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Steve,
I to have had to curtail my betting somewhat in the last 12 months though for different reasons. Having become a student in spetember my cash flow is now significantly less than when I was working full time.
Ive always thought of betting as like spending money on anything else such as going out for dinner, that is to say when I bet my mindset is that the money is gone and not that I will be getting any back. I find this way I am not tempted to chase losses and never end up betting beyond my means.
With that now being a significantly lower sum it means I’ve had to pick and choose when to bet and yet I still love to watch racing, the big meetings in particular.
Also with regard to your point about being able to see the horses, I personally find this invaluable. While my record betting at home is often patchy at best, though with some purple patches I have never lost a significant sum while at the track and almost always turn at least a small profit on days at the races.
though this thread has veered onto personal betting styles and mo’s, the fact remains that mr segal has showed himself to be a bit of a prat imo by criticising the target audience he writes for and those who buy the thing that pays his wage and as i have already said, the RP is not value anyway if you have a pc/broadband (and if you don’t, you can get one now for cheaper than the RP/day)
i guess when you are just another tipster – one who claims results on SPs punters can’t get and are generally followed by ‘mugs’ and are on a long losing run then anything that might take the spotlight away from your shambolic performance is to be desired
if i thought he had a plot to begin with i’d suggest he’s lost it
the fact remains that mr segal has showed himself to be a bit of a prat imo by criticising the target audience
I think Tom Seagal has the right to call it how he sees it and if any of the readers are offended because his church is not their church, then that’s just tough.
However, his comments – rather, how they’ve been represented on here – don’t make a lot of sense to me.
Steve
sberry…..looks like I’m your idea of a mug.
A) I buy the RP, almost, every day. There are alot of articles in the RP that you won’t find on their website. I enjoy reading it, maybe I’m just an easily pleased mug..
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B) I’m a regular at The Curragh, Naas and Punchestown. I also try to get to Leopardstown as often as possible.
So onto your point about admission prices. There as many people complaining about prize money as admission. How can racecourses put up the prize money with out the admission? Although paying for parking is bit much, it’s free in Ireland.
The way I look at it, not only is it a nice day out but also I’m supporting the sport I love.
If that makes me a mug, then I’m a mug.
I agree with your additions to the definition. About three years since I bought a paper. Outdated delivery method.
Mr Segal is showing himself to either be incredibly naive, ignorant or plain stupid.
Mugs like myself keep tracks going because we see the sport as more than just numbers and money. Not that I would ever follow his tips mind you so don;t really give a monkeys..
i don’t think you’re a mug at all heffo, it’s mr segal – technically one of your employees, as you are one of the people who pay his wages – who does
which along with his articles makes him the mug
i’d sack him if i were you
I don’t get it.
Are people complaining because Segal is speaking his mind rather than sucking up to his readers?
Steve
“no one with a brain who wants a bet is going to go to the track”
I think this line would get peoples backs up Steve…surely you agree?
He has a reasonable point to make about the influence of exchanges on racing crowds perhaps, but this is gratuitous…
Ill remember to raise it with him when hes next on one of those pre race panels at Sandown or wherever
I haven’t read his article but I think I can pick up the points he was making from this thread. I would agree with those who point out that at least he is speaking his mind. I just feel it’s a very short sighted view. It does seem strange that a person who depends on racing for a living, a sport that, like any other sport, needs it’s admission fees to survive, is discouraging people to attend meetings. Be it intentional or not on Segal’s part, comments of that nature wouldn’t encourage any one to go racing. It’s an opinion he should maybe have kept to himself, or at least not expressed in that article.
Aamazing that a man who has become such an insignificance ( unless he`s trying to do an elaborate version of Barry`s Bismarck) can provoke such a reaction
Pilgarlic,
Trying to select winners is not easy but attempting to select and publish speculatively priced winners is quantum mechanics. Sisyphus had it easy by comparison.
When it goes badly wrong – as it does – the value tipster looks a chump of spectacular proportion. And he feels it. The first thing he does is look for a certainty to get his pride back – and then he realises that he can’t, because he is a value hunter and is paid to hunt value.
The abuse Segal gets is astonishing and underserved. Dangers exist in every shadow.
Losing runs in this speculative hinterland are mathematically certain. Favourites still win approximately one race in three. Fields are more competitive than ever before. The HRA and myriad TV pundits watch for “easy runs” like a falcon hovering above a fieldmouse. Hence, the value angles are not as easy to find as they once were.
Even taking a tip from a connection, (as many suspected Mel Collier used to do, from certain South Coast stables), has evolved a murky legal dimension. And then there’s Betfair…
The inevitable losing runs have a massive impact on confidence. Look at the titans of value betting since 1988. Mark Coton packed the game in after an abortive attempt at picking certainties, (hunting value gets in your blood, it seems). Mel Collier disappeared. Young tyro Henry Rix is allegedly on a losing run going back months, (and he was as popular in his day as Rick Astley). Even The Life’s Mark Winstanley currently selects odds-on shots!
Segal cannot select, say, Western Art today because that defeats the object of what he’s trying to do. Almost every other press tipster in the country has the option of selecting a favourite tomorrow. Your Duvals and McKenzies and all the local napsters could all have gone for Cute Ass yesterday.
And some did. Where is the criticism of their conservatism?
Pilgarlic, if you’re going to criticise someone, then criticise the Post for continuing to overhype the Pricewise concept. Tom Segal is still a talented tipster and a journalist with opinion. I wouldn’t be surprised if he packed it in though. Prospecting like this and taking the relentless abuse is not for the squeamish.
I’ll find myself defending Valuescope in 2010, I’m sure.
I think the "abuse" that Tom gets is on a par with the "hype" he gets in the Racing Post when he was/is on a winning streak.
If he can live with that "hype" when he is doing well then he is going to have to try and live with the "abuse" when things are going not so well.
That’s the way life is, I find.
Colin
“no one with a brain who wants a bet is going to go to the track”
I think this line would get peoples backs up Steve…surely you agree?
As insults go, it’s pretty mild.
I just feel it’s a very short sighted view. It does seem strange that a person who depends on racing for a living, a sport that, like any other sport, needs it’s admission fees to survive, is discouraging people to attend meetings.
Isn’t that just saying he should be a shill?
IMO, there are enough “industry men” in the racing media. If Segal thinks punters would get a better ROI by avoiding the racecourse, then let him say it.
Steve
Pub Landlord says "anyone who comes into pubs like mine and pay the prices we charge is a mug when you can do it much more comfortably and cheaper at home"
Betting Shop Manager says "of course my customers are mugs, betting on fixed FOBTs, every dog race, cartoon race, lotteries and i don’t even show all the pictures"
Gerald Ratner says "don’t buy my gear, it’s crap"
Segal says … etc
Steve…suggesting that those that chose to go racing are thick , is not mild….
I am sure that if he was repeatedly told to his face that watching a deadbeat midtable team with no chance of winning anything in an over hyped league at £35 a throwis only for those with small IQ’s, he might take excepetion….
As for his tipping though, the abuse can only come from those that follow this slavishly. I think he writes well (on that subject) and thats all i look for. He might highlight something i havent thought of but that doesnt mean my money will follow. Nor should anyone elses
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