This is daft.
To be successful in betting, like in stockmarket investing, you need to take advantage of inefficiencies in the market.
In betting, whether that inefficiency is recognised by the other participants in the market before the off is irrelevant - it doesn't matter if they shorten if they win. Of course you can argue that they are more likely to win when they shorten, but to claim you've got it wrong when you back a winning drifter is incorrect in my view. The horse yesterday went off at 6-1 but clearly had a better than 1 in 7 chance of winning.
Of course with investing you need the inefficiency to be corrected for you to make a profit, because you need to sell the shares, but this isn't the case when you're betting on an event.
Nice one again Chef. He tells it how it is does Kim Bailey.He had one at Doncaster earlier in the year that he gave a big hint to.
If over 10,000 level stakes bets, the price you've taken is on average shorter than the Betfair SP in terms of percentage chance then you will be losing. This is a stone cold fact. Especially as you're probably playing early prices at 115-120 over rounds. It's basic probability and mathematics.
It's all very well saying one horse might have had a better than a one in seven chance at the off but that's one horse. To get this right consistently over many years is something that is beyond all of us on this forum I can assure you. The market is cleverer than all of us.
I'm bored of this. I'm going for a Twix.
Is it fair to assume that the market becomes more and more efficient as we get closer to the off, and the betfair sp represents its peak efficiency?
Stock markets certainly don't become more efficient as time progresses.
"If over 10,000 level stakes bets, the price you've taken is on average longer than the Betfair SP in terms of percentage chance then you will be losing."
That doesn't make sense to me. If you'd said 'shorter' it would. I'd also have to live 10 lifetimes to place that many bets.
"The market is cleverer than all of us."
I'm very sure that at least a few members on here alter the market in which they're betting. Indeed, everyone that bets on this forum is part of that process. The two are indistinguishable. No punters - No market.
Yeah massive div moment there. Obviously meant shorter!
I'm bored of this. I'm going for a Twix.
No, not 100% of the time but I would say more than 90% and hence why I said you would need to be very very good to consistently accurately say the market five minutes before the off is wrong.
Also unlike the stock market, betting markets have a known end time so money is pooled from various sources across many continents to form it in a constrained period of time where everyone "is on" who wants to be.
Of course it isn't always right but the fact bookmakers close your accounts for backing shorteners rather than winners (the clued up ones anyway) tells it's own story. Also another reason why bookmakers liabilities are more relaxed nearer the off (try and catch a glimpse of a Ladbrokes/Hills permission to lay sheet next time you're in there).
I'm bored of this. I'm going for a Twix.
I'm 100% with Gamla Stan here. I only want to back selective movers. Individual race results are not important to me because I know I'll win in the long run. Only one horse I've put up on here drifted and that was in a very competitive pattern 2yo race. I simply don't back drifters and don't need best odds guaranteed as it would probably only effect less than 10% of my bets
Maktoob (Navan 2.05)
I suppose this one that shortened and lost was a better bet than the 6-1 winner that drifted?!!
I'm being deliberately flippant - i do understand your point re beating the SP.
Brave putting up a horse fto over 5f against a field that all had some experience, even if it did go off favourite!
I'm clever enough to ask the questions i'm too stupid to answer