The first time is somewhat flattering, the second time mildly amusing but by the third time it’s just annoying. I’m talking about being banned by your bookie and it’s a problem encountered by successful punters throughout the world. While many bookmakers are good at generating publicity for taking large bets, you may be surprised just how quickly they ban winning punters. Some bookies only want the ‘mug money’ and target those who have been long-term losing TAB punters. Winners might be grinners but they are also quickly banned. When deciding whether to limit your bets or close your account, bookmakers will analyse factors such as the following: Bet size - as a general rule the bigger the bet, the more likely it is for your account to be flagged. But this isn’t always the case as I have known of even relatively small (but profitable) wagers to result in accounts being closed. Bet timing - if you’re betting just before the jump it doesn’t allow the bookie to manage his risk or exposure as well as they would like. Backing market movers - bookies are a very quick to take a disliking to ’steam’ punters who consistently get on at prices that shorten soon after. Betting ill-liquid markets - wagering large amounts on low-profile events (and winning) will see your account attract unwanted interest very quickly. Specialising - if you bet exclusively within a certain state (or sport) you’re also more likely to be limited or banned. Profitability - both in terms of dollars and profit on turnover. Bookmakers run client profiling software over your account to ascertain whether you’re winning at a level that is higher than they are comfortable with, which in many cases is a very low threshold. So how do you avoid being banned, or otherwise find a way to still get your bets on? Well obviously you can take note of the above and try to limit the warning signs. You can also have a few small fun bets to reduce your average bet size and bet across other states and/or sports. Many punters decide to go in the back door by using friends or family and betting under their account. However some bookies are so wary of winners that they will call the account holder to try and get a feel for whether they are actually doing their own betting. The girlfriend of a professional punter I know got a call from a bookmaker congratulating her on a winning streak, but really he was just trying to find out if she knew anything about racing so he’d know whether it was in fact her placing the bets. She didn’t know one end of a horse from the other and ‘her’ account was closed immediately. Another pro punter I know decided to just be up front with one of the main bookmaker’s he uses when a few questions were asked of him early on. The punter was honest in saying that he was a professional and expected to win. This was a few years ago and the bookmaker continues to take his bets to this day as he can see the benefit in receiving winning information from a pro punter. He simply lays off the bets with other bookies or elsewhere. Betfair is a godsend for professional punters as they actually encourage you by reducing your commission rate as your bets increase. It’s in their best interests to attract high turnover punters to the site as they don’t have any exposure like a bookmaker, instead they just take a small percentage of all the winning bets. The liquidity at Betfair on Australian horse racing is getting better all the time and this will continue to improve, especially now that the cross-border advertising restrictions have now been lifted. While many people think that developing a profitable approach is the sole ingredient to punting success, many winning punters would argue that their second biggest challenge is being able to get their bets on. No Tags

Takeover Target is a horse who proves you don’t have to have a great pedigree and a big-name trainer behind you to become a champion. This sensational sprinter, who was recently named Australian Champion International Performer for the third consecutive season, was bought for just $1250 in 2004 by his taxi driver owner and trainer Joe Janiak from Queanbeyan, NSW. So far Takeover Target has won over $5 million in prize money: now that’s a good investment! Takeover Target’s start in racing wasn’t auspicious. Sired by Celtic Swing out of the unraced dam Shady Stream, Takeover Target did not debut until he was nearly four because of leg and joint problems. It was a start worth waiting for though; in his first year of racing, 2004, he won his debut at Queanbeyan Racecourse and followed that up with a 7-race winning streak. After this successful year (which included winning the Group 1 Salinger Stakes at Flemington) Takeover Target had more injuries, which kept him off the racetrack for another six months. 2005 was a mixed year for the horse until December, when he won the Group 3 Summer Stakes at Doomben and also broke the 1200 metre track record. His form held into 2006, and his great achievement of being only the second horse to win Flemington’s three major Group 1 sprints: the Lightning Stakes, Salinger Stakes, and Newmarket Handicap. This gave Takeover Target an invite to the prestigious British Royal Ascot carnival in June. In Britain, he won the King’s Stand Stakes and he began to be described as the best sprinter in the world on turf. At the end of the 2005-06 season Takeover Target was named Australian Champion Sprinter. From England, Takeover Target flew to Japan and won the Group 1 Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama. He was the short-odds favourite for the Hong Kong International Sprint, which would have netted a further US$1 million bonus for winning Group 1 Global Sprint races in three of the four host countries. The dream was not to be, however, and instead stewards withdrew him on the day of the race for returning a positive hormone test. Takeover Target was still Global Sprint Challenge Champion for 2006, finishing with 53 points, well clear of the second-placed horse on 17 points. Back in Australia, Takeover Target didn’t return to racing in Australia in 2007, as injury and a virus forced him to miss racing until he ran the Group 1 All Aged Stakes, Randwick in April - where he ran fifth. He returned to England’s Royal Ascot again in 2007, although he didn’t win. The outbreak of equine flu in NSW meant that he missed the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. At Randwick’s Open Handicap race in December, he won, defeating Dance Hero. Again 3 weeks later at Randwick, Takeover Target won over 1200 metres. In 2008, Takeover Target has continued his fine form by winning the Singapore Turf Club’s Group 1 KrisFlyer International Sprint over 1200 metres at Kranji Racecourse, in a new track record time. At the end of the 2007-2008 season, he was named Australian Champion International Performer for the third consecutive season… It looks like Takeover Target hasn’t finished with his sensational sprinting yet! No Tags