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I think Snowball just enjoyed laying that sequence out. I can understand that, as in the nineties, when I was gambling, I collected vast amounts of statistics on football; and there is something aesthetically pleasing about a set of results like the above, which has no abberration. I fully grasp why Snowball loves doing this so much.
I don't collect any statistics at all these days. I used to break even on football, which was quite an achievement. But when I took into account the amount of time I spent analysing results, it wasn't worth the effort. I never found a miracle system, and I don't believe there is one. In theory, based on what we've seen so far, back the win and the draw each time Leigertwood plays and you will make a profit: not only that but Reading will make the playoffs or better. But nothing's ever as simple as that, unfortunately. Snowball have you ever used stats for gambling purposes?
Yes, way, way back, about 1968. I was in the RAF working on Lightnings and the squadron got posted to Gutersloh in Germany
but they left a skeleton staff back at RAF Leconfield. After a few weeks of painting or whatever there was nothing to do so
we had virtually every day to ourselves.
I started studying the dogs, in particular, taking times, adjusting them for the ground when run, and simply taking the 3 fastest dogs in 3 RFCs. I started to make shedloads of money, so much I was sending money to my parents.
Not so much stats - I was also backing novice hurdlers. I had a little black book. I used to look for horses that exactly ONE tipster had tipped first-time out (figuring he'd heard something) and if they led until the fifth or better I would back them each-way next time out. One I can still remember was "Star of America" which won at 20-1. I was ruthlessly disciplined and would only back according to the "rules". Again I was winning loads and sending money home.
I had a crazy thing happen one day. 5 of my black-book horses were in one race, 4 in another. So I did 20 E-W doubles and the bookie laughed at me and thanked me for my money. I had the first four in both races (but they only paid out on 1-2-3 in those days. I got the last laugh.
My Dad had a gambling problem and I started to get too hooked and stopped being "sensible". Began betting on every race etc just glancing at the form etc and started losing. So I stopped.
It stands to reason that if bookies make 10% overall profit you have to be at least 10% smarter than average to break even, more to make money. That's excluding fixed races!
