can't wait to see the actual jury/pv split votes, guess that will be in 4 weeks time

so denmark got more points than azerbaijan with 1 less country in the semi

yes fll its here: http://www.eurovision.tv/page/history/by-year/contest?event=1793

no nil points this year

What were the odds on Ireland finishing last? I didn't expect that at all,  I thought they'd finish above the UK

Press centre vote as bad as ever; only got 5 out of the top 10

Counting everything about 180 down.  Tried to trade some of my 2500 green zlata at 5s to level out but missed it.  Can't complain and had a decent run for a while tonight.  Have to say your 3 big reds had me worried for you.

I wasn't worried yesterday but the market going so against me today, meant I was pretty resigned to my fate.

This is part of the reason why I was in such a bad position.

Eurovision Song Contest 2013/Eurovision Song Contest 2013 Outright  Denmark   20/1  Won  C  £2.50  £52.50 

A couple of years ago, or even a year ago I'd have been able to get a couple of hundred at that price and would have been sitting pretty.

I think I managed £400 on Loreen just after she won her national final @ 9/2

£2.50 is quite a difference

Yes I have lost on 2 on the trot...back to basics.

Only one I could see coming back for the victory song was Denmark but I went into denial rather than back her at 2.5.  For all the usual block voting which was as bad as ever tonight you can't really argue with the top 10 we got.

Usual lesson learned of losing is worse than winning is good and take a profit when you can.

I know this is a repeat subject but there are nothing wrong with reverses or losing on an event. The main thing is that they were the right bets at the time. I think it would be much worse to have lumped on Denmark just to get out of a hole, not because it was thought to be a near certainty and still value. Sometimes I suspect we get used to the 'right' bet also winning. The last few years we've has something trading very short very early on, so if you missed most of the early value on Denmark, it's a tricky place. Then we may be looking for reasons to oppose it. Think of all the profits made opposing France that year. The market is much more efficient than it used to be I guess, being very much a part-timer these days I'm only picking up the scraps

Personally I do struggle to get to grips with the jury element of eurovision. I'm expecting Marco to have done well on the pv, so we'll see.

15min.lt have this morning come out with an extraordinary story that points towards Azerbaijan paying people to vote for them in the Eurovision final. They have this morning reported the story of students in Vilnius who were approached by two Russian men, and were payed to vote for Azerbaijan in last night’s Eurovision final. Each of the students were payed 20 Euros for each time that they voted for the specific artist.

The paper then sent a number of undercover reporters with cameras and voice recording equipment to a cafe where they would be given sim cards to vote with. At the meeting the men boasted how this was done in almost all the countries taking part in the contest and how that they did it across countries as not to cause suspicion.

Each group that is payed had five phones each and then must vote as many times as possible in the 15 minute window. After the 15 minutes a group manager then checks the number of votes sent for the country. The men went on to say that the same thing happens during the semi finals. The most interesting part is where he admitted that Azerbaijan use this technique in 15 countries, and that Russia are also involved in buying votes.

Interesting Lithuania gave Azerbaijan 12 points last night and 7 points to Russia meaning for the first time in years Georgia scored only 8 from Lithuania.

N1 bear. That's a pretty good peak for 11pm

Small profit overall, but missed several main bets - Norway win, Spain to be last, Romania and Estonia top 10 all cost me.

Winners: Italy top 10, Azer top 4, Israel not to qualify, Netherlands top 10.

Bit of a kind of year for ESC really.

Predictable short priced winner.

With the jury/pv system, then I don't think there will ever be any certainties, stu. Except that Azer will be top 4 if the cheats are allowed to get away with paying for votes every year.

I agree Cider. Backing at value prices is the key. The problem these days is getting on...and I can't see that changing.
I also got screwed by the draw with the my Ukraine/Russian bets. I am sure their positions on the leaderboard would have been reversed with their positions in the running order were reversed. Belgium, my main top 10 vote, another one that would have come in with a late draw.

Maybe becoming more of a trader is the way forward and backing acts/countries who I think will shorten, even if I don't see them as value at the time.

Russia would have been top 4 for sure with a better draw FLL

3 of the 'hot' girls were all late on. More Ukraine and Denmark but Norway also.

Ireland wasn't terrible, altho I noted it was a bit 'gay'. But it was dramatic all action and quite memorable anyway.  For a country that's Euro friendly last place does suggest the draw has less impact than might be suspected.

The lesson I will take from this, in eurovision, being overtly sexy is not a barrier. I'd have thought most female (voters) would have wanted to scratch Zlata's eyes out.

Well, exactly

I think that this was a very tricky year in retrospect. The fact that the songs were not the best this time around made it very tempting to go against Denmark when even getting on it on Tuesday night and laying off before the final would have netted a 0.5 return. Perhaps the technique now is really just to ride the drift in of a short priced favourite.

Another major complicating factor was the Balkan wipeout. If the Balkans had been competing the lead would not have been as great but it surely would have won. If Azerbaijan are truly fixing things then they should be banned for a year. It's pathetic. I do know quite a few Eastern Europeans though and they liked the song so there was genuine support for it from my experience. I find Ukraine's strength more hard to fathom (and Ukraine have bombed before), their song was a mess and the giant walking on was so clumsy. Running order and voice quality are clearly a factor but also perhaps a poverty of choice.

And can we lay the phrase 'pimp slot' to bed? That is all about x-factor and nothing to do with Eurovision. There are 26 songs for God's sake, I think people are often flagging by the end. The period from around 16-22 is probably the bit that has the most attention paid to it at least at parties that I have been too.

Anyway I didn't have a good year but I enjoyed and appreciated all the forum comments (including when I was lurking during Jan to Apr). Cheers.

Cider
Three of the first four featured attractive women....
_________

Four of the first four if you include the totty who joined the Azer guy on stage midway through