SIMON NOTT BLOG: Know Your Enemy

Sorry to keep harking on about increasingly distant days working for bookies betting on course, in my defence it’s all I really know about as far as betting goes. Bear with me though and I’ll get to the point eventually. 

One of the things that was very important to learn in those days in the 1990s was who was having the bet. But before that, I’m veering off the subject again, bear with me. My Grandfather died in his 50s, years before I was born. He was a punter, maybe it’s where I get it from. He used to go to the greyhounds in Exeter with his mate, the local baker, Mr Bowden. It appears that Mr Bowden, who had a bit more disposable income than my Grandad, took him under his wing. Mr Bowden was a shrewd punter, helped it seems by cunning placing of his dogs.

When my Grandad became sick, he directed my Nan, who had five children, to a drawer that contained his betting bank, he’d apparently realised things were serious. She had no idea that it was there and in the context of their financial position contained a nice few quid and kept her going for a fair while.

After my Grandad passed away Mr Bowden always looked after my nan with extras on the bakery run. Much later, when I was just about old enough, he used to come into the local betting shop. He was delighted when he found out I was his old mate’s grandson. He used to regale me of stories about the old days. He told me that Dave Pipe, grandfather of David Pipe of Pond House, used to run a flapping dog track at Taunton. The story goes that Dave wasn’t too keen on taking on Mr Bowden and did his best to place his dogs in the most unfavourable races. Of course, Mr Bowden being as clever soon put a dog into Dave’s meeting under the name of another owner and trainer, didn’t get to the track himself, sent his men in, landed a gamble and had it spark off. Dave Pipe being the principal bookie took a nasty hit.

It wouldn’t have been as much fun for Mr Bowden had Dave Pipe not got wind of who took his money so let it known. The next time Dave Pipe saw Mr Bowden he told him neither he, nor his dogs were welcome at his track anymore, adding a whispered ‘I like to know where the money is coming from’.

Fast forward to the 1990s, it was very important to learn who the faces were having the bets. There was a bookmaker who used to get to know what Ladbrokes were going to back, so you’d be daft to lay him when you could lay Ladbrokes shorter a few minutes later. A trainer’s wife who when she had a fiver on, you knew the horse was strongly fancied, the pro-punters of course as well people like Chester Barnes that were easy to learn. Mates of certain trainers that never seemed to leave it behind less so. Your personal punting was also enhanced with all that sort of knowledge. On the other hand, you knew the sort of people that were known as ‘Sufferers’ you’d not wish your worst enemy the sort of bad luck they’d experience. So much so that people used to beg them not to back what they’d just backed. These were both punters and people in the industry, you’d take any bet they wanted.  I could have just said, it was important to know who you were betting when making a decision on what size bet to take, or even bluff.

That not knowing who you are betting was one of the things I was surprised people stood for when Betfair became a thing. You might be an expert on form and pricing a race, so much so that if you made one 7/2 and you could lay it at 5/2 you would. That’s all very good, but would you be so keen to lay the bet if you knew it was Barney Curley happy to bet it with you at that price?

Late racecourse bookmaker Ivor Perry used to like using Betfair when he was first introduced to it, he was retired and living in Guernsey at the time so kept his hand in. He liked playing in running, not for long though. He used to lament that when he puts one in to back and it wins he never gets match and when they get beat, he always was. Of course, we all know now that some soon to be millionaires that had managed to gain access to Racetech pictures, satellite dishes on tracks in Midland’s back gardens so the story goes, were picking his and other players’ pockets.

There’s no need to go into the murky world of horses drifting alarming in the betting then falling out of the stalls but once again, who has taken your money? Someone that knows more than you. That’s who. The genuine judges and race readers that made and still make it pay on the exchanges aside, it’s hardly any wonder that there’s very little money from amateur bookies in the lay side in horseracing markets any more. Punters blindly taking on all comers on the exchanges really were lambs to the slaughter, it’s amazing their money lasted as long as it did.

SIMON NOTT

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Views of authors do not necessarily represent views of Star Sports Bookmakers.

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Simon Nott is author of: Skint Mob! Tales from the Betting Ring
available on Kindle CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

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