Caan Berry is a professional gambler, betfair trader, and betting content creator on YouTube where he has had 25,000,000 views to date. He went from zero to £18,000/month in less than two years with a logical strategy. Now, he helps many others on their journeys to do the same. Follow Caan on X.
What was the first bet you ever placed and when was it?
As a kid I was always told to avoid gambling so it wasn’t until I spent Boxing Day with the family of a girl I was seeing in 2007. It was an annual ritual of theirs so I went along to the local Hills where I put a few bets on the days racing. I couldn’t tell you which race or selection it was on, I was just going with the flow – it wasn’t a calculated move.
When did you first discover Betfair, and did you see the potential straight away?
I stumbled across Betfair Exchange shortly after that initial exposure. There wasn’t any prominent social media and mobile phones were horrible back then so things were quite different. I can’t remember what came first but around the same time someone recommended Geeks Toy software to me, and I also watched a TV segment about a guy that was trading the exchange for considerable sums. From that moment it had my attention.
Why did you decide to blog about your Betfair journey?
For those who remember it, blogger was the way to connect back then. Facebook and the like were in their infancy so it was a way to document my Betfair trading progress, hold myself accountable and connect with others doing similar. It didn’t take long for people to start showing an interest, particularly once I started to make consistent profits.
What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received about betting?
There’s been several, although they often centre around the same core message – focus on process over outcomes, detach yourself from emotion and manage the downside first.
Focus on process over outcomes, detach yourself from emotion and manage the downside first.
If you’re doing that, whilst looking for logical value profits will inevitably come. One of the biggest turning points for me came when reading ‘The Snowball’ about Warren Buffet. That famous quote about being fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful was somewhat of an ‘aha’.
And the worst?
Quite literally anything in the mainstream media, it’s endless, although I guess the pundits have to be saying something don’t they. ‘Bet big when you’re confident’ is a prime example, confidence doesn’t equate to value, it leads to emotional decisions.
What has been the most exciting innovation in sports betting over the last few years?
It has to be betting exchanges doesn’t it? They transformed the sports betting landscape, they’re central to almost all pricing online. It’s just a shame they’ve been kneecapped by corporate strategy, share price concerns and mergers.
How long did you trade for before making consistent profits?
It took me about 18 months of trial and error, during which I made every mistake possible. Persistence and learning from those mistakes were key. There were so many red-herrings along the way. The worst part had to be the distractions and inevitable dead-ends promoted by those with alternative agendas. I won’t say any more because the last time I mentioned this in an interview, the interviewee got a legal letter saying it must be removed
You have a number of products on caanberry.com. Can you tell us about them?
That blog you mentioned earlier evolved into the website you see now. With so many asking for help and advice, coupled with limited trading hours, I started to put some educational products together. When it all started I was quite surprised at the demand although that’s certainly dropped since. They’re a short-cut to all the things that I craved early on when finding my way.
You have had over 24m views on YouTube. Why did you start your channel, and did you ever think it would be so successful?
I started the channel as an extension of the blog, aiming to show rather than just tell. I never imagined it would grow to this scale, but I’m grateful it has helped so many people. The content has evolved a bit over time but it needed to in line with what viewers want. In this industry that’s often hard to tell because there’s so much deception, for a variety of reasons.
You wrote and published a book on Betfair Trading. Was it worth the effort, and would you advise others to do it?
Absolutely not worth it! Writing the book was fun, but it was more of a passion than anything else. The book is aimed at people who haven’t any experience so it certainly serves a purpose but I wouldn’t recommend it to make money. After publishing fees and considering what my time is worth, it was certainly a negative EV play.
Do you place fun bets on things you do not have a strong sense of value about?
Hardly ever. It doesn’t interest me in the slightest. For me, betting is about making money and nothing more – I think fun bets erode discipline if anything.
Have you had a team around you, or have you dealt with the ups and downs on your own? Any tips on dealing with that side of betting/trading at a serious level?
Initially, I navigated it alone. Over time, I’ve built a small team to support content and business aspects. My advice: surround yourself with people who want to do the same and quite literally, don’t even talk about it with anyone else. So few get it, explaining is draining and most of the time – they don’t want to believe its true, until it’s your round of course haha.
What is the luckiest you have been with a bet/trade going your way against the odds?
I remember mistakenly hitting a hot-key on my keyboard at Cheltenham one year.
I remember mistakenly hitting a hot-key on my keyboard at Cheltenham one year. A few clicks later I was on for a back stake of £17,000.
A few clicks later I was on for a back stake of £17,000. I wanted the trade, it was more the stake that was the error. I can’t remember the exact result but I definitely got a couple hundred quid extra out of it.
What is the unluckiest you have been with a bet/trade?
Early on I made the routine mistakes that many do. One of them was getting caught with an in-play bet when really, I just wanted to trade pre-race. Again I can’t remember figures but I know there was one time early on where I lost like £1,700 and nearly quit altogether.
What is the most satisfying win you have had in your time as a serious punter?
It sounds boring but, I don’t really recall one. Everything blurs into one and I deliberately keep things within my circle of competence. I guess a few months after going full-time I had increased my previous jobs income by about 400% which left me feeling satisfied, for a while.
Are there any sports you will never touch in betting/trading?
I won’t touch anything without knowing I have some kind of edge. There isn’t a specific sport although I tend to only bother with the higher value situations now, taking the profits I know are easy. As you’ll no doubt be aware, exchanges, racing and sports betting is in massive decline right now.
Do you have a standout account on social media (X) whose opinion you respect?
There are a couple, although they don’t really say anything in public. They don’t want to be recognised or singled out so I won’t share their handles. Perhaps one that would be comfortable is Joseph Buchdahl. This is the nature of X I guess, in the betting world if you don’t conform all you get is abuse! A prime example might be when I spoke out about Football Index the year before it went pop with £132M worth of user funds – got months of the most vile abuse for that. I can count how many people thanked me using my fingers.
Do you bet away from sports? Stock market, poker, crypto, other?
I hold some shares but nothing more. I’ve always struggled to get my head around the risk of crypto, without being able to define its actual value I didn’t fancy the risk.
What are the shortest and longest time-frames you have had with a bookmaker before being stake-restricted?
Haha, great question! The fastest has to be a couple of bets. Once this guy who worked for Bet Bright had quite a public pop on Twitter so I opened an account for a laugh, it was on £2 bets within a couple hours. Laughed even harder when they went bust the year after.
How many books do you think you have been restricted with, if you are happy to share that number?
Oh god, I have no idea on the official number but it’s a lot. Most of the people I know are restricted too though if that helps answer!
There are certain books which aren’t even worth registering with because you just know it’ll mean week’s worth of document checks to get paid. They create their own problems it seems.
Over the years, you have been critical of bookmakers in your videos. Why?
Bookmakers I don’t like it when they are deliberately false. Okay, sure I can accept stake restrictions might happen because they don’t believe in their own pricing. However, when they advertise each way terms and then refuse to take a bet because it’s a bad each way race – I think that’s wrong. Equally, when I hear adverts saying players can win big using them I feel it’s very wrong. What they should say is; you can win big if you’re a net loser. They don’t tolerate winning and then go on to say things like “it’s a battle between bookie and punter” its disingenuous.
You were one of the first people to flag affordability checks as a big issue for gamblers. Do you feel you were ignored, and how do you feel about being proved right?
Of course, just like the Football Index fiasco I was ignored and criticised. Again, I was right, but it doesn’t make me feel great at all – it’s a complete mess. People didn’t believe it because it wasn’t happening to them. This is much of the problem; you only find out when you’re affected. I was one of the first to be affected as I was taking value from those operating the checks. Just like Football Index, the Gambling Commission have been utterly useless.
Who do you blame for affordability checks and why?
The reality is, there are 4 parties involved here. Betting operators, anti-gambling activists, the Gambling Commission and the public. The first two get listened to, the third is totally ignored and the fourth make it that way. I believe the activists brought the idea to table, the companies ensured they were the ones to execute them (big mistake) and the GC allowed it all. The public just pay the price, as always.
Do you think that the threat of the black market has been overstated?
It’s a genuine concern but often used as a scapegoat to deflect from the industry’s shortcomings. The people that complain affordability send consumers to the black market are happy to do the same to non-profitable customers via stake restrictions. That said, it’s certainly a problem – but just like addiction – it won’t be solved. It can’t be solved, only managed.
Very few of your recent videos have been about exchange trading. Do you still trade regularly, and what do you see as the future of betting and betting exchanges in the UK?
I still trade but less frequently as I mentioned in a previous question. As much as I’d love to give a different answer, I don’t see the future being great at all. 10 years ago stood in Betfair’s HQ I was told that exchange traders are not good for the ‘ecosystem’. Ultimately, Betfair became famous for an innovative low margin sports betting product – the exchange. Since that time they have added a Sportsbook on a far higher margin, where you can’t win, and sent customers there instead. They’ve introduced a casino and drastically reduced marketing for the exchange. As with many big businesses, the exchange was just what got them there – they don’t care about it. They’ve neglected their most loyal customers for years.
This week they announced this Betfair Expert Fee will replace Premium Charge. To me, it’s an insult. For the last 16 years they had a fixed rate (not linked to inflation). Liquidity is down around 50% and interest is at an all-time low making success a lot harder for newcomers. I don’t trust them, if exchange activity increases again, so will their newly named charge.
Do you see yourself still being active in the gambling field in five years or diversifying into other projects?
I’m unsure to be honest. The way things are headed, I think it’s a good time to be seeing what else is out there. Politically, the gambling activists have been able to mislead the public into ever increasing restrictions and checks – will that change? I doubt it, they’re not even challenged. Combined with all of the other issues mentioned, the future looks quite bleak.
When I first started trading I just wanted to make more than my traditional job at the time (£25,000 per year). Within a few years I surpassed that in a month. I now have far larger targets so unless something changes drastically – I think I’ll certainly be looking at other projects.
If your 20-year-old self was reading this, what would your one piece of advice be?
Be incredibly careful what you focus your energy on, saying no is an underrated skill. A lot can be achieved very quickly, but there’s not much point if it’s the wrong thing.
Also, make sure you enjoy what you’re doing there’s no point being the richest man in the graveyard!
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