The part-time punter's guide to making it pay - without the stress of the pros

I reckon I could have a fair go at most jobs. I even think I'd make a decent prime minister, standing on the Free Beer Today And No Half-Baked Affordability Checks For Non-Problem Gamblers ticket.

However, I'd draw the line at being a professional punter, which surely must be the most psychologically demanding occupation available in any non-war-torn nation. I'm not talking about serious recreational gambling here but full-on, mortgage-paying, family-satisfying, confidence-shredding hard graft.

Recently in these pages we've been given insight into what pro punters put themselves through in order to keep the show on the road as well as their golden rules on making it pay. People might have thought it was easy, having a few bets, taking the bookies to the cleaners while driving around in a Rolls-Royce, or at the very least making a nice percentage on turnover, but the pressures of putting food on the table through the medium of horses are enormous.