Should you pay for tips?

I see this debate a lot, some people think it’s an absolute crime to even suggest paying for tips whilst others are happy to do it frequently.

So why should or shouldn’t you pay for tips?

If you have plenty of time to look through all the races each day and choose the best horse that is most likely to win the race (compared to all the other horses in the race) then no you probably shouldn’t pay for tips as you can do the research yourself. Naturally you also need to be either experienced or prepared to learn about all the variables, acronyms and pieces of form that make up a race card! I am a big believer that it takes time to consistently pick winners, it really isn’t something you can glance at and pick a winner in a couple of minutes- well maybe you can once or twice or get lucky but it doesn’t pay over time at all!

If you don’t have the time, or desire to spend that time, or the experience to understand all the various factors that can influence which horse wins a particular race, then yes, it can be helpful to follow a tipster and/or pay for tips.

Remember, when you are paying for tips you are essentially paying for research on a horse’s form in most cases- nobody can ever 100% say any given horse is going to win a race. Even with “inside information” all sorts can happen out there on the track. So the best you are going to get is improving your chances of getting a winner, please don’t fall into the trap of believing hype about “dead-certs” etc. Of course there are horses that are “more likely” to win a race and that’s what you should be hoping for, not hoping for guaranteed winners as realistically there is rarely such a thing!

If you can look at “tips” as well researched information and not guaranteed winners then that’s a good start!

Even then though it’s not straightforward, there are lots of tipsters so what should you look for?

Honesty and transparency for me is at the forefront of importance here for me. No-one is going to get you winners all the time, that is an absolute fact, so base your research on tipsters on their overall knowledge, research and honesty rather that winners alone. Here are some extra pointers that we believe make for a good tipster.

Can they show you results for a reasonable period of time?

Again this is actually really subjective. Someone who has had 3 years of great profit could still realistically start a run of really bad results just at the time you join, so the disclaimers that past performance aren’t an indicator of future success are really very true in this way. Does that mean they’re a rubbish tipster? Well obviously not necessarily no! That’s why you can’t take a few results as an indicator of success or failure. Therefore my best advice here would be to go with a tipster who you feel really understands the selections he is giving and gives some good blurb about why- that way you can (and should) always make your own final decision on whether to back the particular tipped horse each day or not.

So past results are useful and you should look for them when choosing a reliable tipster but try to think of them as a reference for the type of horses the tipster selects and the odds rather than just look at the strike rate alone. Remember you don’t have to back every horse even if you do pay for tips, you must at the end of the day always take responsibility for your own decisions here.

How often do they tip?

I see this so many times- punters and indeed tipsters often view their “best value” packages as the one that offers the most tips per day for your subscription fee.

Now if you’re into statistics even in a basic way you’ll know that the more selections you make on a day (given the complexity and variables involved in a horse winning a race) then the less likely it is you will come out on top if you repeat this every day. Also if you are the type of person to feel you have to back every single horse every day if you’ve “paid” for the tips then multiple tips can cost you a lot in stake money. On the other hand if you are the kind of person who can review the tips as advice and then pick a smaller number to actually back, then a maxi package of tips might be ok for you.

Generally though I feel a nap of the day and then maybe a longer shot value optional tip is the way to go. Obviously if you like a fun bet like a Lucky15 then you might choose a service that offers a Lucky 15 package rather than a nap or e/w value bet, but again this doesn’t have to be every day for you to feel you are getting value for money. At the end of the day well researched tips that the tipster honestly feels have a good chance of winning are better than someone who dishes out tips because their members have paid for them expecting them every day, even if they’re struggling to find a good 4 for a realistic Lucky 15 each day.

So in summary, quality over quantity can be a good sign here. Also (and again entirely down to personal opinion) it’s a good thing to not feel tied to having a bet every day.

Do they have good customer care?

Might seem a strange one to add here because let’s face it tipsters aren’t generally know for their customer care and tend to be judged on their wins or losses alone. However I do think it’s a good sign if they are responsive to any reasonable emails or queries you may send and more importantly that they offer you a way to contact them easily.

When you choose to pay for tips you have to accept that not all of them are going to win and more than that- there is always (even with the best tipster to ever live!) the chance that you can lose money- that’s betting for you. So with that in mind it’s good to know that you are paying for a service where you can get answers to any genuine questions or queries you may have (and no, that doesn’t include asking for refunds whenever a tip loses!!).

Summary

So should you pay for tips?

The decision as always is yours- if you can afford them and don’t have time to do your own research AND can find a tipster whose research you are happy with (and remember that doesn’t mean they are going to win all the time), then why not?

On the other hand, if you have plenty of time to learn and do your own research then you can probably have a good go at picking your own selections, recording your results and seeing how you get on.

Of course there are plenty of people who pay for tips and do their own research too! In fact that can be a great way to narrow down selections for the day before picking a winner (let the tipster do the hard work of going through all the race cards for the day and then you just decide whether to follow their tips that day or not .

I hope this article has given you some food for thought about paying for tips and whether it’s for you or not. If you have any questions just get in touch.