The VIP betting lounge

For those of us who are interested in such things, here's a safe space to discuss your ideas and premonitions. None of this is financial advice. Not even close. But it's a bit of fun for some. Keep it fun and gamble responsibly. Assume your mum is watching.

Each round I'll put my suggestions on this page. You're welcome to celebrate with me if they win, make fun of me when they don't, and add your own suggestions in the comments below. I'll keep a running tally of my results across the season in the interests of transparency. Best of luck to you all.

Round four

  • Tolutau Koula to score a try in the game between the Sea Eagles and the Roosters - $2.50
  • Kulikefu Finefeuiaki  to score a try in the game between the Broncos and the Dolphins - $3.90
  • Kaeo Weekes to score a try in the game between the Raiders and the Sharks - $2.60

Season results

  • Total outlay: $60
  • Total return: $63.00 (up $3.00)

Comments

MGM's picture

FANTASTIC!
Thanks for putting this together Thinker.
I think you're off to a good start there with those picks.
I'm going to include Preston for the Bulldogs.
I have a $10 bonus bet so I think I'll combine all four.

MGM's picture

Couldn't get Marky or Selwyn so replaced them with B/dogs -3.5 and Knights +7.5 .
With Best & Preston thats @ $14.40.

The Thinker's picture

@MGM

Nice start for you - half way there

Best of luck with game two

The Thinker

MGM's picture

Aaaarrrgh!
Both team's won outright and the odds would have been slightly better even!
Ah well , it was only a bonus bet about to expire.

The Thinker's picture

@MGM

No reward for being so close...sadly. 

Looks like you have your eye in though...nice suggestions.

All the best

The Thinker

MGM's picture

Big problems with S/Bet right now.
Online sport betting unavailable last hour or so... Horse racing was available though :-(
Called to place my multi over the phone and the young lady's Indian accent was so strong I had to keep getting her to repeat herself (no judgement btw) .
The poor girl couldn't understand me either and with time running out before kick-off I told her "thankyou but don't worry" and redialled.
Got a young man this time (also with a strong Indian accent) and he was also struggling.
He put my two tryscorer selections down as "first tryscorers" and when I corrected him he couldn't find the "anytime tryscorer" markets on any games and kept asking me if the games I was choosing were Live games (at 7:45pm on a Thursday).
Finally got a bet on (without my tryscorer selections) with 90 seconds to spare before Parra kicked off.
Then I had to sit and watch W.Warbrick and H.Grant score tries and my only other selection , W.Penisini get pulled back away from Storm's tryline by Munster!... also Storm to win -5.5.

I did ask the young guy if S/Bet had outsourced their phone betting to India (politely) and he answered that he was in Darwin.
I hope S/Bet are paying their people equally and fairly.
Meanwhile , I will be looking for another betting agency.

MGM's picture

Okay .. This is a pipe-dream and I've got $20 on it.
1 try each for A.Johnston, H.Farnworth, K.Nikorima, H.Tabuai-Fidow, and K.Kaloamatangi ... @ boosted odds of 365-1

MGM's picture

And a cover bet of Herbie Farnworth 1+try @$2.66x25
& Hammer,Herbie&Jye Gray @$13.75.

P.S.
Your comments section on the main page has been down since yesterday arvo btw.

The Thinker's picture

@MGM

Thanks for letting me know. I was up north for a few days. Fixed now.

All the best

The Thinker

MGM's picture

Used a $50 bonus bet for that Hammer,Herbie,Gray multi !!!!

The Thinker's picture

@MGM

Fair result here....well done sir :-)

All the best

The Thinker

Castle's picture

Loving this new section. Hope to see more people get involved!

MGM's picture

Hiya Castle and welcome :-)

Are you having a punt on the NRL this week?

MGM's picture

same game multi ..
Broncos -3.5
Reece Walsh (redemption time young man!)
Josh Addo-Carr
@ $3.75
If Any leg fails get up to $50 back in bonus bets.
I've gone the max.

Castle's picture

Hey MGM thanks for the warm welcome mate!

I tend to have a punt every weekend haha, my losses definitely outway my wins though but i love it nonetheless.

My pick this week is a SGM for bet return

$9.75
- Halftime/fulltime Parra/Bronco
- Mariner/Shibasaki A or B 1+try
- Mitchell Moses 4 points
- Adam Reynolds 6 points

MGM's picture

There's four underdog games that could easily surprise the bookies this week.
At the start of last season (or was it second last?) 7 out of 8 games were won by the underdogs.
so - Rabbits @ $2.23
Cowboys @ 2.35
Sharks @3.00
Knights @ 2.39
Combined that's @ $37.44 .

I have an "any leg fails" bonus from last week that I've split into
5 tens. ... think I'll plop one on this and maybe $5 combining this and the multi above (Broncos game) just for fun.

The Thinker's picture

@MGM

You raise a good point here.

For many years now, backing the underdogs through the first 3-4 rounds of the NRL has been a profitable enterprise.

Markets over-react...and we don't have enough evidence yet to make accurate choices.

It's partly why it gets easier to tip NRL games later in the season...more exposed form and a slightly more viable dataset.

Good luck tonight - will be cheering for you

The Thinker

MGM's picture

OK , I did combine them but dropped the Sharks out of the mix and used another bonus bet instead. Still got @ $35.06

I'm probably over-sharing but telling you after the event might sound like B.S.
:-)

MGM's picture

Rabbitohs to win , Latrell 2+ tries , Latrell 1st,2nd or 3rd try= $16.25

MGM's picture

Did I say Latrell? .. Stupid me! .. I should have said Alex of course :-(

MGM's picture

I'm wounded and back to square after that round one windfall ...
so I'll stick with you on 3 or 4 try scorers for the round and be happy with that.
I had some $ on Montoya tonight but he doesn't seem to like the rain.
Others are - Jye Gray for Rabbits v Tigers ...
Tuipulotu for the Dragons v Eels and Addo-Carr also ...
Laulilii for Tigers when they v Rabbitohs and Latrell also.

Good luck Thinker.
Maybe send an email to other tipsters that you might know enjoy a punt ... I'd really like this page to be successful.

The Thinker's picture

@MGM

I can see that people are visiting the page (and reading it)...so there is interest.

Best of luck with your picks in round 3. The bad weather that descended on Canberra last night didn't help my cause.

All the best

The Thinker

MGM's picture

Time to confess -
I have a multi :Storm -4.5 , Fa'alogo, J Howarth ,K Staggs - $18.45x $20
!9 mins to go and it's all down to Howarth! (+3)

MGM's picture

Tonight's Rabbitohs match means I now have 5 legs of my 7 leg multi... with Tuipolotu (Dragons) and Purdue (Cowboys) my 2 remaining legs.

First 5 are/were - Warriors H2H, Stonestreet(Sharks), Rabbits H2H, Latrell and Jye Gray.
Used a $20 bonus bet and odds are $51.87.
Fingers crossed I'll get back to where I was after round one !

MGM's picture

@The Thinker
I'm bewildered and pretty upset and hoping you can clarify something for me.
I don't mind losing my money when my decisions have been made with the use of accurate information ... official information.
The reason I chose Tuipolotu as a potential try scorer is because he was lining up against Addo-Carr who is renowned for rushing up in defense and often being out of position.
On the NRL's official website (and others such as Sportsnews) Tuipolotu is listed as being on the right wing in the no2 jersey and Addo-Carr on the left wing no5 position.
Likewise, Suli in no3 is listed opposite Russel in no4.
Yet Tuipolotu and Suli played on the left today.

This is not the first time my betting has been stuffed up in this way and I come away feeling cheated and mislead.
... Are NRL teams not obliged to put the correct numbers on the backs of their players ?
I can understand changes to positions due to injuries or some other unforeseen circumstance , but that's not the case here.
In the twelve years I played soccer in the no7 jersey I never played on the left wing ... it wouldn't have been allowed!

The Thinker's picture

@MGM

I understand your frustration and have felt it myself. More than once I've been disappointed with late (virtually unannounced) team changes like this. It's particularly important for wingers (key tryscorers for teams and the match-ups are an important part of most people's planning).

I suspect this just gets filed under 'bad luck...that's punting'. But it's more than bad luck...I think.

The one that grinds me the most are pointless indiscretions in the play that result in a try being overturned even when the indiscretion wasn't going to make any difference to whether or not the try has been scored. I can cop that one as bad luck...but it gets me cranky (usually with the player that caused the indiscretion).

Anyhoo....I had a win last night for a nice change. Hoorah!

Best of luck with all of yours

The Thinker

MGM's picture

Thanks for the reply Thinker , I know how busy you must be.
Yep, those pointless indiscretions that result in a pointless try are more than just frustrating. Hopefully the offender cops repercussions from teammates and coach that match our feelings.
I don't know if Tuipolotu was a team change or if he and Suli were just wearing the wrong numbers. Do you actually know if he usually plays on the left edge or the right?... I don't pay enough attention to know.

The Thinker's picture

@MGM

Typically a left edge winger, but these days players bob up just about everywhere...what with injury management, HIAs, sin bins etc

Very windy in Brisbane today - good luck to those trying to catch the high balls at Suncorp Stadium tonight.

All the best

The Thinker

MGM's picture

Purdue just got his try, by the way.

MGM's picture

@Thinker
No participation , even from you?
Too busy I guess.

The Thinker's picture

Apologies MGM

I did see you asked me a question about jersey numbers and was going to come back to it.

And I will

Good luck with your picks and punts in round four.

All the best

The Thinker

Castle's picture

I'll be doing a Multi for tonights games.

$7.47
Dallin WZ 1+ Try
West Tigers +15.5 Handicap
Kotoni Staggs 1+ Try
Dolphins Over 4.5 Total points first half.

Goodluck Lads!

MGM's picture

Looks good Castle.
I really like the Dolphins leg!
Good luck mate.

Castle's picture

Dallin let me down, everything else hit.

Still another 5 matches to go no worries haha.

MGM's picture

I had 2 multis on the Broncos match tonight.
Broncs -4.5 , Under 59.5 points , K.Staggs 1+ , G.Anderson 1+
That was voided when Anderson went off early and I was refunded my stake.
But I have another where I dropped Anderson out of it, but I've added B/dogs -3.5 , V.Kikau 1+ , Panthers -3.5 and Storm -5.5 ..... so that's alive and odds are @$24.99 x a $25 Bonus bet.

You may wonder why I have so many bonus bets ... whenever S/Bet offers 2 or more legs and if ANY leg fails get up to $50 back in bonus bets I go for it with the whole 50.
I have to learn to just take 2 legs ... I had Marky Mark to score 2+ and Roosters -5.5 but as I hovered over the green "Quick Bet" button I gave in to the urge to increase odds with extra legs.
So I added Under 49.5 (Correct) , Tolutau Koula 1+(correct) and James Tedesco 1+ (INcorrect) ... serve me right, huh? .... Teddy was actually the last one I added! :-(

Castle's picture

We must be the same person because I do exactly the same every Thursday for the any leg fails bet return - had a 3 legger 1+ try and total points and guess the last leg i needed to cross the line, yeah.. teddy of course.

Good luck with your remaning tip mate! I might tail your remaining legs, and knowing me i'll probably add more to it lol

MGM's picture

Hahaha!
Good luck with that Castle.
20mins in and Kikau is limping and there's some concern around him.
Knights up 4-0 and dominating despite being down to 12 men for ten mins !

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