Thursday 16 June 2011

Stanley Cup Runneth Over


As I suggested in the recent Mouths To Feed post, the pre-game value in game 7 of the Stanley Cup 'lay' in opposing the Vancouver Canucks at home at 1.71.

While they had won all three home games, they had not impressed in doing so, winning each by just the one goal, and as luck tends to do, it ran out last night as they lost 0-4 to the Boston Bruins.

Boston could still be backed at 1.89 when a goal ahead, and when the dust had settled, it was my biggest ice-hockey win of the season. Not that that announcement is as good as it sounds, since my forays into the sport are few and far between these days.

At the half-way point of June, usually a quiet month, this is already the second best June ever, although 2009 is unlikely to be beaten.

It's usually at this time of the year, when the NBA and NHL seasons conclude, that liquidity starts to pick up in the baseball. Time will tell.

The 'void-if-tied' rule on the 5 Innings Moneyline market means that in a game tied at the middle of the fifth innings, you can get a free bet on the home team. Unfortunately the only money available is usually £2.43 at 1.01 which is not going to make you rich any time soon, but it IS free money. I'm exploiting a loophole, something that many of you may have read about day trader Barnett Alexander, who has been fined £1 million for exploiting a loophole, or price-rigging the markets depending on your point of view, and making profits from spread-betting companies after betting on subsequent price movements. 

Sounds rather similar to 'spoofing' which reportedly goes on in horse-racing markets on a frequent basis. While Alexander claims to have done nothing wrong, when you use the accounts of others for your trades, that doesn't look good. Still, it was quite a clever idea I thought, unlike this motley crew from Shropshire, some of who, it is alleged, funded their gambling from 'pimping out' an under-age girl. Classy.

1 comment:

P said...

Based on the information set forth in the Barnett article, I think this is the height of hypocrisy.

A day trader profits from finding a weakness in the systems of the 'masters of the universe' who routinely manipulate markets and bring about financial crisis.

FSA goes after little guy who evened the scales a bit.

Not one word of the negligence of the trading house and their failure to pay attention to detail, just sanctimonious nonsense about market integrity.

It's like the Vegas casinos kicking out the rare person who wins too much or cracking down on card counters who have an edge over the house.