Rollo Tomasi

This month’s forumite is Rollo Tomasi who amongst other things tells us about why he once stood up his girlfriend and the forumites he most respects…

1. A hypothetical situation for you, it’s England versus Brazil in the World Cup Final - you've backed Brazil heavily before the tournament to win the World Cup what do you do?

I would lay Brazil or back England to lock in a profit either way. I would leave the larger profit on the team I thought would win the final. This is the team I would be cheering at kick-off as there is no place for sentiment in gambling.

2. Can Phil Mickelson make it three majors on the spin in the US Open?

If Betfair gave me a large free bet on the US Open for being Forumite of the Month I don’t mind if it goes on Phil at 12/1 - please. He seems to be able to peak at the right time and has developed more discipline, seeming less inclined to risk pressing his self-destruct button. The Big five are currently more like a Gigantic one and a shrinking four.

3. Do you live by any betting principles? If so, what are they?

The only good bet is a hedged bet.

I try to not let one mistake lead to several others and have a visit from Charlie Chase. If something goes pear-shaped I just accept the loss, put it out of my mind and don’t start digging a bigger hole.

4. If you cry because of a bad result does that make you more or less of a man!

If you carry on looking at the betting and form for the next race with tears streaming down your face, I don’t see anything wrong with that. However if you ignore the next races to wipe your eyes and wallow in it, I think it must make you a bit of a wuss.

5. What's your favourite racecourse and why?

I would rather watch racing from Cheltenham than anywhere else. Not just at the Festival, any race there is a tremendous spectacle.

6. Which do you prefer, flat or jump racing?

I have always preferred jump racing. The lowest quality jump race is of more appeal to me than most flat racing. The Flat just doesn’t have the drama and being an in-running punter, jump racing offers me more time to play. I worry about how flat racing is going. The start of the season is now unrecognisable and a decent turf meeting like Kempton is now just history – thank heavens Newbury came to their senses.

7. Have you ever missed a date with a girl to watch a big game/race? What was your excuse?

Recently I had to say no to my girlfriend regarding a lunch with her brother and his wife on a Thursday.

I told her it was Cheltenham.

8. Is there anything you would like to change in racing?

Plenty but there is a race in a few hours so I don’t have time to mention everything.

One subject often discussed in the forum is race times. I would like to see a race time controller, who planned race times and was in touch with each racecourse starter during racing. They could ensure we do not have another winter blighted by clashing races, where three or four start too close together and then there is a fifteen or twenty minute gap. This must cost the racing industry a fortune every year in lost betting revenue and I am very surprised no-one in authority seems to care about it.

9. Is there any way Betfair could be improved?

I would like to see more cash swilling about on in-play racing. Perhaps Betfair should send a mailshot to everyone on the Rich List explaining how much fun it is. I am sure a lot of those people must be bored and need more excitement in their life.

10. What advice would you give to a punter just starting on Betfair?

Never forget it might just look like numbers on the screen but you are playing with real money. It is just the same as coming out of a bookmakers or racecourse with a much lighter feeling wallet than when you went in.

You should try to get out of the betting shop mentality of only ever trying to pick winners, particularly if you don’t usually pick many! Betfair gives you other opportunities. Just forecasting a price change can be profitable. If pre-race or in-play you stake one unit on a selection at 7.00, then in-play you manage to lay two units on it at 3.50, you win one unit whether the selection wins or loses. If you win a unit on a race instead of losing a unit you are two units better off.

11. Whose opinion in the Forum do you most respect and why?

There are forumites from all walks of life and I would respect their views in areas I think they excel in.

I would ask Tim_UK about any financial matters.

If I decided to do a re-write of War And Peace I would ask Col Archaius Tory for how to fill a page with a lot more words than were really necessary.

If I wanted to break someone on the forum I would ask ppking for some pointers. Whether he or BigNoseDave answered, I’m sure it would be useful advice, even if they have a problem with the caps lock key.

If going deep-sea fishing, I would ask Thurnscoe Thunder about what bait to use.

For advice on the racing front it would be Flat/Ricky Santini or NH/roo. However if I needed a tip to put my bank on, it would have to be from baulked 1.