Recreating your moment of triumph (or otherwise!)

Last year I realised the benefits of recording my screen whilst trading prerace http://betfairtradingmindgames.blogspot.com/2009/07/video-your-trading-with-screen.html

Now I have realised the possibility to watch back my trades on in-running markets in sync with the race replay (archived races are now free on the RUK website as well as ATR, no need to pay 20p to the Racing Post). It's great to be able to review and replay the betfair odds alongside the action - it's a lot cheaper than learning about the behaviour of the in-running markets by sticking some money in and hoping for the best!

I bought a second monitor for my laptop last year which has been worth every penny. I use it as the main monitor for trading and use the smaller laptop screen for ancillary information such as graphs and the bets manager. However this is also great for replaying videos as I can have my trading screen recreated on my main monitor in full-screen mode and have the race replay on my laptop also in full-screen. It took me a while to work out that on the ATR replays, if you double-click the replay it jumps to full-screen mode - doh!

For anyone looking for a new monitor now, my top tip for what it's worth, is to consider the resolution of the monitor as more important than the size of the screen. My 19" monitor has a higher resolution (i.e. shows more information) than many of the common resolutions for 21" and 23" screens. And it fits better on my desk!

When I first started dabbling with the in-running markets, it was quite amusing watching the replays - it was a bit like being at a pantomime where the audience is trying to warn of impending danger - "HE'S BEHIND YOU!!!!!" - I would be shouting at the screen, "NO, don't back that horse now, he's done for!". It's funny how the heat of the moment can make you see things very differently. Watching replays with the betfair market "live" can help you become more accustomed to what can and does happen.

Of course, nothing beats real experience and putting real money into the market, but at the very least it can be a useful tool to get up to speed before starting the day, or when returning from a holiday. Sometimes after a break I feel quite disconnected from the markets before starting the day. Often this goes quickly, but watching some videos of my trading first helps get me back in the swing of things.

For some reason my laptop clock drifts a few seconds between the weekly checks with internet time. This article shows you how to set Vista to automatically check every day. This means that you can accurately sync playback of your video (looking at your countdown timer recorded on your screen video) to the clock in-picture on the ATR/RUK race replay.

Whilst I haven't posted for some time the number of people reading hasn't gone down and it has been enjoyable to have more of a two-way dialogue as I have been replying to helpful and interesting comments from readers, especially regarding the spreadsheets. Thanks to all who commented!