An accurate critique of the Betfair Forum ?

Must be a barrel of laughs going for a pint with him. Head stuck his own arse, honest appraisal, tbh.

His book is actually entertaining reading SA,  humorous and self deprecating at times as per the above excerpt.

The gambling side of it mainly concentrates on entertainment events such as Eurovision and Strictly, which is something he has made a fair amount of money on, so fair play to him.

jr's ego is larger than Donald Trump's. And yes, he did fit right in here as he would argue endlessly, never ever makes a bad bet or call, it's always someone else's fault.

The backstory is that specials used to be massive, when you could get bets down etc we didn't want bookies or casuals reading insight on here, so the most successful punters on there were invited to peal off to a separate invite only private forum. For a good few years, it was very successful.

jr is only 'out' as it suited him. He followed the sofabet model, created a website so it enabled him to get a press pass for eurovision. In the old days that was a licence to print money as the press would view rehearsals live, ahead of the public, effectively it's courtsiding. So you get to see staging for the first time, which is pivotal. And the run throughs as the public would see them, in advance, the jury show etc. A few seconds advantage in the results reveal. That advantage is all but gone, press don't get the access to rehearsals that they used to.

But this originally enabled him to create a tipping/info subscription service, feedback from rehearsals etc. To be fair to him, jr's EV analysis has always been good and is better than mine. EV is probably my worst specialist subject. However he has suffered a few big reversals. At one point the results of the tipping service used to be published. No idea how it is doing now. A lot of this might be already covered in the book.

Obviously with a lot of the specials big hitters moving to this private forum, betfair went a lot quieter, though we used to come back for the lively in running threads, lots of banter etc. But things have changed massively, specials is now all but dead. People on the sub forum pealed off to create a sub sub forum, I wasn't invited to that lol, don't even know what form it took, probably WA. I've not participated in the original sub forum for years, but it was still going the last time I logged back in to get some of my legacy stats.

People 'leaving' the bf forum for whatever reason, subsequently looking down on the people who still use it is de rigueur. I wouldn't have expected anything else from jr. That allegation could go for any place on the internet where people interact. Very few people adjust their views as part of a debate. I prefer this place for vocalising my views, certainly better than SM or other forums. The caveat is the 'moderation' is now making it pretty frustrating to use.

This guy is spot on , the forum is full of total ageing fantasists, invariably clueless ones as well. I see one fella pretending to be a millionaire from betting on running and there’s another lad who claims to be some sort of ex jockey. The millionaire is after spending half his life behind bars and the work jockey has drawn fortunes in benefits without ever doing a stroke of work in his life
And that’s only two of de lunatics

Apr 28, 2026 -- 9:44AM, Cider wrote:

jr's ego is larger than Donald Trump's. And yes, he did fit right in here as he would argue endlessly, never ever makes a bad bet or call, it's always someone else's fault.The backstory is that specials used to be massive, when you could get bets down etc we didn't want bookies or casuals reading insight on here, so the most successful punters on there were invited to peal off to a separate invite only private forum. For a good few years, it was very successful.jr is only 'out' as it suited him. He followed the sofabet model, created a website so it enabled him to get a press pass for eurovision. In the old days that was a licence to print money as the press would view rehearsals live, ahead of the public, effectively it's courtsiding. So you get to see staging for the first time, which is pivotal. And the run throughs as the public would see them, in advance, the jury show etc. A few seconds advantage in the results reveal. That advantage is all but gone, press don't get the access to rehearsals that they used to.But this originally enabled him to create a tipping/info subscription service, feedback from rehearsals etc. To be fair to him, jr's EV analysis has always been good and is better than mine. EV is probably my worst specialist subject. However he has suffered a few big reversals. At one point the results of the tipping service used to be published. No idea how it is doing now. A lot of this might be already covered in the book.Obviously with a lot of the specials big hitters moving to this private forum, betfair went a lot quieter, though we used to come back for the lively in running threads, lots of banter etc. But things have changed massively, specials is now all but dead. People on the sub forum pealed off to create a sub sub forum, I wasn't invited to that lol, don't even know what form it took, probably WA. I've not participated in the original sub forum for years, but it was still going the last time I logged back in to get some of my legacy stats.People 'leaving' the bf forum for whatever reason, subsequently looking down on the people who still use it is de rigueur. I wouldn't have expected anything else from jr. That allegation could go for any place on the internet where people interact. Very few people adjust their views as part of a debate. I prefer this place for vocalising my views, certainly better than SM or other forums. The caveat is the 'moderation' is now making it pretty frustrating to use.

Good points made. I knew little of this but can believe it entirely. I wonder whether the book was the latest angle, the continuing grift. No idea on the tipping site results but that's not an uncommon scenario, to publish results and then when the inevitable poor run develops, it does tend to fall apart, aided and abetted by the complaints etc of those who joined late and only experience the losses.  You're only as good as your most recent results.

Your last paragraph is spot on.

Apr 28, 2026 -- 9:55AM, trumper wrote:

This guy is spot on , the forum is full of total ageing fantasists, invariably clueless ones as well. I see one fella pretending to be a millionaire from betting on running and there’s another lad who claims to be some sort of ex jockey. The millionaire is after spending half his life behind bars and the work jockey has drawn fortunes in benefits without ever doing a stroke of work in his life And that’s only two of de lunatics

I should be more aware of the forum and read it much more, if its this entertaining!!!

Three people from the sub forum who used to post frequently here have done star sports interviews. That's three that I definitely know of, may be more.

Betting hasn't been my only source of income for decades, but now that the specials cash cow has run out, those that primarily relied on specials betting income will have needed to have branched out. Other betting events or something else entirely.

For example, BGT used to be one of the flagship specials annual betting events. Absolutely massive. I think it's at the live semi stage now this year and I've not watched a second of it. Ruined by the producers, it's unwatchable now, and even if you could force yourself through it, no chance of getting any bets down. You could probably force yourself through it and turn a profit, but for me it's not worth the pain, time or energy.

As far as betting goes nowadays, I do a bit of horse racing but primarily it's politics away from specials. A lot of the specials skillset crosses over to politics, looking beyond polls etc.

It's an accurate critique of every forum on the internet.

i remember a henry cecil horse Crit1que in the 80s

Like all of humanity, it is a mixture. As someone who has bred and owned horses and then gone racing 2 or 3 days a week for 30 years, I don't consider myself devoid of knowledge about the sport. The reason why I am a keyboard warrior now is that my age makes it much less enjoyable to drive 50 plus miles there and back and spend most of the afternoon on my feet being jostled around by other racegoers. The forum is spoiled for me by those who see it as a tipping line. It would be much better if we were able to post our pre and post race views without abuse.

Aye that rico has a lot to answer for.....Brought this once Great Forum to it's knees ffs.

“It would be much better if we were able to post our pre and post race views without abuse.”

I’ve been trying to encourage that and generate discussion and interest, but egos are too scared of being wrong or found out.
It’s probably not a surprise, wherever money is involved however, it’s more like a saloon in the Wild West.

Having tried to talk racing I’m largely here for the jokes, so come on Acey!

nuther fred infested by the forums non betting wofflers acey dopey & delafullashyte.

The initial post could easily apply to the whole of social media not just this forum.

wel sed duffler.

I thought that the my initial post  might ruffle a few feathers . For balance, i should say that the author speaks warmly of the forum in general :

The Betfair Specials forum rapidly becomes my home from home, a unique community of similarly-minded individuals who trade the TV betting markets full time. Strangely, the regular posters on there end up feeling like my closest friends and allies ; my co-workers in the virtual office as we use our collective knowledge trying to decide how things are likely to pan out and we spend many an evening together during the autumn season of Strictly and X Factor giving our live in-running views.

The book is actually a very entertaining read imo and as someone who only has a casual interest in Specials betting i found it both engaging and informative.
I certainly wouldn't classify it as "grifting" Jumper45 - anyone who can fill 300 pages or more without boring the reader is entitled to tell their story in my view. 
It's an account of his life over the last 20 years, not a "how to " manual or an attempt to get you to subscribe.

Cider - Rob doesn't really make excuses or blame others in the book for the bets that went wrong, he may have done on here of course but maybe on a forum one is more inclined to knee jerk reactions rather than a considered view in the cold light of day ? Playing devils advocate, i have seen more than one poster on here accusing you of having the same "i'm never wrong" attitude as that which you say Rob has, so you probably have much in common with him

I have read his views sometimes over the years on his website, never had to pay for the previews and analysis although there were options for subscriptions for the full tipping service i believe. I noted that Jeremy Chapman was contributing a fortnightly column on there which was of interest to me and that was free to access as well, unfortunately as you may have heard, Jeremy passed away a couple of months ago, a very decent guy and top tipster on the golf.

According to his website between 2014 and 2025, following the advices given yielded 1019 pts profit - no idea if the prices were easily available on his selections but still impressive stuff if you are in to that kind of betting. There is an initial preview of the EV semi finals on the website now and a further update will be there in a couple of weeks. Not something i bet on myself but i do find it interesting to read.

I’ve seen him post over the years.

Obviously got a decent sense of humour judging by that opening post.

Dixie - jonnyrant used to post on the specials forum, post about the outcome of strictly!! or the Eurovision, Mercury Euro Prize and not with much success if memory serves.

....I think the amazing PM Bets also posted there!

As he writes, there was a peak specials period and a bunch of us were sharing wisdom, insight, ricks etc. People who were invited were typically generous and there was a shared purpose, specials were the gift that kept on giving. Obviously there was bit of healthy competition/chest beating within members, but generally it was good natured. The important part, in those days there was enough to go around, and no shortage of fodder playing the markets.

All good things come to an end as they say, opportunities reduced and it became much harder to get on, then people started to protect their interests, less generous. Then things become more toxic and members sharing stuff with each other outside of the group, plus resentment of those who were logging in, lurking and benefiting without contributing. Plus of course, political misalignment lol. These were generally epic times however, and I don't regret being part of it one iota.

jr is a good writer, that's his original trade I believe. He's not stupid, knows his audience I assume and reading a gambling based book littered with bravado and laced with bitterness isn't going to be a good read or sell.

As far as it goes for me personally, I can be extremely dogmatic for sure, some might say stubborn. But I'll readily concede poor bets, and poor judgement, and there's plenty of that to choose from! The fundamental difference in our approaches is that jr tended to get upset when the producers engineered the outcome that was bad for his position, but completely ignored the engineering if it went in his favour. My perspective is that it's up to us to predict how the producers will play it, whether that leads to the most 'deserving' winner, or not. It's largely moot now as there are only a handful of meaningful specials betting events.

must 'ave been doing well given he'd sit around for hours watching that Bog Brother bollix, looking for an edge.
Or, his Income support payments were half decent.

BB was amazing for betting. It's only when you got into it you understood how easy it was, compared to any other betting genre. Only politics comes close. For example it took years for the market to become efficient when vote to evict became vote to save. Nowhere else are you going to get (for example) 4/1 on a true odds on shot. People might scoff at that, but it happened again only last December for xmas #1 (I have a thread on here on it).

It's a familiar story for regular gamblers I assume, finding the good bets are a breeze, getting on outside of betfair is impossible. What sets eurovision apart is that it still has wonderful liquidity in the main markets.

Interesting take on betfair special markets. I very rarely watch any of the programmes that people bet on so not for me. 99% of all my betting is on horse racing.

I've told the tale a few times but it was a pure coincidence for me. I never watched it but I visited my parents at the time, and my Mum watched SCD religiously. SCD results are determined by 50% judges' scores and the rest the PV. There was another bbc scandal in the semi final that meant the judges' scoring could be ordered in such a way that they could ensure Tom Chambers would be defeated no matter how the public voted. So it came down to maths basically, which obviously got me interested, and on the news story it referenced the betting angle.

The BBC resolved it in the end, by changing the format. Tom Chambers went on to win the series. But that was the moment I became hooked on specials betting, and it changed a big part of my life lol. The other bonus with specials was that 99% of it takes place on the evenings and weekends, so I could easily do it parallel to my regular job. The mindset is completely different when you're not betting to be able to eat and pay the mortgage.

walofs.

I was following SCD in that series Cider. It was possible to bet in running on BF and I laid Tom Chambers after the Saturday judges vote knowing I couldn't lose. BBC changed the rules the next day (because it would have meant the public vote was meaningless, despite paying for voting). A minor change of 1/2 a vote, which allowed Chambers to get through. I complained to BF, but they allowed the bet to stand, so I lost. In those days I was voting  on the X factor as well. Rarely bet on specials nowadays, just Spoty, when the price plummets.

That was another sliding doors style moment as I paid attention to the specials forum and the final, due to the controversy and mats angle. In which Tom Chambers produced his amazing showdance, after which it was palpably obvious he was going to run away with the title, the rest is history. I made plenty of mistakes at the start, including taking on Rybak at very shot odds Obviously I know now that he was absolutely unbeatable.

Plus of course, the bbc were obviously originally plotting to nail him before the final & inevitable win. All the ingredients needed to be successful at specials with pvs.

I'd rather stick needles into my eyeballs than watch strictly **** dancin'.

If you find yoursen inclined to sit down and watch the likes of strictly, Loose women, rockanation street, beastenders etc. go and get your testosterone level checked.

Even the money pinching Harry Redknapp looked as if he would pay to be anywhere but the finale of the jungle prog.

Clearly it helps if you gain a modicum of entertainment as well as profits from these shows. And to be fair, most of them achieved that back in the good old days. I'd put scd in the tolerable bucket last year. Eurovision vote/score reveal is ace. Probably the only thing I'd still watch without the betting.

My wife does watch SCD but mutes the inane chat between the dance sequences. I shut myself in my office and watch sport. The presenters and judges are so dreadful that I would throw up after 2 minutes of SCD or any other game show.

The only good thing about Eurovision was when Terry Wogan used to say, "Now I want you to watch the guy at the back playing the bongo's"

My favourite ad lib from Wogan was when doing a link at the Olympics. "now we are going to the pool to watch synchronised drowning"

all staged and fixed ydc's