Hi All,
Can anyone possibly help me out?
I am trying to create a servant to lay any selected runner (via a custom column), 10 ticks above the lay price I click on and then for it to offset 20 ticks above that. So for example, if I lay a horse inplay at 5.0 by clicking on the custom column for that runner, I want the lay bet then to be triggered 10 ticks higher at 6.0 and then for it to offset with greening 20 ticks higher than that, at 10.0
I have been all day now and it just won't work, despite reading these threads and watching videos, I just can't get it to work. I am on my free trial with BA, so this is the first attempt I am having with servants and I'm just struggling with it. I cant understand what is wrong with the instructions I am giving the servant, cos when I click on the custom column to lay a selection of my choosing, it still just lays it at the price I click on, instead of submitting a lay price ten ticks higher, even though I have the servant running.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I am going insane with it all.
This is what I did...
Servants help please.
If your servant submits a £10 lay bet at 6 and £10 is available to lay below 6 when the bet arrives in the market then it will be matched below 6 and and probably offset from whatever it matched at rather than from 6 as you seem to be expecting. The price you asked for is basically irrelevant if a better price is available. If the best lay price is below 6 Betfair doesnt queue your lay bet at 6 and only match it at 6 when the price is on the way up. If the lay best market price is above 6 when your £10 lay bet is accepted by betfair then the lay bet will be queued at 6 and then match at exactly 6 if back bets come in from other punters/traders force the price back down to 6 or below.
You also need to understand that what you see on the ladder inplay is a slightly time lagged version of the latest betfair market data and also I believe there is an additional betfair inbuilt delay lag in placing bets inplay. Some of the inplay experts might be able to point to the latest racing inplay bet delay lag rules as they were being changed about a year ago I think.
I'd strongly suggest that you consider the following:
- Develop and test your first servant(s) on pre-play markets where the price is relatively stable. IMO inplay markets are too fast moving to properly learn about servant scripts and debugging (especially for newbies)
- Look at the market log in guardian (tab at bottom of guardian screen) whenever debugging servant scripts as it may give you a clue as to what actually happened and why
- You consider adding Set Stored Value rules to set Stored Values to Servant Context Price plus 10 ticks and plus 30 ticks. The stored values and calculations can be displayed on the log so you can then check they are calculating exactly as you expect
As a general comment I'd say placing £10 inplay lay bets at 6 via a servant at this stage of your experience and knowledge probably isnt a good idea. I appreciate that you are probably only using training mode though.
You also need to understand that what you see on the ladder inplay is a slightly time lagged version of the latest betfair market data and also I believe there is an additional betfair inbuilt delay lag in placing bets inplay. Some of the inplay experts might be able to point to the latest racing inplay bet delay lag rules as they were being changed about a year ago I think.
I'd strongly suggest that you consider the following:
- Develop and test your first servant(s) on pre-play markets where the price is relatively stable. IMO inplay markets are too fast moving to properly learn about servant scripts and debugging (especially for newbies)
- Look at the market log in guardian (tab at bottom of guardian screen) whenever debugging servant scripts as it may give you a clue as to what actually happened and why
- You consider adding Set Stored Value rules to set Stored Values to Servant Context Price plus 10 ticks and plus 30 ticks. The stored values and calculations can be displayed on the log so you can then check they are calculating exactly as you expect
As a general comment I'd say placing £10 inplay lay bets at 6 via a servant at this stage of your experience and knowledge probably isnt a good idea. I appreciate that you are probably only using training mode though.
Many thanks for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated.
I’m still comfused however, as in the BA user guide under servants, Peter clearly states by using context price in the servant you can select any price on the one click screen and if you want to lay it above that price you can. So in his example, he says he wants to submit a lay bet 6 ticks above the current price. By using a servant and context pricing he then clicks on a lay price on a horse at 5.4 and the servant places the lay 6 ticks higher at 6.0. It dosent automatically match it at the current price. And that’s what I am trying to do with my servant, click on a price and for the servant to then lay it 10 ticks higher, and I can’t understand why it won’t work and just continues to match it at the current price, despite me telling it to place the bet 10 ticks above this price. The user guide and Peter’s examples say this can be done.
Also, in that case, that means all the options like, back of lay at x amount of ticks above or below best market price or back or lay above or below custom price of back or lay at a % above or below the current price are all completely irrelevant, if every time you submit a bet (back or lay), it is always just going to back or lay it at the price you click on (the current price), as opposed to x amount of ticks higher or lower like the servant says. So I just don’t understand why it won’t work.
I think I may need to contact support and see what they say, cos I’m putting the correct rules in, well what I think the correct rules are anyway.
I’m still comfused however, as in the BA user guide under servants, Peter clearly states by using context price in the servant you can select any price on the one click screen and if you want to lay it above that price you can. So in his example, he says he wants to submit a lay bet 6 ticks above the current price. By using a servant and context pricing he then clicks on a lay price on a horse at 5.4 and the servant places the lay 6 ticks higher at 6.0. It dosent automatically match it at the current price. And that’s what I am trying to do with my servant, click on a price and for the servant to then lay it 10 ticks higher, and I can’t understand why it won’t work and just continues to match it at the current price, despite me telling it to place the bet 10 ticks above this price. The user guide and Peter’s examples say this can be done.
Also, in that case, that means all the options like, back of lay at x amount of ticks above or below best market price or back or lay above or below custom price of back or lay at a % above or below the current price are all completely irrelevant, if every time you submit a bet (back or lay), it is always just going to back or lay it at the price you click on (the current price), as opposed to x amount of ticks higher or lower like the servant says. So I just don’t understand why it won’t work.
I think I may need to contact support and see what they say, cos I’m putting the correct rules in, well what I think the correct rules are anyway.
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ShaunWhite
- Posts: 9731
- Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2016 3:42 am
Don't forget that Peter uses a reversed ladder, when he clicks on a pink price that's the money people are trying to lay (ie the price that you can back at). If you're not using the reversed ladder, the pink prices are people trying to back at that price (ie the price that you can lay at). When Peter clicks on a 'lay' price as you put it, he's backing, and the servent backs 6 ticks higher, and that's initially unmatched. If you want lay at a price, select the price you want and the servent will put in a bet 6 ticks lower instead.
I think that's it anyway, I haven't seen the video or the servent but that's what it sounds like.
Does your ladder look exactly like his? With the colours on the same sides?
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ShaunWhite
- Posts: 9731
- Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2016 3:42 am
As Wolf explained that's not going to work. Trading is just buying and selling, if you walk into a shop and are prepared to buy stuff at 6 and the price is 5. You'll get it for 5. And thankfully the exchange works that way too.
You simply can't ask or offer a worse price than the current market price and not have it matched. You can ask for X ticks better ie higher prices if you're backing and lower ones if you're laying, but not worse.
What I think you want to do is, set a stored value at your context price +/- however many ticks, but not actually place the bet until the market reaches that level. eg have a seperate lay bet rule conditional on current price >= your stored value.
Thanks for your reply Shaun. Much appreciated. And again to Wolf for the original reply.
I get it now from your second paragraph explanation and can see what Wolf was saying.
Also, yes, your last paragraph is exactly what I want to do. I’ll have a look at stored values when I’m home from work later on. These servants look really good, but as I’ve never used any kind of automation, or created any rules myself (I’ve always just used other software), I’m just learning these custom columns and servants. So just trying to get my head around it all. Might sign up for 2 months of BA so I have time to practice and learn more about them.
Thanks again to both you and Wolf for taking the time to answer my questions with full comprehensive replies.
I get it now from your second paragraph explanation and can see what Wolf was saying.
Also, yes, your last paragraph is exactly what I want to do. I’ll have a look at stored values when I’m home from work later on. These servants look really good, but as I’ve never used any kind of automation, or created any rules myself (I’ve always just used other software), I’m just learning these custom columns and servants. So just trying to get my head around it all. Might sign up for 2 months of BA so I have time to practice and learn more about them.
Thanks again to both you and Wolf for taking the time to answer my questions with full comprehensive replies.