Gambling needs to be related to what’s in your pocket

Let me tell you a story, and it’s a true one at that. Two Premiership footballers, on decent wages at their respective clubs, decide to tap into the gambling market and use their knowledge on football in order to make a few quid.

One of the players has a brother at University who helps his football sibling out with all the stats and trends to follow. Football brother and his football pal then take all the information from university boy and add it to theirs. There is absolutely nothing illegal in what these boys are doing – they’re simply taking advantage of, firstly, their superior knowledge of the professional game, and secondly, a brainy lad with a computer who is only too happy to help out. The result: these two players made more last season from gambling then they earned through their playing contracts.

Some months ago now, I was quoted in a national paper regarding my concerns towards footballers and their gambling habits. It was right in the middle of the Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen betting saga, and the tabloids were all over it. I still have those concerns. They haven’t just gone away. But the positives, in my mind, far outweigh the negatives. There are a lot of footballers out there that gamble, and they do it the right way. Whether you play football for a living or work as an estate agent, you can win well or lose badly. It comes down to how hard you want to work at it.

BE SELECTIVE

There’s always so much speculation surrounding footballers due to the sums of money they make. But is it illegal? Of course not. People just assume they’re doing something wrong. I see myself as a very disciplined gambler. I don’t bet on every horse race or game of football. I’m very selective. Sometimes I’m looking a week ahead to find that extra value.

It’s the same with poker – I always want that edge. It’s crucial to look at all the elements. If you have a table of 10 players, you’re playing them all and not simply the cards in your hand. You need to be patient and use your brain or you’ll bust out sooner rather than later.

One thing that shocks me is people who have bets on a match – in some cases serious bets – without knowing what the likely team line-ups will be. That’s totally ludicrous. Why risk money if you don’t know the facts? Punters aren’t going to get ahead of the bookies by ignoring key factors like team news.

Also, gambling must be related to what’s in your pocket and never affect your life. If it determines whether you eat steak or sausages, then you’re doing it wrong! Any gambler’s biggest hurdle is chasing a loss. ‘Get out of trouble’ gamblers are dangerous gamblers.

There are lots of footballers and explayers like myself who have earned their gambling education and do very well from it. But another thing that gets me is people who don’t behave in an educated way. It’s basic. Like punters who don’t – or simply can’t be bothered to – hunt for the best price. It may be a small price difference, but when you’re dealing with large sums of money, that matters.

I love to bet on boxing. You can get as great value there as in golf, especially match-play. Look at the recent World Match Play at Wentworth. Was I massively surprised that Tiger Woods went out on the first day against Shaun Micheel? No. He’s hardly played there and, because the course is so tight, his driving was severely tested. Anything off line, and he was in big trouble for his second shot. That course is far tighter than anything on the PGA Tour.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

Research takes time. Okay, I’ve talked up a lot footballers here, but I’m not for one second ignoring the ones that lose badly. Some players just take the tips they get and simply lump on and lose. People talk about players getting inside information and decent tips on the horses, but it isn’t all great, believe me. There’s loads of false information and inevitably tips get beat. Recommending a bet, now that’s different. You can hand someone the trends and leave it to them.

That said, even experienced bettors are still prone to the same mistakes as mug punters. Remember my earlier point about not having team info? At the start of the Premiership I lumped on Liverpool to beat Sheffield United, wanting to get my bet in early with the Reds because the price was going. I thought Benitez would be a fool to leave his big-game players out on the first day of the season despite the fact a Champions League qualifier was looming. I couldn’t believe it, he chopped out four or five players and the game ended 1-1. I’d gone ahead in the full knowledge there was a Champions League game coming up and it came back to bite me on the arse! Like I said earlier, it’s about being educated, and I guess I’ll have to learn from that mistake.