Comment.

I'm not going to do any talking tonight. Instead, I'm just going to publish a comment that was left last night on a post I wrote back in May on the practicalities of going full time as a gambler. I found the 'Comment' compelling reading, and thought I'd just post it up for you to read.

Any comments on the comment, you know where to leave them.

I've been unemployed for just over 10 years and have read the above posts with interest. I've achieved gambling profits of just over 800k during that period peaking in 2008 and 2010. The couple of replies posted are from people with 1-2 years experience. How I felt after 2 years is no comparison to how I feel after 10 years. The continual emotional highs and lows take their toll and it is difficult to keep motivated and also to switch off. I personally can only really switch off when I go away on holiday.

I would like to pick up on the point made about feeling isolated. There will likely come a point when your mindset changes. I was generally optimistic and confident in myself and didn't feel isolated even 5/6 years down the line. I had a load of online gambling contacts doing similar things, we'd even meet up for a beer or two every now and then. I guess the start of the recession in 2008 was the first time I started to feel uneasy. It started to dawn on me that someone in my position would now find it difficult to find employment after 6 years out of work, but 2008 was my peak as a gambler and those profits tended to keep such thoughts on the back burner. The big psychological change for me came around the Summer of 2010. Despite a good year I felt results had gone my way and I knew the outlook was a lot bleaker in the niche areas I specialize in. A lot of my gambling acquaintances were falling by the wayside, either forced out, or scaling right back due to a tougher gambling environment, and trying other things (without much success I think)

The introduction of the 2011 super premium charge and the limits/tactics/trading decisions of all bookmakers make it especially tough nowadays for established gamblers. You get sick of using "agents", spending far too much time thinking how to get money down, and getting treated like a quasi criminal for being good at something. Add that to the pressure and emotional highs and lows and I think you get a true perspective of what it's like after time.

I made a psychological decision to go "part-time" this September (after a particularly good and needed 4 month spell of profits) but really to do that and feel good I need to have something else to focus on that does earn at least some money and is not related to gambling. The problem is after 10 years out of work I feel detached from the work place and I feel at a lower ebb mentally and emotionally than I've ever done. I try and use the 800k profit to give me some sort of rational comfort that deciding to quit employment was the right move. I should point out that I have children which is both a positive and a negative in making that decision.


Yesterday's Betting

A superb winner for The Market Examiner (Cranky Corner - Lingfield - 12/1) to continue building what could turn out to be a formidable month for them, given a fair wind. Elsewhere, On The Nose chipped in again (Buck Mulligan - Sedgefield - 7/2).

On The Nose: Staked 1pt, +1.237pts.
The Market Examiner: Staked 1pt, +12pts.
Winning Racing Tips: Staked 0.7pts, +0.053pts.

On The Oche: Staked 1.25pts, +0.078pts.