blonde poker forum

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A bit naive to think you'd get £400 bets laid online on 7/2 at Oxford and Kinsley.

In fact I'm a bit surprised to see them offer £50.

I guess you are not the only one who rarely frequents their local shop.  I'm surprised that more shops have not closed because of the internet.

I get no value from my local bookie.....slightly worse prices, no offers/bonuses and then there is of course the time and effort in going down there too.

Similarly to you, last time I went past my bookies, there were 2 girls staffing it, 1 chinese kid on the machine and 2 old blokes sat down watching the horses.

If there is a good reason to go to your local bookies then someone tell me what it is because I can't see it any more.

It has to be in decline?

Seem to be more and more in Nottingham, though just glorified casinos with the FOBT attracting problem gamblers

I am not sure why it's last laugh on William Hill really? You got your money back, well done, but really last laugh on William Hill?

Also, I hear all these stories on people not being able to get X amount of money of horses, football and dogs, but I have never had a problem online and I have bet upto £600 on a single horse and £4k on football. Not a problem, although a slight annoying one when something was up with the betting when I was attempting to 'pinch' money, think it was more technical than anything.

Matt asked why shops are not closed? You still have the odler generation who don't want to use the internet, those who go into bookies to perhaps socialise & the main one is that people are going in there to get their thrill on the machines, there is still plenty to be made in those shops. But after 7pm these days, William Hill is empty in my local when I pass by.

My question here is probably why Betfred isn't closing shops? I have been into plenty of Betfred's around the UK and never been in them and they have anywhere near the number of punters a WH, LB or Corals have.

Just a brag on my part, stopped playing the machines for other 2-3 months now! :D :D

my old independant was a great little place, really small gas fire, free tea, good owners good old blokes with banter, they used to put a western on for the old guard at midday until the racing started. Could get a little bit of credit and he'd let you pick the best prices from the big 3. Nowadays the only bookies in town is full of scumbags who know zero about racing and its ultra depressing. Sometimes i have an urge to spend a few hours in a bookies, just to see and hear some banter but whenever i go im consciously aware that im losing money on the prices every time i bet. And even more aware that there are 3 people on the FOBT's and one scumbg stinking of beer and BO writing all over the form display.

level?

Does this not worry you a bit when you hear that everyone sharp can't get a penny on with them?

it worries me a lot for sure, but if I want to bet on something and I know I can bulk on with Hills, then I see no reason not to.

I hate Hills so bad, but never had any problems what so ever with getting a bet of decent size on with them.

I can see the realisation that I might be losing money with them and they perhaps putting that into context, but just generally no problems getting a bet on. To be fair the bets of "size" are actually ones where I make money from, rather than bets upto £100.

You get on with Hills because your a losing punter. I mean that as politely as possible. Winning punters struggle to get any amount on. I can't bet in Doncaster town centre in 3/5 major firms for any amount above £50.

Hills are a beast of a company, over £1 billion turnover last year.

I've actually fitted 2 Hills shop fronts today, 1 a refurb and 1 a new shop. The firm I work for must have done a thousand shop fronts over the last 6 years for them.

90% of which are in undesirable areas imo, just there like a sponge emptying the pockets of the deadbeat locals.

The FOBT's taking the lions share. There really is no need to take bets off shrewd guys when you can print money like they do.

High street bookies are now no longer bookies at all - instead they're the world's grimmest casinos.

Bit off topic but there has to be a market for a firm that is willing to take a proper bet from all comers in the UK market.  The firm I work for take on literally all comers on US sports and grind out a profit and pinnacle do similar.  In Asia there are 5 or 6 firms that are able to do the same on football, basketball etc so it never ceases to amaze me that nobody has a proper go of it here.  The key is simply down to carefully managing limits.  If someone wants to have a grand on some obscure 180's darts bet in the early rounds of a tournament it isn't going to happen.  The limits there would be 25 quid or something but if they wanted to have a grand on a premiership football match that is fine.  By way of example today on the Champs League I will take $5k off anyone on the handicap of the Champs League games but only $200 on the lower league English stuff (this would be more if we had a lot of UK punters obv).  Just seems to me that the UK firms cost themselves a lot of business by knocking back punters without thinking.  Just because someone is winning in obscure markets doesn't mean they have an edge on the derby or NFL or Premiership football.  Oh to have the roll to give it a go.

Yeah, I understand this, don't disagree with it, they are not going to stop me betting with them upto X amount if I am losing plenty.

But the reality is that, my betting pattern would not change & I find betting with William Hill a lot easier than others, so not going to make me win elsewhere, so stay where I am.

Anyone fancy a Cornetto?

To be fair it isn't just Hills.  Ladbrokes are generally the best firm to get a cash bet non with but even they play silly games some times.  About six months ago I dropped in on a friend in Hackney and he wasn't home so I decided to pop into the local Ladbrokes and wait until he got home and have a daft go at the dog cards for scores.  It wasn't sharp business just a bit of fun to waste some time and it was Monmore that day.  I went up to the counter and tried to have a score at 7/2 on a dog and was told they only take a maximum of a tenner at a price on dogs at Monmore (a track they own).  I found it pretty funny and they would take a similar bet elsewhere with no problems but if Ladbrokes cant take a score from a stranger at 7/2 on a dog at a track they own then the game is dead.

I just see it as you getting lucky, rather than having the last laugh.

They are hardly going to give up their policies tbf.