Over-rated favourite Viswanathan Anand in 'action'. He's on the right
Few rivalries burn as bright as those between the big brained masters of the black and white boards and our tipster has spotted an opportunity in a World Championship match-up
"When it comes to hostility between combatants though, few sports can rival chess. Few high-profile games are able to avoid constant pre-match bickering about location, environment and rulings. A recent World Championship match was dominated by the rights and wrongs of one competitor's need to go to the toilet more often than his opponent -- resulting in the petulant forfeiting of a game."
There is a truth professional gamblers hold to be self-evident: to be profitable, you must specialise. Losers gorge themselves of all that the great buffet of betting has to offer; winners only ever eat the cheese and pineapple sticks. Who knows what might be lurking in that couscous salad? Therein lies uncertainty, and winners have no truck with uncertainty.
Jack Houghton was a long-time follower of the specialisation theory. Many learned academics credit him with its invention. But now he's turned his back. August 2009. Armed with a £1,000 bank and oodles of likely misplaced confidence, he sets out to prove that, in a year, betting on everything Betfair has to offer, he can turn a profit.
Still no sign of that reprobate, so it's The Merchant here again, attempting to rescue the Betting Challenge from the dire mire Houghton drove it into.
Those who read the sports' pages will be conversant with the mind-gaming and trash-talking that dominates the run-up to major sporting events these days: football managers suggesting refereeing bias; boxers attacking the personal worth of opponents; and greyhounds, on their way to the start, crapping in the face of competitors.
When it comes to hostility between combatants though, few sports can rival chess. Few high-profile games are able to avoid constant pre-match bickering about location, environment and rulings. A recent World Championship match was dominated by the rights and wrongs of one competitor's need to go to the toilet more often than his opponent -- resulting in the petulant forfeiting of a game.
And this year's World Championship match-up between Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov is no different, with arguments over the venue and the vagaries of the 'Sofia Rule' (precluding any conversation between players during play) dominating pre-match exchanges. The match will go ahead, however, and in so doing provides us with a great betting opportunity.
Current World Champion Anand is favourite, although there is little reason why he should be. In the player head-to-head statistics, Topalov has a slight advantage, and whilst Anand was unbeaten at Corus in January, his inability to actually win matches meant he could only finish fourth. Topalov, on the other hand, had the perfect preparation, winning in Linares. With nothing between the two players on ability, and venue and recent form favouring Topalov, on price alone the Betting Challenge has to favour the Bulgarian. We're having £40 on at 2.16.
The World Snooker Championship starts Saturday and John Higgins is value at 6.3 to successfully defend his title. Playing well -- whilst not spectacularly -- this year, he boasts the best record of any of the current top players in the tournament and, in what looks the easiest quarter of the draw, he presents a great back-to-lay opportunity. The Betting Challenge is having £100 on at the price.
Jack Houghton was a long-time follower of the specialisation theory. Many learned academics credit him with its invention. But now he's turned his back. August 2009. Armed with a £1,000 bank and oodles of likely misplaced confidence, he sets out to prove that, in a year, betting on everything Betfair has to offer, he can turn a profit.
Still no sign of that reprobate, so it's The Merchant here again, attempting to rescue the Betting Challenge from the dire mire Houghton drove it into.
Those who read the sports' pages will be conversant with the mind-gaming and trash-talking that dominates the run-up to major sporting events these days: football managers suggesting refereeing bias; boxers attacking the personal worth of opponents; and greyhounds, on their way to the start, crapping in the face of competitors.
When it comes to hostility between combatants though, few sports can rival chess. Few high-profile games are able to avoid constant pre-match bickering about location, environment and rulings. A recent World Championship match was dominated by the rights and wrongs of one competitor's need to go to the toilet more often than his opponent -- resulting in the petulant forfeiting of a game.
And this year's World Championship match-up between Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov is no different, with arguments over the venue and the vagaries of the 'Sofia Rule' (precluding any conversation between players during play) dominating pre-match exchanges. The match will go ahead, however, and in so doing provides us with a great betting opportunity.
Current World Champion Anand is favourite, although there is little reason why he should be. In the player head-to-head statistics, Topalov has a slight advantage, and whilst Anand was unbeaten at Corus in January, his inability to actually win matches meant he could only finish fourth. Topalov, on the other hand, had the perfect preparation, winning in Linares. With nothing between the two players on ability, and venue and recent form favouring Topalov, on price alone the Betting Challenge has to favour the Bulgarian. We're having £40 on at 2.16.
The World Snooker Championship starts Saturday and John Higgins is value at 6.3 to successfully defend his title. Playing well -- whilst not spectacularly -- this year, he boasts the best record of any of the current top players in the tournament and, in what looks the easiest quarter of the draw, he presents a great back-to-lay opportunity. The Betting Challenge is having £100 on at the price.
In Formula One, Sebastien Vettel has proved frustrating so far this year. Dominant in qualifying, reliability issues have cost him what should have been three straight Grand Prix victories so far this year -- his Bahrain win being his first completed race of the year. As a punter that tells me it's time to make things simpler: Vettel is clearly the fastest driver, so ignore the race itself and focus on qualifying. He stands a much better than 50 per cent chance of being on poll again and so the Betting Challenge is having £60 on at 2.3.
One of the few areas where Houghton seems to have served the Betting Challenge well is in his choice of politics' bets. The Liberal Democrats look increasingly certain to outperform early expectations; a hung parliament is knocking on the door of likelihood; and Gordon Brown now looks unlikely to be booted out with the post-election rapidity the early market predicted. To add this strong portfolio then, a fourth prediction: £60 on the Conservative majority being under 10.5 at 2.0. They need to win 336 seats for us to lose and, as things stand, that looks unlikely.
Article Source : Betfair Official Blog
Article Source : Betfair Official Blog
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