Which Bookmaker?

LAST YEAR - Just my view, now. I'm sure I've missed some but these caught my eye. And I'm the sort of nerd who is looking for them!

SKYBET - £20 back in cash if your first bet on the Supreme went down. Simple, clear and still very fair. £20 cash Wed if you finished 2nd 3rd or 4th in a nine runner Ballymore. My favourite freebie all week was £10 back if you finished 2nd in that Turners 'match.' Wonder how many Busselton tenners they had to give out? Friday, five places in a 12 runner GC. A saviour for Royal Paguille fans. I think those are very good and more importantly, fun. Top bookie on places all week as usual. Four places in an eight runner Mares Chase. Also to their credit, if you punt £30 a week with SKYBET all year round, they continue you get a free £5 bet each week with no expiry date. Most of the time, I forget to use free bets. It sounds very small but 50 weeks punting gives you £250 worth of them. I tend to keep £100 or so to augment my Festival tank or use them for ante post.

EXTRA PLACES - Neil Channing interviewed in the Racing Post Tuesday 12th March 2020 'For me, it's the one week in the year when I can get on, I can get the turnover I want and I can do the things I don't normally do ..like bet lots of each-way and get extra places, price boosts and stuff like that. I'll wake up at 3 a.m. and try and do 5 or 6 hours.' Hard to believe the great Neil, like me, scrambling around for those things but there you have it.

BETVICTOR - Doesn't appear in the Pricewise grids. For the second year running concentrated on New Customer promotion. A fiver free bet if you signed up. Really? How many people without a betting account are likely to be buying the RP at Cheltenham Week? For me, odd. I have absolutely no idea if they planned to compete on prices or places. Never told me. And I never went near them.

CORALS - Not one ad in the RP. Obviously the budget must go on Ross Brierley and 'In The Know'. I like Ross, has been very generous and helpful to Gstats in the past. Corals sometimes go three places in seven runner races a la Sky, Betfred. Otherwise just tend to be behind the herd leaders. Even in their own race. Six places when lots of others went seven. Have that free bet to a tenner should your selection not finish. Bit of a negative promotion for me. They don't fight on prices and rarely on places. Did ask James Knight once why my account was restricted but he never replied. Does get cross a lot on Twitter, though. Tom Segal, his chum, refers to him as The Dark Knight. You can see why.

LADBROKES - A weird 2022, for me. Must have nearly bought every third page in the RP over the four days to tell me that I could have a free £1 bet on the Cheltenham Festival. (5 euro in Ire) Not even I could be bothered. Not on Oddschecker but now on the Pricewise Pages. Rarely use them myself.

HILLS - Don't think 'free tenner back as cash if your selection finishes second in any race' last year was offered. Took the Pricewsie pages to push a shop offer. Put £10 on in a shop after 4pm and get a £5 free bet. There's obviously no one in the shops after 4pm each day. Went four places in an 11 runner Arkle. Eye-catching but not on their own there. (War Lord 50s). Nowadays they fight Skybet more on places. Guaranteed top price on all runners the four championship races. You know that one, it's not bad but if nobody moves, then nobody moves.

Sporting Index - Free bet to a £5 in 2nd to SP fav. Hmm. Star Sports free bet to £100 if second beaten less than a length. The strength of these two is that they don't want me. They want punters who bet in five figures. You will be accommodated, according to all my sources. Fair play. Simon Nott is a lovely man. Love his blogs. Met him this season at Laytown and Leopardstown Savills day when he was getting a wage with AK Bets.

Boylesports - I once made a reasonable complaint about their misleading advertising. Shut me down within 48 hrs. Nice people. Their loss, I'd say. They continue with that free bet to £20 if 2nd or 3rd to SP fav. Tbf it's improved on what it used to be. Lots of T&Cs. You'll not miss the two page ad. Had another one this year, free 10 euro bet for Supreme losers. Not bad. Trying to catch you early. And remember a free bet is not money back. It's just another go!

Mansion Bet - Couldn't compete. Now defunct.

BET365 - Big thing made of matching all best prices of Hills, Powers etc. As explained above with Champagne Gold, it does tend to mean if nobody moves, then nobody moves. All bollox. Also made a big thing about 'enhanced place terms markets.' No idea what that means. Don't tend to fight on places before noon each day. Pushed that 'back a winner at 4s on TV, get free bet next race.' When they did let me on, I always forgot about that. As explained above, BET365 know they don't have to push too hard.

UNIBET - Top price CH. Ok, ok we've seen that already, from others. Big change to their 15 TO GO offer from 2021 It was '£20 bet within 15s of the off, they match your stake up to £20'. Basically adding a pt. Couldn't complain. Now it was 'give you a free bet up to £20'. Seen worse but hmm..

POWERS - Free £5 bet on Tues, Wed, Thurs but not Friday, the day that you want them on the hook? Followed the herd on place terms They must think that a constant picture of Ruby and Peter Crouch will entice punters to bet with them. Great jockey but I'm sure about his tipping prowess. Don't really try on GC day (See BET365 lazy punter theory). Like Hills, trying to get people to the shops with the odd freebie. Long gone are the days when Paddy used to adorn his tin hat and we all made books around the fav in the Supreme. Happy, happy times.

BETFRED - Just behind the pace on places, and seem to have ceased triple odds one winner and big bonuses online Lucky 15s. They were the only ones, I think. A pity, liked that.

BETFAIR SPORTSBOOK - The odds boost thing which most have and really means very little. Four places Triumph along with PP. Obviously their place terms will tend to match (same firm). They also helped you build your 'Cheltenham tank' collecting free bets from the weeks before. No bad thing. Free bet to a tenner back if you back a loser in the Arkle, fair enough. Big names in their podcasts.

And the rest - You mean there are others?

Didn't register with me last year but Bet365 and others sometimes improve their place terms as the day wears on.

So what does all this it prove for the small punter? Well, first of all, it seems that if you are taking anything less than five places in Festival handicaps, you need to be seen to. That can't help on-course bookies. For me, each-ways don't make a big difference until in doubles and trebles. If I back a horse each way, I will also back it to win on the exchanges so that the place part becomes more of just a saver. £5 each way on a 20/1 third 1/5 the odds will pay you £25. 6/4 to your tenner. If you had had another losing £5 at 25s on the exchanges you are still a tenner ahead. If your fine selection had won you would be collecting £260 as opposed to £130. Each to their own.

Secondly, ante-post betting on handicaps? Unless you are Paul Kealy, the King of The Lost and Lamented Northern Trust/Close Bros H'cap, you need to be pretty sure that you are getting value. With the overrounds for handicaps at the six-day stage usually over 250%, is it worth it? A lot offered five places antepost, but still.

For extra places, you have to check Skybet first. That five or six bookies on the left hand side of Oddschecker will give you a steer as to what you should do. The only race in the 2022 Festival that Skybet was outgunned was when Powers/Sportsbook went four places in the Triumph. In 2021 it was only Champion Hurdle (Hills) Stayers (Powers), and Albert Bartlett, (Betfair Sportsbook). A lot of the G1s were small fields that year. When you check Skybet, you have to make the decisions, 'do I want extra place, do I want to take a price or do I want BOG elsewhere?' They went eight places Ultima, Pertemps, County, four in that eight runners Mares Chase, three in a six runner NH Chase.

In the Grade1s the story here was WHills, did not take them on as in the previous three years. No headlining grabbing giveaway on the Tuesday. This has been a Hills tactic throughout the last three Festivals, questioning the benefit of any ante post.

I know, I'm going to try and get out more.

2022 Gaultstats Awards

The 2021 'INTERNET BOOKIE OF THE WEEK GOLD CUP (Small Punter Category) - I'm going back to Skybet this year to recover their trophy having ceded it to Hills in 2021 and 2020. 27 out of 28 races unbeaten on place value. The opening race cash back offers, especially the Turners. Hills battle them on places but had no headline grabber this year imho. Both firms are to be complimented for working hard on the week and actually looking as though they are competing for my custom. I tend to spend my time and my cash with them. Between the two Hills will lead on prices. And generally.

Those eligible bets for cash back. Remember it's your first bet each day so if you have £2 on something in the Ballymore after the offer comes into force, that's the concession used up. Also as I say, unlike most firms, there is no time limit on Skybet's nice little £5 free bets.

Commended - I really haven't got another.

The 'I Really Can't Be Bothered' Salver - Winner - Ladbrokes by popular vote for the second year running. The free £1 each day. And all those ads in the comic. Would you be bothered or even have time to get a new password?

The 'Also Rans' included, well you pick them. Up to five or six years ago we could nearly work through Tuesday's racing with free bets etc without spending much of our own money but that ship has definitely sailed. Skybet and Hills try, the rest don't bother really, counting on us to be creatures of habit.

Things I Like To Remember

Seems silly, but keep checking throughout each race day. Things change, not only prices.

There will usually still be 150 6 day Entries in the Martin Pipe. Outsider of field priced at 33/1. That is at least a 500% overround. Unless NRNB and BOG and you 'get on' early, I would wait. On the day itself, in 2020 there were 6 places on offer from Skybet. In the morning the winner Indefatigable was 50/1, Outsider of field Mill Green 80/1 all afternoon, finished 6th. Nine times out of ten you'll get better win prices on Betfair Exchange. But you know that.

This happens to me every year. I think there is antepost value and then the BETFAIR Exchange day of race win market will go up with the 48 hr decs. Whoosh. I am always amazed at what real value is. That's what happens with miniscule exchange overrounds.

Bookies early (i.e. in the morning) - Betfair late. Overrounds on the Festival Pricewise tables in the morning close to 100% (thank you Matt Tombs). I know that there will already have been a lot of changes in those boxes but it stands to reason that the best bookmaker prices will probably be before lunch. WHills and BET365 well known for standing prices for longer than most over these four days. Best to try and get most of your stuff done before lunchtime with a backup tank each afternoon for the machine? Especially if you can still get BOG. Bookmaker Prices rarely drift that much in the afternoon.

Pricewise Tables in Racing Post - Last year only 6 of the 28 winners were returned at a bigger SP than what could have been taken in the morning. Even with deductions for NRs which always favours the punter. You might not have got rich on three of them. Honeysuckle 8/11 from 8/13, Brazil 10s from 9s (though 19s on Betfair), Bob Olinger a more than fortunate 6/5 from 11/10. The other three were Maries Rock 18s from 12s, Commander Of Fleet 50s from 40s and The Nice Guy, 10s in the morning returned 18s. The biggest SP winning plunge of the week was Delta Work in the X Country 7s to 5/2 fav when the rains came. In 2021 only 8 winners returned an SP bigger than the Pricewise Tables. They were Vintage Clouds, Jeff Kidder, Galvin, Heaven Help Us, Sky Pirate, Flooring Porter and Gallopin Des Chaamps. Only one on Gold Cup Day. The final three winners on the Thursday, The Shunter, Telmesomethinggirl and Mount Ida all halved in price from what you read at breakfast time. At the 2020 Festival only 5 winners returned an SP bigger than early prices shown in those Racing Post boxes. They were Shishkin, Ravenhill, Aramax, Sire du Berlais and It Came To Pass. Betfair SPs of those five were also a lot bigger than returned industry SPs.

Betfair Exchange Win Book Late - Just before the off and I mean as they are circling the start. This doesn't change. If you fancy a fat one and no one else likes it/amongst friends it's known as 'Gault's lost the plot completely.' (or in 2019 I named it 'doing a Croco Bay'), wait until just before the off before taking a price on Betfair. And I am talking in the final minute as they circle. It is only then that the layers are really pushing out the outsiders and keen to balance books. Betfair ad says it all. Since 2008 94% of winners returned bigger on Exchange SP than bookies, and that's with the 5% commission taken off. If you haven't the time, take the Exchange SP on your Hail Mary. It Came To Pass 2020 Foxhunters Betfair SP 225, Industry SP 66s.

A great stat courtesy of Andrew Mount @trendhorses Betting every horse in every race at the #CheltenhamFestival has shown a profit at @BetfairExchange SP three of the last four years (+£194.50 in 2019, +£106.41 in 2020 and +£60.23 2021). Big priced winners helped that return! lol. @Tomwilsonhorses was sharper. Just bet all Irish horses. Well done sir.

Remember bookies love NRNB because we will never take the money out of our account but punt it on something else.

And finally, and once again, try and make them bookmakers work for your cash. In the 2019 Ladbrokes/Corals list of biggest betting races in the UK, 11 of the top 20 places were filled by Festival Races. All seven of the races on Gold Cup day made it into the top 20, the lowest rated being the Martin Pipe in 19th. Only one Royal Ascot race, their Gold Cup, made it into the top twenty. And Ascot got all these extra handicap races in 2021 to help the levy? Such bollox, I ask you...

My personal betting strategy for Cheltenham 2023 - Last year went well, topped by a Venetia Momentum place treble on Skybet extra places GC day. In 2021 I made a small profit. Not as much as my friends who, good luck to them, made decent money. Not as much as I possibly should have had but hey ho, we all make mistakes. Too timid at times which may or may not be a bad thing. It's still fun. Eugene says I possibly get too wound up trying to tip winners on the site. He could be right. We'll move on...

Tactics - Take the whole pre-Cheltenham week off work making stats grids on A4 paper for each race from the 6-day decs. Every race, every horse, every stat. My own pencil system of ticks, squiggles and crosses. Yes, that's sad. Takes forever but once in a while something interesting will hopefully materialise. No antepost betting on handicaps (well, not that much). As Rory says, there is every likelihood you will get bigger and/or more places on the day. Listen to Blake, Segal, Delargy and Keenan on Podcasts. Well worth the time spent, even though you may not agree with them. Rory's knowledge is encyclopedic and Tony is definitely no mug. I've been lucky to meet them and they are all lovely people. Recommend Andrew Mount and Matt Tombs as well, such stats, such fun.

Each Festival Day - (Nerdy stuff but we all have our own way) Trust my stats grids. But be flexible enough to react to what is happening/momentum. Don't treat each race as a separate event (yeh, that's easy). Seems obvious but look at the form of each winner to possibly assist with future selections later in the week. Try to listen to very little during the week itself, e.g in 2017 and 2020, 'Willie's having a bad week. Can't train.' Write on race page which bookie gives most places and those other daft offers. It's the only way I'll remember. Commit to memory each day the RP page number for trainer form. Mind that free bets from firms other than Skybet usually only last a limited time in Cheltenham week. Some have to be used each day. If it's the wrong price, even if it didn't enter initial calculations, trust instincts and throw a few quid at it. It's not the Flat, you have been watching these horses intently for six months or more, we all should know a wrong price when you see one. Pink Legend ew 33s Mares Ch last year, Heaven Help Us 2021 in the Coral 50s machine in the morning, my aftertiming examples. Indefatigable from 2020. I backed a few losers in the same races, obviously. Now that I've said it, that luck won't happen this year.

And you'll not like this bit. Every morning write on the front of your comic your running totals for each of your betting sites. And the cash you have. Compare them and your bank account at the end of each Festival day. That's a bastard. 'I'm about even' is usually a lie. We've all done it. You just haven't counted it all, yet. If you're on course and I'm there this year for Tues/Wed, remember you won't just spend money Bryan, you will haemorrhage it.

No more than three beers before the first race. But feel free to keep topped up throughout the afternoon, if there's time. And evening.

Most importantly, have the good grace not to ruin everyone else's time if/when it goes txts up. Be a good loser. Applaud those amongst you who back the winner. We are lucky enough to be on holiday. Try to avoid the dreaded GO SEA*.

If you are at Cheltenham, and even if you're not, have fun.

*Groundless Optimism Syndrome Encouraged by Alcohol. Never changes. To paraphrase @icyestretro on twitter, 'you wouldn't drink that much on a Tuesday night and then drive the kids to school on the Wednesday morning. What makes you think you'll be any better at working out the Coral Cup?' Love it.