A bit about me.

So who is this guy UK-21? Well, nobody really. I'm not a known face at any of the UK's race-tracks, a regular at any of the UK's casinos or a frequent player in any of the many poker tournaments that take place, both in bricks and mortar venues and online. I'm certainly not a life-long seasoned gambler, and my gaming (you could read gambling) activities are limited to wagering modest amounts of money for entertainment purposes and for the challenge of seeing whether I manage to come out ahead or not (beating the "vig" so to speak).

In the past I learned how to count cards at the blackjack tables and had some success in applying the "Hi-Lo" count I learned for low stakes in various casinos across the UK. Nowdays I very rarely indulge, as across the country shoe dealt blackjack games have largely gone the way of the dinosaurs. It was an interesting and challenging distraction, and I met some interesting people, but it's now something I've long past put to bed. As for other forms of gambling, the combination of knowing the odds stacked against the punter, and being a very bad loser, means I do it only occassionally and for a few quid at most. I appreciate that profitable gambling opportuities can be found by those bright sparks who trouble themselves to seek them out, but I'm afraid that's not me (anymore).

Although I don't risk my ever diminishing disposible income at the tables as much as I use to, as I enjoy reading I still regularly peruse gambling related titles, and you'll see a link in the menu at the bottom of each page to reviews of over fifty books, together with some of movies and TV programmes, that I've written up. As you might expect these have been a veritable mixed bag, with a few I'd rate as "Excellent", the majority ticking the "OK" box but a sizeable proportion being "not so good" - and of the "not so goods" a fair number were simply garbage. Only my opinions though and I would encourage anyone interested to acquire their own copies and make their own judgements.

I still play poker online (for pennies) fairly regularly, although after many years of attempting to beat the rake or buy-ins I've stopped taking it quite so seriously - largely as I believe that it's not quite the "game of skill" that many would have others believe. I should say as well that despite seeing some bizarre turnups at times I've never really bought into any of the conspiracy theories around operators manipulating games, or having them "rigged for action", and have come to the conclusion that hold'em is just a highly volatile game where it's possible to improve in leaps and bounds whilst continuing to lose money. Sure, the more skillful players win more, or lose less, but at the level I play at it can be akin to an evening at the bingo hall.

From a work point of view, I work with numbers on a daily basis and regularly use spreadsheets (my tool of trade if you like) to support my endeavours and to undertake some fairly in-depth analysis exercises. I would rate myself as being an "advanced" Excel user. I'm cracking on a bit (got less time to come than I've already had, as I once heard the late George Melly say in a TV interview) with two grown up daughters and two grand-children to boot - so there's a fair few years on the clock. Having said that, I'd like to think I've got many more to come, and it's going to be several at least before the senile dementia sets in.

Why did I create this site?

I've always had an avid interest in the numbers behind games of chance, ever since I received a toy roulette wheel as a present when I was about eleven years old. This is partly the reason I created this site. When I first published it in 2012, it carried information on the different opportunities there are to gamble in the UK, the different games that could be found in UK casinos, the numbers behind them and a blog I regularly added to. As a consequence of my cutting back significantly on the amount of time I devote to it, the site is now slimmed down to just a few sections, presenting content that requires no maintenance but which others may find of use. At some stage in the future I may find the time to ramp things up, but for the time being it is what it is - a collection of my reviews plus some supporting material which I offer up with no conditions.

Best of luck with your punting !