Attention All Members, Important!! Please Read!!
homerplayer
Senior Member
Sorry to break some rules with the exclamation points in the header, but it is important. i've only been here a few years, it will be 3 years in September. i would say about 10% of my posts are worthwhile and half of those are NFL plays that i have been lucky enough to hit. i was here for the near lawless wild west days and somehow survived the clean up of BT. that was just a quick intro to say i have been around BT more than some, less than others, but this must be said:
I am afraid some members (read most) fail to recognize what an amazing place Betting Talk is. I am unaware of any other site on the net run by an established and respected handicapper like Ed. there may be others, but i doubt they feature the access that BT does. Ed doesn't wait on us hand and foot, nor should he. but i just feel some of us fail to appreciate the time and effort he does put in to this forum and his willingness to answer questions that benefit us more than him.
but it goes beyond Ed. having brought in Goats and Iceman and Eddie. guys that make a living through sports betting? they must be doing something right. and even the junior cappers (of which i am going to miss some, many apologies) like Horn and TommyL and Brillo. you cannot deny the work and effort they put into capping and the information they freely share with us.
back to Ed, Goats, et al. i am afraid that we (cause i am as guilty as anyone) are squandering the resources offered here, providing us the chance to grow as cappers/bettors. i understand not everyone is here for the same reasons. some guys just want plays. some just want to annoy us with witty banter (huey, i still love you). but the point is, if you are here and want to get better, sources abound to make it happen.
don't be afraid to ask questions. i plan on firing out some threads here for discussion to get insight from the people mentioned above. other forums may have people claiming to be sharp or pros or great cappers (as BT once was), but we have a legitimate Handicapper in Ed that has brought in people that he can vouch for. that isn't to say just accept everything they tell us, still do your own research. but their words should carry some weight with us all.
you can't be the best through complacency. now Ed may drink Miller Lite and smoke cigars everyday, but i doubt it. point of that sentence is that regardless of your level of success, there is always room to learn and improve. if you remain static, you are dead, cause the market will be evolving.
I am afraid some members (read most) fail to recognize what an amazing place Betting Talk is. I am unaware of any other site on the net run by an established and respected handicapper like Ed. there may be others, but i doubt they feature the access that BT does. Ed doesn't wait on us hand and foot, nor should he. but i just feel some of us fail to appreciate the time and effort he does put in to this forum and his willingness to answer questions that benefit us more than him.
but it goes beyond Ed. having brought in Goats and Iceman and Eddie. guys that make a living through sports betting? they must be doing something right. and even the junior cappers (of which i am going to miss some, many apologies) like Horn and TommyL and Brillo. you cannot deny the work and effort they put into capping and the information they freely share with us.
back to Ed, Goats, et al. i am afraid that we (cause i am as guilty as anyone) are squandering the resources offered here, providing us the chance to grow as cappers/bettors. i understand not everyone is here for the same reasons. some guys just want plays. some just want to annoy us with witty banter (huey, i still love you). but the point is, if you are here and want to get better, sources abound to make it happen.
don't be afraid to ask questions. i plan on firing out some threads here for discussion to get insight from the people mentioned above. other forums may have people claiming to be sharp or pros or great cappers (as BT once was), but we have a legitimate Handicapper in Ed that has brought in people that he can vouch for. that isn't to say just accept everything they tell us, still do your own research. but their words should carry some weight with us all.
you can't be the best through complacency. now Ed may drink Miller Lite and smoke cigars everyday, but i doubt it. point of that sentence is that regardless of your level of success, there is always room to learn and improve. if you remain static, you are dead, cause the market will be evolving.
Comments
This is critical. Money leaks eventually dry up and it is imperative that you are always improving and searching for new soft spots in the market.
I agree 100% that you better keep trying to move forward with this or you will get left behind. It's mainly about being proactive more then reactive, IMO.
I actually keep a notebook close by me with all sorts of thoughts and ideas, many of which I have read from the forums over the years or stuff that just simply came from asking other posters or even things I have seen myself from the day to day grind of betting. I still try and update and read this notebook almost daily, using all of it to try and stay one step ahead of the compeition. Information and thoughts like these are more important to me then who someone likes in a particular game.
Looking back and reading things that I have written in this notebook over the past few years, I can't get over how much more sophisticated things have got since the beginning for me almost 5 years ago. It's actually kind of scary in a way how much harder things look to be overall but the key is I try not to let this intimidate me either but instead excite me. With the internet and all the readily availibile informatiion that is right there at yor fingertips, I feel strongly that if one is willing to put the time and effort into this everyday then they will be fine.
The hardest thing is there are no guarantees in this line of work and lots of days you work your butt off and you not only don't win but they actually take money from you for all the time and effort that you put into this. What other job or line of work does that? It can really wear on you at times. You just have to keep moving along and realize that eventually the hard work will pay off. Sometimes it takes a month or 2 down the road till you see the results and things fall into place. Along the way you end up questioning a lot of what your doing, if you still have an edge, etc... It can be really hard on your confidence. There is probably not many other jobs or hobbies that are so results oriented as this one. Sometimes though you have to look past the wins and losses and look even deeper. You have to stay strong and convince yourself that you are making the right plays and looking at the right things.
I have said it time and time again, I still think the #1 thing that people must ask themselve if they are going to try and do this at a semi- serious level or higher is are they able to handle the day to day flucuations that will come with all of this? Because believe me those rough patches will come no matter who you are. That's a big thing and being able to not let them effect you too much is a lot easier said then done.
Thats funny. I just learned about him in Microbiology this semester!
An excellent point and something important for everyone to take notice of......I find there is as much to be learned from losing plays as winning plays......to me it is far more helpful and valuable to post something you saw, or ask a poster where they went wrong on a losing play, than posting a "Your the Man" or "Nice winner" on their winning play.....many think this kind of questioning is bad manners and that losing plays should quickly be forgotten about, but if we are here to help each other and improve our results, a lot can be learned from those losing plays...........
Iceman - thanks for the kind words. just kind of hit me yesterday what a rarity it is for someone of Ed's caliber to be so accessible. and the clean up he did on the board and the new folks he brought in. amazing resource here.
and as Howard pointed out, sharp stuff on your part. same kind of temperament needed when playing NL Hold 'em. your bankroll can take some major swings for good and bad. but as long as you are working hard, finding an edge, sticking to +EV opps, you have a better chance than most at coming out ahead at the end.
my version of your notebook is my laptop. i have got Excel Spreadsheets out the ass covering NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, Soccer, NCAFF...then i also have a bunch of Notepad things on my desktop with just random topics like Bowl Season, MLB Bullpens, or just stuff i have an idea of or as you said, things you pick up from other posters. one of the big things i picked up from BT is applying more math to my betting.
and i love being able to come on BT and just vent by whining like a little girl when i am putting in the work but the results aren't there.
I learn from others losing plays of course......