BetDash

Apologies for the lack of blogging recently, my 12,000 word dissertation is finally beginning to take its toll on me and I have not had a great deal of time for anything else. I just looked back over last year's posts and found my blogging activity petered off throughout February and March, so it must be something about this time of year. I have taken a little break from betting as I found that if I did not have time to sit down and do it properly, then I would just lose money, which was what I was beginning to do. I was only losing pounds here and there but I know enough to know that is the start of a slippery slope, so I have taken a break in order to focus on more important things right now. I still have a lot of liabilities in the outright markets to manage so I will just be looking at that for now. I'll go into detail on this in my next post.

What I did accidentally discover this week though was Paddy Power's 'BetDash', a game which challenges you to turn £100,000 into £1,000,000 in 10 days. If you reach the million, you are rewarded with between £45-£150 in real money, depending on your initial buy in. Reaching £700,000 and above also equals a cash reward. You can play for free but the reward is only tokens. I was quite surprised to find this as I had heard little about it from the usually very lairy PaddyPower, and was even more surprised to discover it was actually good. The game is not quite as straightforward as putting all your money on a 10/1 shot, there are restrictions and challenges to meet first, meaning it can only be done by gradual accumulation. You can challenge other people's bets as well as copying them, and can play along with your friends too. The main reason I was so impressed with the game is because I had concocted similar ideas in my own head before I found this; where a social and competitive element was added to punting. I am currently playing the game using a £5 free credit, which is gifted upon the start of your first game, but after that you can choose to buy in for £5 upwards. I know many people out there, even those who call themselves 'traders', like to have a 'fun bet' from time to time, so I think participation in something like this would help to satisfy such an urge without potentially ruining profits from elsewhere. It could also educate people on how to nurture and grow a bank slowly and efficiently.

Don't get me wrong though, BetDash is for fun. You cannot trade positions as all bets are placed on PaddyPower's betting platform, and you are rushed into chasing the million before your time runs out. Serious traders will not be interested, but for those of you who do like a 'fun bet', it is probably worth checking out, especially as the first one is free. I have little else to report from recent weeks, so enjoy the rest of your week and happy trading one and all.

A review of the odds

So here we are in February 2013 and the Premier League is entering its final third of the season. January transfers are all done with, meaning it is now just a desperate dash to the finish. Throughout the league, each point of contention is very tight and there seems to be many teams chasing each position.

Starting at the top then, the hunt for the Premier League crown unusually seems to be the least contentious area of the league, at least if the markets are anything to go by. Manchester United sit 9 points clear of their closest rivals with just 13 games remaining, and are currently as low as 1.15 to win the title. At present, this does seen a relatively fair price for a team who have obliterated all in their path thus far, while their noisy neighbours have struggled to live up to last years heights. As I alluded to in my last post however, football is a funny old game and momentum can shift in an instant. One poor result or injury can destroy a team and make people wonder why they never layed them while they had the chance. The majority of the country had proclaimed United champions last year before a shock loss against Wigan sparked a collapse at the crucial moment. I do think United will win this year, and I don't envisage a collapse like last season, but there is a long way to go yet and I expect City to close the gap in the next few months. Just think what a battering at the hands of Madrid could do to United's run...

Moving on and Spurs are now odds on at 1.95 to finish in the top four, as their good form is finally beginning to convince the markets that they might actually be able to qualify for Europe. The top 10 market is currently a bit unpredictable, as there are only 9 points between Liverpool in 7th and Newcastle in 15th, meaning any number of teams are still in with a shout. Newcastle, remarkably considering how much criticism they have had this year, are now only 3 points from the top 10, and sit at 3.4 for a top 10 finish. Their squad has had a bit of a French Revolution and they look a lot stronger than in the first half of the season, 3.4 could be a steal come May. Fulham are only 2 points off, yet are a large 4.4 to reach the top ten, with Sunderland 2.88, despite being just a point off the top half.

Down at the bottom and the woes of QPR continue. It is getting to the stage now when all the 'they can't possibly go down' people are beginning to think that actually they might, including me. They need to start scoring goals quickly and turning these draws into wins. I have a large position on QPR not to go down, but I am beginning to believe I might have to take a loss on the trade in the next few weeks. They currently sit 1.47, while there are three other odds-on teams for the drop: Wigan, Reading and Villa. The resurgent Southampton are currently 3.4.

That's all from me, enjoy your weekend and stay green.