Interview with a Layer

John Tuohy

This week Mark hooked-up with the legendary John Tuohy, who writes his own successful and sometimes satirical blog called The Gambler "A Year in The Life of an Online Gambler" which details his exploits trading on Betfair.

Why be a layer?
I prefer to look at the activity as ‘trading’ as against being pigeonholed into a backer or layer. This gives more options from a psychological perspective and my favoured option preferably is in-running on sports rather than horse racing.

Do you remember your first lay?
My first lay was a young lady called Eileen. [Mark – We hope that wasn’t her real name, to protect her modesty!]
I started gambling from about 5 years old of age, when my uncle taught me how to play 25, and used to let me win. [Mark – Gee you started early!]
On the betting exchanges since about 1999 when a friend of a friend who told me to give it a go. You could not lay before exchanges unless you were a bookmaker so this was an obvious attraction too many. The exchanges have improved over the years but am not sure how you can improve exchanges for layers.

What was your best ever lay?
I am more a backer/trader rather than a layer so therefore I haven’t had a ‘best ever lay’ as such.

…and what was your worst?
Similar answer to above.

Would you lay anything?
I tend to back and then lay…i.e. I trade for a small/large profit. For trading the best sports are Golf, Tennis, Cricket, NFL, Football, and occasionally racing.

What is your Golden rule of laying?
Never lay Tiger Woods. [Mark – enough said!]

And finally, have you any advice for Donkeyites?
For me if you want to make money out of exchanges the way to go is trading. Over the last couple of years I have dropped most of my advice on gambling/trading on my blog http://john2e.typepad.com Not so much recently as I have been taking a break.
[Mark – Thanks John, for your input and always a pleasure to read your blog. ]