Remember, folks, the bookie always wins, no matter what

Punters Guide comment

Definition of a good punter? When he wins, he puts the money in his pocket and goes home. Possibly stopping for a pint on the way.
Through this column throughout the years we have brought you endless stories of punters who have had massive windfalls, but have they held on to their winnings? Sometimes, but mostly not.
One local bookmaker was being hit hard in the pocket for the first six weeks of the new soccer season with a heavy-hitting punter latching on to the biggest odds-on shot on the coupon every week and taking the bookie for a few quid in the process.
His bets were simple. Arsenal at home at 1/5, for example – he placed a five grand bet to win a grand. The internationals came up and he stuck to his guns – with Spain at 1/8 he bet eight grand to win a grand.
Was the bookmaker worried? The only worry our layer had was that the heavy-hitting punter might change his bookmaker.
The guy was five grand ahead when it all went pear-shaped. He had five grand on to win one when Liverpool hosted Stoke a few weeks back; the goalless draw played right into the grateful bookmaker’s hands and it was all even. The punter licked his wounds and came right back the following week with a SIX grand bet – this time on Arsenal again, 1/6 to win at home to Hull. The rest is history. Our punter was now six grand down and was nowhere to be seen last weekend.
I always remember a story that my father told me about his bookmaking mate and it has steered me right all these years. His mate was taking a terrible tanking from a local businessman who owned two shops. We are talking early 70s and the businessman in question was backing in hundreds – big money way back then – and just couldn’t lose. My Da said to his mate, ‘I would stop taking bets from him, he’s cleaning you out.’ The local layer turned to my Da and said those famous bookmaker words, ‘As long as he doesn’t change his bookie, I’ll be fine.’ A year on and that same layer not only got his money back, he now owned two shops as well.
So folks, if you win a few quid, keep it. You get golden runs in this game, but like everything else, your luck will run out sometime.
This is why in any pitch there is ONE pay-out clerk and FOUR cashiers taking bets. That, my friends, tells its own story. And remember, there are no poor bookmakers.