Test Your Gambling IQ

Please answer the following five questions with the answer most accurately reflecting what you would do in the circumstances.

Question 1

You have a day off work. Do you:

a.) Back reversed greyhound forecast doubles for traps 1, 2 and 6 through the card and put your spare change in the fruit machines?

b.) Back every favourite on the basis that ‘it’s got the best chance in the race’?

c.) Back one from each section on the weekend football coupon?

d.) Operating from a handheld computer, back horses at board price where they are a shorter ‘bid’ price in size on Betfair?

e.) Back ‘Double Top’ in the 4.30 because the cashier you fancy has large breasts?

Question 2

It’s Saturday and you’re looking forward to having a financial interest in the day’s sport. Do you:

a.) Back a Racing Post pricewise horse at SP because you were too late to get the advertised price?

b.) Have a super yankee on five televised horse races?

c.) Check out the Asian handicap football prices betting to a 2% margin and have one or more bets in lesser leagues that you specialise in, having already checked the late team news?

d.) Blow all your money on the morning greyhounds in the betting shop and return home in a foul mood?

e.) Lay a few horses blind on Betfair to ‘nick a few quid’?

Question 3

Your latest current-account bank statement has arrived. Do you:

a.) Transfer £50k to a money market one-month account and a further £25k to your client account at your stockbrokers?

b.) Shred it so nobody can see the payments by debit card to several bookmakers and the distinct lack of commensurate credits?

c.) Decide you need another new credit card – and quickly?

d.) Revise your budget for the month ahead?

e.) Buy a present for your wife, give the kids an extra tenner each and then withdraw as much as possible from your internet bookmaker accounts?

Question 4

You’ve been waiting for three weeks for a horse to reappear that you backed last time out which was very unlucky in running. You’re pleased to see the forecast price in the Racing Post is 5/1. However, the horse never shows more than 5/2 in the early price market and eventually goes off at an SP of 6/4. Do you:

a.) Back it at 5/2 in the early market and still feel you did the right thing as it was ‘value’ at that price?

b.) Form an opinion that it has a 25% chance so no offered price was value and you have no bet?

c.) Form the same opinion as in (b) and lay it on Betfair at 2.6 in the last minute before the off?

d.) See the early morning price and not like it so put on an SP bet instead and go and play a round of golf?

e.) Look at the race again and decide that as ‘your’ horse is too short there should be value elsewhere and find a horse with a solid chance that’s now over-priced and can be backed each way?

Question 5

It’s Grand National day. Do you:

a.) Run a sweepstake with family and friends where 20 people each get two horses and all the stake money is returned as prizes on the first four home?

b.) Back 11 horses all each way and spend the next three days telling everyone how unlucky you were as one of your horses came second?

c.) Back the winner in the betting shop and queue for 37 minutes to get paid out, happily telling the manager you’ll ‘see him next year’?

d.) Look out for the start of an early-price gamble at another meeting and join in on the basis that if you wanted to catch the bookies off guard this would be the best day to plan for?

e.) Watch and enjoy the race with no bet, having invested on sports you know something about?

To work out your scores, check the box on the right of this page