Just wondering where all you good folk fall in the big scheme of things regarding being a Backer or Layer.
I know there is a mixture of each who contribute here, even a few traders I suspect.
I think that I fall mostly into the Backer side of things, having been a punter for 30+ years.
Have tried the Lay side of things, albeit with a backers mindset in hindsight, and got a terrible flogging. (have you ever seen a bag of wheat fall off the back of a truck? well, that's what I looked like after about a month of laying).

Although I have started laying a few over the last couple of months with very pleasing results. The reason for the improved results does not come from any striking difference in selection method, but rather a different mindset.
To be fair though, I have stopped panic bets and blood rush type ones as well, which has helped.
Discipline, it seems is paramount.
Thoughts more than welcomed.

Layer.

It takes nerves of steel and the discipline of a clergyman to run it though.

A punter gets a run of outs of 5 losing bets, he loses $50 at $10 a pop.
A layer gets a run of 5 lays that win, he loses $100 at $10 laid on 2/1 shots.

The punter only needs to find 2 winners at those odds to break even.
The layer needs to find 10 losers to recoup his loss

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Hi Joe

Lay, lay, lay, and then more lay for me. Almost all of my bets are lays.
My advice (for what it's worth) is to lay those in the market, try to have as few losers as you can, and have manageable risks. You and I know that Tuesday Joy was a good lay yesterday, and it was made all the sweeter when the rank outsider got up. CP's example is true of course, if you only lay 1 horse per race, which I hate doing. I have had days when I've lost minimal amounts on say 7 races in a row, only to get it all back with interest on 1 result. You do need discipline and a bookies mindset.

Mark,
Yes, couldn't agree more, I only lay them up to double figures, and have been traveling a whole lot better since I stopped laying them one out.
Have just been finding it hard to get my mind into Bookie mode, although a coule of good results on Sat. has me more or less convinced.:-)

CP, discipline was never one of my strong suits as a backer, sad but true, but with the lay side of things it seems to be rule #1. It probably should have been with the backing side of things too in hindsight.
PS send me over some of those steel nerves if you would :-)

Just as a sidenote i backed that rank outsider because i thought it was one of the better performed at the distance and in the conditions.

Guess that makes me a backer, but i don't mind swinging both ways.