Like millions of other sports-mad gamblers around the world, Dave Farrar loved taking on the bookies. But when the girl that he loved walked out on him without explaining why, it all went wrong and he embarked on an ill-disciplined six-month losing streak that made him decide that he was done with punting forever. As he started to get over the fact that the girl wasn't coming back, he resolved not to give up without a fight. But this time, he was going to do it properly, making sure that he did enough research to take on the bookmakers and win. In The Perfect Punter, Farrar delves into the detail of every sporting event he'd lost money on in that bad run to make sure that, whenever he placed a bet in the future, he would know more about it than anyone else. He travels around the world following the sporting calendar, meeting experts who help him get to the bottom of each event so he can try to win back every penny that he lost. From snooker at the Crucible and racing at Cheltenham, to tennis at Roland Garros, golf's Ryder Cup and the US Superbowl, The Perfect Punter is the engrossing story of one man's journey to overcome the odds.
The Perfect Punter
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.40
Trade in The Perfect Punter: A Year of Losing Everything and Trying to Win it All Back for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.40, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more
|
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
About the Author
Dave Farrar is a commentator and writer, covering football for ESPN and boxing for Channel 5 as well as working in horse racing, golf and cricket. The Perfect Punter is his first book.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Jon Driscoll
Format:Paperback
This is a superbly written book for sports fans, particularly those who like a bet. Firstly, let me declare an interest: Dave is a friend and former colleague of mine and for that reason I was shocked when I read his account of how he had fallen into a crazy spell of betting and losing, sparked off by the end of a relationship with his girlfriend. This book is about Dave's attempt to get to grips with his gambling but his approach is a million miles from conventional. An addiction counsellor would probably tell someone in Dave's position to stay well away from the bookies and close his online accounts. Instead he embarked on a journey to attend the sporting events that had cost him most dearly in his losing streak. His portrayal of these trips is the strength of the book. As a sports travelogue it excellent and the author has a fantastic grasp of the subjects and air of authority that is delicately mixed with self-effacing humour.
Potential readers should be aware that there are a couple of things this book is not. He does not teach you how to bet well. There are plenty of times during the story at which I despaired, and wished he would simply give up gambling. He studies the events in great detail but doesn't get clinical about it. For example, he has a bet on a tennis player to win an event at 28-1 and when she gets to the final he doesn't `lay off' the bet to lock in his winnings but watches the final knowing that it is all or nothing.
And sports fans don't worry - it is not a love story. There is a girl on the opening page but she soon fades when he gets down to the real business of deciding how to win two grand on the Ryder Cup.
The Perfect Punter is a terrifically good sports book, and if that is what you like, you should give it a go.
Potential readers should be aware that there are a couple of things this book is not. He does not teach you how to bet well. There are plenty of times during the story at which I despaired, and wished he would simply give up gambling. He studies the events in great detail but doesn't get clinical about it. For example, he has a bet on a tennis player to win an event at 28-1 and when she gets to the final he doesn't `lay off' the bet to lock in his winnings but watches the final knowing that it is all or nothing.
And sports fans don't worry - it is not a love story. There is a girl on the opening page but she soon fades when he gets down to the real business of deciding how to win two grand on the Ryder Cup.
The Perfect Punter is a terrifically good sports book, and if that is what you like, you should give it a go.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By mobygocrespo
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Follow a painful break-up, Farrar tried for some salvation with sports betting, a subject he's well versed in but in post break-up grief gambled recklessly and unluckily, losing heavily (been there myself). Having got his head together, this is his account of trying to get some of that cash back by travelling to the events he lost on to find a way to get one step ahead of the bookies and taking everything he could into account - site conditions on the day, chatting to experts, commentators, players, fans and covering a wide variety of sports in venues all over the world, from the Crucible to Belmont Park, from American Football to Italian Football and various other sports and venues in between, finishing up at Goodwood for the Stewards' Cup.
Farrar has a dry sense of humour and the book's an entertaining read although if you're looking for it to provide the magical ingredients to beat the bookies - well if he had all the answers he'd be too busy making millions than writing a book although you'll pick-up some largely common sense but useful ideas as you read through and he's certainly encouraged me to get back to keeping a diary of my bets and thinking of adjusting my betting to aiming to win the same amount every time (his target is £2k each time, just a bit beyond my means!). I tip up the book as an enjoyable read but if you want to get rich in sports betting, immerse yourself in your chosen sport and keep your fingers crossed too!
Farrar has a dry sense of humour and the book's an entertaining read although if you're looking for it to provide the magical ingredients to beat the bookies - well if he had all the answers he'd be too busy making millions than writing a book although you'll pick-up some largely common sense but useful ideas as you read through and he's certainly encouraged me to get back to keeping a diary of my bets and thinking of adjusting my betting to aiming to win the same amount every time (his target is £2k each time, just a bit beyond my means!). I tip up the book as an enjoyable read but if you want to get rich in sports betting, immerse yourself in your chosen sport and keep your fingers crossed too!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Douglas Ord
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I read this on the basis of the review given by Bruce Millington and the 2 reviews already on here, 1 good and 1 bad. There were many parts of the book I could identify with, even his liking for American politics and his love of The West Wing. I have the box set and have watched the entire series 5 times. If I sound like a nerd i,m not (at least I think not). Like Farrar I identify with Josh Lyman.
The bets he has and the sports he chooses are probably most common to all punters and easy to get into. I did not find the detail of his selections to nit picky and found parts of the book quite poignant, eg like meeting Secratariats jockey at Belmont.
It was uncanny that in his golf chapter he talked about following Snedeker, believing that one day he would win a major, as I followed the same player with the same belief. And like most punters we all have stories about the one that got away. Mine was missing out on Fred Funk at 300/1. As I said a lot of the book rang true with me.
If you have no interest in betting I suspect this is not the book for you. If on the other hand you have ever said to yourself, "why did I put that bet on" or what a plonker I was etc etc then you might just enjoy it. Don't look for the secret to everlasting riches as you won't find it here
The bets he has and the sports he chooses are probably most common to all punters and easy to get into. I did not find the detail of his selections to nit picky and found parts of the book quite poignant, eg like meeting Secratariats jockey at Belmont.
It was uncanny that in his golf chapter he talked about following Snedeker, believing that one day he would win a major, as I followed the same player with the same belief. And like most punters we all have stories about the one that got away. Mine was missing out on Fred Funk at 300/1. As I said a lot of the book rang true with me.
If you have no interest in betting I suspect this is not the book for you. If on the other hand you have ever said to yourself, "why did I put that bet on" or what a plonker I was etc etc then you might just enjoy it. Don't look for the secret to everlasting riches as you won't find it here
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see the review
5.0 out of 5 stars
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good read - would recommend
Entertaining read, no strategies described but rather one man's mission and why he made the bets he did when he did
Published 10 months ago by Dolphe
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fun read
I really enjoyed this book. You can take it seriously; some interesting points are made about gambling. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Christopher Cooper
4.0 out of 5 stars
Punter
Good and entertaining read. Quite a roller coaster ride, funny and tragic in parts. A 'must' for serious punters. Would recommend it. Thanks
Published 13 months ago by S. B. Sharp
1.0 out of 5 stars
Boring and Tedious - Disappointing
The title has great potential but the content disappoints.
Dave Farrar drifts from sport to sport with no sense or logic. Read more
Dave Farrar drifts from sport to sport with no sense or logic. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Pat James
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Great First Quarter
It's a title that just has to seduce every self confessed wannabe perfect punter. I would suspect that there is no punter who has lost and never thought that he must try and win it... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mr. Peter Davies
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
