My first attempt at NFL

I finally took the plunge and dipped my toes into the murky NFL waters this evening. For no other reason than the subject of my post about Mr Lombardi the obvious game of choice to trade was that between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions. I am pleased to be able to report that I somehow managed to turn an initial £20 liability into a £45 green  - I used chicken stakes for my first trade!

So, what did I learn?

Firstly, that it is useful to suspend normal European logic when trading across the pond.

I had noticed the '@' symbol in the coupon on Geek's Toy and had assumed The Geek has misplaced his 'v' somewhere. I was immediately impressed by the sheer numbers of away teams that were red hot favourites! This looked an interesting proposition. It wasn't until I noticed on the Flashscores screen that the team names were reversed that I queried what was going on. The ever helpful Robbo explained in patiently indulgent terms that of course the '@' symbol informs you that the Lions were 'visiting with' the Packers....so the home team on the coupon were the away team on the pitch....right....

Having got my head round that one, the second thing  I then learnt was that the game was to consist of four quarters each of 15 minutes duration. And would take about three hours to play......the Packers' game actually lasted nearly four hours! When I was a younger and fitter man I'd have been on my second pint after 18 holes of golf in that time!

The third thing that I learnt was that Flashscores is even slower at updating the scores in NFL than it is with soccer... a more accurate source of information about what is going on is needed I feel...

Those observations are, of course, tongue in cheek. I actually quite enjoyed the swings that went on, laying , greening, using that green as the liability on another lay. I hadn't a clue what was going on in the game, but strangely found the markets quite readable, and gappy. A scalper's paradise in fact. I especially liked the complete absence of the 'Suspended' sign flickering on and off like a Belisha beacon!

I made 26 individual trades during that game. Did I over trade it or under trade it? I haven't a clue to be honest - but it was an educational experience. Perhaps I was very fortunate with my game choice, perhaps the next time I try it I'll come horribly unstuck. My suspicion, however, is that there is consistent money to be made from these markets for little liability and I like the thought of that. It hasn't made me want to understand the mechanics of the game, even less to watch it, but I will take a detailed look at it from a stats point of view and will definitely be back for more.

One thought from flicking between the match I was trading on the Toy and the Betfair coupon was that in closely matched NFL games a nice green might be available from a simple lay the field at say 1.8. Perhaps some more knowledgeable than I could advise?