meet the Raked Hands Requirment, I suggest that you play texas-hold'em, choose a table which there is more players sit on and is low bet level, if you fold you card all the time, when you meet the Raked Hands Requirment, you will lose about $12.5,after that the bonus amount is cashable,$25-$12.5,then your profits is $12.5)So if you are a newbie, and you want to profit from poker, you should better deposit $50,get the $25 bonus, play texas-hold'em, select a table which I have mentioned before and fold, fold, fold(unless you have AA) to meet the Raked Hands Requirment and get profits. What I mentioned above is how can you profit from online poker, it is different between get profits and win from online poker. To get profits what you should do is register real money account at different online poker sites, deposit some money, get full bonus, play texas-hold'em, select a suitable table, fold you card all the time until meet the Raked Hands Requirment and cashout, you needn't to be a poker professional player. BTW, there is a lot of poker sites hold daily freeroll tourments, it is free to take part in, and if you got a good place, you will be award for cash prize, it is so good for newbie, you can practice your poker skill and get a chance to win cash prize.

World cup 2006 preview serbia montenegro

Outright Odds: 100/1 Group C Winners: 9/1 Serbia & Montenegro will start in Germany as undefeated in qualifying with one of the meanest defences in international football. They topped their qualifying group ahead of Spain, Belgium and Bosnia-Herzegovina and conceded just one goal in 10 matches – away at Spain in a 1-1 draw. The draw in Spain saw their defence breaches for the first time in eight matches, with the preceding seven successive clean sheets setting a new world record. An almost watertight defence is the key to Serbia & Montenegro’s success, with the backline superbly marshalled by Mladen Krstajic, who plays in Germany for Schalke 04. Such organisation and the ability to “snuff out” any opposing attacks prompted Manchester United to shell out Ј7 million on defensive partner Nemanja Vidic who was at Spartak Moscow. Neither player was a household name and neither were Dynamo Kiev’s Goran Gavrancic or Ivica Dragutinovic of Sevilla who made up the back four, or goalkeeper Dragoslav Jevric, currently at Turkish outfit Ankaraspor, but they will be in the minds of their Group C opposition managers. However, Serbia & Montenegro may be the side that causes a spanner in the works for the more fancies teams in the group, rather than one which enjoys success themselves. While they are resolute at the back, they suffer from a lack of creativity and do not score many goals. They scored 16 goals in qualifying, although half of them came against San Marino across two matches. Goalless draws at home to Belgium, Spain and Bosnia-Herzegovina suggest they won’t be threatening much in Germany. Former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman, with five goals in qualifying, is their most obvious threat. However, Nikola Zigic, at 6 foot 7 inches also poses a towering presence and can cause problems in the opposition’s box. He also possesses great awareness and created Kezman’s winning goal in the final qualifier against Bosnia-Herzegovina which clinched their place in the finals. Inter Milan midfielder Dejan Stankovic is one of the few recognisable faces in the Serbia & Montenegro side and at 27, is one of the oldest, as manager Ilija Petkovic has successfully put his faith in young talent to replaces the retired likes of legend Predrag Mijatovic. Petkovic is himself a former international who coached the old Yugoslavia for two months in 2001. Recommended Bet: Serbia & Montenegro have based their recent, undefeated success on being solid at the back and a hard team to break down. This may see them claim a few “shock” draws but a lack of goals could see them miss out on a place in the second round. Back them to claim a draw against Argentina in their second match. Argentina vs Serbia & Montenegro draw @ 5/2

How to find the best of online poker rooms

You’ve played the software demo games. You’ve watched tournaments on television. You’ve even read books about it. Now the time has come to look for the best of online poker rooms. Online poker rooms are the gambling industry embracing the technology age. Barriers of time, distance and race are shattered as more and more people play in online poker rooms. All is needed is the skills and funds to enter the website and begin playing against other people from different places. When choosing which online poker rooms to visit, a random search through any web search engine should be your first step. You can narrow your results for poker rooms near your area by typing in the name of your city. Though not all poker rooms have a chapter for each city, there is definitely something for you in poker rooms. The advantage of online poker rooms over the regular casino houses is that the users can play at their own convenience. The comfort and security of playing their favorite card game in pajamas and curlers is one of the selling points of online poker rooms. Like that famous ad by Poker party, if you don’t have a good poker face then online poker rooms are perfect for you. Another great thing about these online poker rooms is the ability to provide a freeroll tournament for beginners. Freeroll means that there is no entry fee to be in the game. If you are not yet confident with your skills, you can go to these online poker rooms and play for practice or fun. Aside from these features, online poker rooms are the perfect places for shy people. And it is a great way to get your confidence up. The impersonal way that computers interact with us is something that poker rooms have recognized and used in their favor. Online poker rooms are very safe and you have the option to leave their membership if you don’t think they give you quality service. Online poker rooms try to accommodate everyone in their site, from beginners to high stake gamblers. Part of that commitment is to help players get promoted from one game level to the next. A major incentive that poker rooms give to their users is to hold tournaments to get you to play in the World Series of Poker. Called satellite tournaments, the winner gets to be sponsored by the online poker rooms as he goes to the championships for a shot of glory and big money. Many players fear going to online poker rooms because of they think it is susceptible to fraud, viruses and hackers. In truth, poker rooms have strict security procedures. The investment you put in online poker rooms are safe plus these poker rooms provide you with an insurance policy to protect your assets. There was an infamous case about online poker rooms and their use of “bots” (computer programs disguised as human players) as house employed card players. That site, ProPoker, was found to use bots to gain unfair advantage over other players. It has long been shut down and with it were the funds of the other players. Of course, now the security is twice as tight and rigid. There are online poker rooms that monitor their players for trying to beat the game using fraud. There are times that the culprits are not the poker rooms but the players themselves. If you are still not convinced that online poker rooms are a great way to learn and play poker, maybe you should check out their other features: sign-up bonus, promotion points, player utilities, frequent player schemes and free support. One of the more interesting features is the access to poker school. There are poker rooms that allow you to enroll in poker school for free once you sign-up with their service. All the fears regarding online poker rooms is not as dangerous as the threat of real-life casino house. Whether you decide to play in a brick and mortar casino, there is no harm in taking advantage of the ease, convenience, and accessibility that poker rooms give. The time to discover what online poker can do for you is just one click away.