Carl’s In-Play Trading Course Review

carls inplay trading course review BetfairI have been asked about Carl’s In-Play Trading Course for Betfair a few times over recent months by readers. Now, there are a lot of different ways of approaching making money through betting – Betfair being a very popular one.

This kind of thing always seems like a really obvious statement, but I can tell you for nothing that most of the people that I talk to day to day just don’t have a clue how to make money from Betfair. Why? Because it is not easy.

If you’ve never traded on Betfair before then there is a lot on information about it on this very blog; as many people still use the bookies as their first port of call. Some people make this work for them, but in my experience with betting (which is quite considerable if I may humbly say so) most people don’t. The smart money though tends to be exchanged on… well, the exchange.

That is to say, betting exchanges. There are a lot of reasons for this, but most of them one way or another come down to the fact that there is just so much more that can be done on a betting exchange compared to a bookmaker.

All About Carl’s In-Play Trading Course (Betfair)

And finally leading into Carl’s In-Play Trading, a big part of that is trading. Now, trading in and of itself is a hugely broad subject with many different philosophies on what works. And all of these different approaches have their own pros and cons. There is pre-play Betfair trading, which we have covered on a different review a couple of years ago.

There isn’t necessarily a right and wrong way to trade. But Carl’s In-Play Trading is very much focused on its own niche. And as the name suggests, Carl is mostly concerned with in play trading.

Specifically, this is a comprehensive video course that aims to teach you how you can leverage in play trading to produce consistent long term profits.

Using Carl’s own strategies and methods, Carl’s In-Play Trading claims to help you to become a better trader, and start making an income that is potentially quite substantial. Of course, as is the case with the world, it isn’t entirely a simple process.

What Does The In Play Trading Course Entail?

In play trading is, as the name suggests, trading out bets whilst “in play”. For those who might not understand what this means, it is quite literally trading bets as an event is occurring. And believe me, it is not an easy thing to do. There are lots of reasons for this, but I think that there is a very simple way to paint a picture as to why it is so difficult. That really boils down to the fact that a horse race simply doesn’t take that long to run.

Whilst there is of course variance depending on the length of a race and the course, and a host of other elements, you are still dealing with very narrow windows. Often a matter of minutes. Probably not surprisingly, a lot can happen in that space of time. And you have to be watching everything, following what is happening in the race, what the numbers are doing, where the money is going…

To say that it can be overwhelming is probably an understatement. Especially when you are starting out. Of course, with time, you can learn to do all of this without much thought. But you really do have to spend a lot of time to get to that point. It is important for me to be clear that this isn’t necessarily a criticism of in play trading. Everything in betting has its ups and down. But I think it is very important to establish factually what Carl’s In-Play Trading involves before looking at what Carl provides.

What Is Included With Carl’s In-Play Trading?

So, in play trading isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do. I don’t think that there are many experienced people in the betting sphere who would disagree with this statement. But that is exactly why services like Carl’s In-Play Trading exist. Everybody has to start somewhere, and full credit to Carl, this is one hell of a package that he has put together.

I have looked at a good number of betting systems in my time, and I can tell you now that there is a lot of crap out there. If I had a pound for every hastily put together 10 page document in which somebody simply outlines a basic principle of betting that anybody who takes it seriously would tell you for free… well, I wouldn’t be rich. But I could have a bloody good night out off the proceeds. Carl’s In-Play Trading isn’t this.

Firstly, I like the fact that this is a video based product. The truth about any trading is that it is a visual medium. Doubly so with in play trading because you are having to react to things in real time. If you can’t see what that looks like, you simply won’t learn it. But it isn’t just that Carl has made a basic correct choice with Carl’s In-Play Trading. It is the standard that he has adhered to.

There is over 6 hours of content included, and it is all exactly what I would want to see from a training course. Whilst Carl is Finnish, his presentation is pretty much spot on. He talks eloquently and generally speaking is able to explain clearly and concisely what his ideas and strategies are. Importantly though, I think that Carl’s In-Play Trading does a god job of showing you the things that are important and pertinent.

The In-Play Trading Course Menu:

carls in-play Betfair course curriculum

As you might expect from somebody that is showing you how to trade in play, a lot of Carl’s In-Play Trading is screen captures of Carl actually trading. He explains how his strategies fit into what is happening on screen, why he is carrying out certain actions, and what they mean. Something worth noting is that this quite frequently has to be carried out in slow motion. A quite telling fact about just how difficult in play trading can be.

In terms of the content itself, there is a solid structure to Carl’s In-Play Trading, and I think that it all ties together very nicely. There are a good few strategies that Carl actually shares (which I always like to see), and each is broken down concisely. You start by exploring the theory of each strategy. Once this is explained and established, you then get to see multiple examples of this being implemented.

As well as the above, which I think you would expect as a bare minimum, Carl’s In-Play Trading also covers a number of other topics. There are basic things like an introduction to actually using the course, to full trading days (in which you literally watch Carl trade for the day in real time), and importantly some technical and psychological elements.

These latter parts are a very good inclusion for Carl’s In-Play Trading. Firstly, it is incredibly important to understand when you should and shouldn’t trade, and how your mindset influences that. Carl himself has bad days and on his Twitter actively talks about not trading because of things like losing a basketball game or simply because he doesn’t want to make “bad boredom trades”. Although it is noteworthy that he also talks about making these mistakes too.

The technical side of things mostly pertains to using a piece of software that Carl recommends for following Carl’s In-Play Trading. This is Geeks Toy and it is worth keeping in mind when you factor in the costs of getting started (something that I will be talking about a little later) that it costs £20 per quarter or £60 for the year. If you want to use other trading software, that is an option, but everything here is geared towards this particular software.

Is The In-Play Betfair Course Any Good?

I won’t mince my words on this. Yes, as a course, Carl’s In-Play Trading is pretty good. Like I say, the content is top notch, Carl’s descriptions are decent, and I do believe that when you walk away from it all you will know more about in play trading than you did when you started. That is what the training sets out to do and so in that regard, it is hard to view it as anything more than an unequivocal success.

With that said, there are some things that merit criticism. Whilst I don’t think there is anything that is outstandingly bad here, there is a certain lack of polish. Carl talks about not putting up videos with little value, and in most respects, he achieves this. But there are also sections in some of the trading where I think there could have possibly been a “take two” in talking about the footage and what he is doing.

But all of that is academic. When we talk about Carl’s In-Play Trading being good or not, the real thing that matters is whether or not the strategies work. There is a very long answer to this (that I will be coming to), but the short answer is that they work for Carl. With time and with practice, they can also work for you too. But there are ultimately a lot of caveats that come with that side of things.

Who Is Carl?

One of the things that I think it is quite important to explore with Carl’s In-Play Trading is just who Carl is. Ultimately, it is hugely relevant because his background is actually as a financial trader. Interestingly, he quite freely admits to… well, not necessarily being all that good at it. At least, if you look at the bigger picture for him and do your research.

An example of Carl’s Trading on Youtube:

On the website for Carl’s In-Play Trading he paints a picture of success saying that he has worked for 3 years as a stock trader. Furthermore, “1 year worked in proprietary futures trading office where guys made good 6 figures a year”. The key part of that to me is “where guys”, implying that includes him. A recent tweet however states that he “did not have much success in the end results”.

Here’s the thing though, Carl’s In-Play Trading isn’t a financial trading course. The important and noteworthy thing is that we are told that Carl has been successfully trading for 8 years on in play trading on horse racing. During this time, he claims that his average monthly earnings are between £4,000+ and £8,000+ per month. That is a hell of a lot of money. So, why wouldn’t you want to copy his strategies?

The thing is, I do believe all of this. Whilst I think there is arguably some lack of transparency on the Carl’s In-Play Trading website (I’ll be talking about this a little later on), I can appreciate that it is there to sell a product. And ultimately, this is a product that reflects a trader who has been successful for some time. The bottom line here? I think that Carl is the real deal and really does understand what he is doing. That is very important to keep in mind later.

Cost and Returns on The Betfair Course?

I won’t make any bones about it. Carl’s In-Play Trading isn’t something that comes cheap. Not just in terms of the costs Carl is asking for his course, but everything else that comes with it. So, let’s break down exactly what all of this really entails.

Obviously, your first cost is actually signing up to receive Carl’s In-Play Trading. This is really quite pricey at £290. Whilst I have definitely seen services that cost substantially more than this, it is also the most expensive thing that I’ve seen for some time. Especially when you keep in mind that payment is handled via a proprietary service and Carl doesn’t offer any sort of refund or money back guarantee. I appreciate he has no obligation to do this, but it means you have to be very sure.

Then there is that cost of the software. Like I said, Carl’s In-Play Trading is based around using Geek Toy. That is £60 for the year if you want the best possible value. On top of that, Carl says that you need to have either two monitors or a bigger one if you are going to trade successfully. This might not be a problem for some people, but for something of a reasonable standard, that might be another £120.

This puts your potential outlay at close to £500 before you’ve even placed a trade. Don’t get me wrong, if you want to make Carl’s In-Play Trading work for you, this is all necessary stuff and it may well be worth the investment. But let’s not forget the fact that it is still a considerable investment to make.

All of this pales next to the costs of actually trading though in my mind. Carl personally trades with £250 per day. Of course, this is scalable, but something that is worth keeping in mind is that Carl’s In-Play Trading is based around trading using stakes of about 10% of your daily bank. This can quickly add up over the course of the day, for better or for worse.

Of course, how much an investment is going to cost you will always sound negative. The exciting part is how much money you can potentially make. Now, something to keep in mind is that Carl refers to himself as being “on a pro-level”. This is a term that he uses several times in the sales material for Carl’s In-Play Trading. And using his averages, he is making anywhere from 16 to 32 times his daily stakes. It is clear that there is genuinely substantial income potential from in play trading.

A closer look at his trading reveals a slightly more intriguing picture. Whilst there are definitely days where Carl is making substantial returns, this also goes the other way. Even in the last month, he has had losing days where almost his full daily bank has been lost. Other days have seen losses of hundreds of pounds on single trades. It might ultimately be offset, but even this “pro-level” trader loses money.

I don’t doubt that there is money to be made through in play trading. I think I’ve been clear about this from the offset, and this isn’t something that is new to me. I know for a fact that there are people that do well off it. Smart traders will always turn a profit, and Carl’s In-Play Trading will help you to get there. Just… eventually.

Real Term Risks on In-Play Trading on Betfair?

Anybody who has even tried in-play trading on Betfair will know that the action is fast…and furious, and that you are definitely not guaranteed to get matched – unlike pre-race trading, which many people do well with – myself included, as I have been pre-race trading for 3+ years now, very profitably.

Long term, Carl is clearly doing well from Carl’s In-Play Trading. Even within the last month he has demonstrated days where he has made almost £1,000 in a single day. But long term is a luxury that he has that you don’t necessarily have when you sign up for Carl’s In-Play Trading. And that is something that really warrants being a real talking point.

Look, in play trading can be successful. It can be profitable. But it is probably the most difficult method of trading that I know of. In play, things are moving rapidly, all of the time, and you have to keep multiple plates spinning. If you want to really get an understanding on just how much speed matters, Carl talks about the fact that he is losing 0.2-0.3 seconds a trade trading from Helsinki.

That miniscule time difference is impacting his betting. Admittedly, he does say that it is only slight, but that is less time than most of us could measure. And again, that is a pro-level trader. You see, the real term risks when you’re in play trading is missing windows of opportunity. They can be so narrow. Blink and you miss it type stuff.

Which brings me back to that point about the luxury of long term. If you’re already profitable from the last few days and you make a mistake. No biggie. Even losing your entire days stake doesn’t really matter. Not when you’re bringing in the type of money that Carl is. But what about if you’re getting started with Carl’s In-Play Trading? Not only do you have less resources to absorb mistakes, but let’s be honest. You’re going to make more of them.

The training can be as good as you want it to be, but the fact of the matter is this. You will make mistakes when you start trading. Especially if you’re in play trading. Everything can be laid out for you on paper, you can see Carl place as many trades as you want. You can watch Carl’s In-Play Trading 100 times. Once you are at the proverbial coal face though, mistakes will be made. Learning from them is the part a lot of people struggle with.

Is There a Money Back Guarantee?

It would help also if there was a money back guarantee, which there does not seem to be, which is a shame, as it would show real confidence in the course, and product being offered.

Conclusion on The Course

I feel like I’ve put Carl’s In-Play Trading through the wringer a bit. As such, I want to qualify something. This isn’t a bad product. With what he has to work with, I think that Carl has put together something that is really quite good. But this isn’t just about whether or not something is objectively workable. I know how to kick a football. Ask me to curl one into the top corner from outside the 18 yard box though. Forget about it.

With all of this in mind, you really have two things to think about when deciding whether or not Carl’s In-Play Trading is a good fit for you. Firstly, there is the product itself. It is quite a lot of money (£290 at the time of compiling this review). Especially compared to other products that are on the market. And then there is potentially further investment on top of that too.

Now, you are paying for something good. I will concede that the strategies that are laid out are pretty sound. For this kind of in play trading, they definitely have the potential to work. This is undoubtedly because… well, Carl just knows what he’s talking about. Which if I’m really blunt puts Carl’s In-Play Trading above and beyond a shocking amount of crap that is out there.

But you just need to know that in-play (compared to pre-play) trading most certainly has risks for those that are not experienced.

Then there is the fact that barring some parts that perhaps could be a little bit clearer (and would probably benefit from scripting), the video content is decent. As are the few written elements that make up Carl’s In-Play Trading. But you do pay for all of this. And I think that you really have to be very committed to wanting to learn in play trading for it to be a worthwhile investment. If you are, you could do plenty worse.

The second question is probably the more difficult one though, and that is whether or not in play trading is the right approach for you (the speed of in-play trading is not for everyone!). Obviously, there are huge degrees of personal choice involved in this, but I think that this is probably the key factor in ultimately deciding whether Carl’s In-Play Trading is a good option.

In play trading requires a very specific mindset. You have to be laser focused and watching everything all of the time. I know that I’ve said this a few times already, but I really want to nail home that point. In showing you show to do things, Carl has to show you what he is doing in “slow motion”. And whilst Carl’s In-Play Trading gives you the tools, executing it is a whole different kettle of fish.

carls in-play example

Remember, Carl has been doing this for 8 years. He comes from a background as a professional trader. He is a self proclaimed “pro-level” trader. And yet he can still lose all of his money in a day. If you are really going to follow Carl’s In-Play Trading with intentions of long term profit, you really have to be prepared to have very deep pockets and see this happen time and again.

Personally, I find in play trading to be incredibly stressful. I’ve been there and I’ve done that, and it is very time consuming. It can even be boring. Don’t get me wrong, when everything aligns it is a thrilling thing, but sitting waiting for that to happen can lead to bad decisions. Again, even Carl admits to doing this (although conveniently not in the sales material for Carl’s In-Play Trading). Whilst the rewards may be there, I feel there are better options.

And I think that brings me to my final thoughts with Carl’s In-Play Trading really. If you are committed to learning in play trading, you could do much worse. In fact, for a very small minority of people, I would say that this is a very good product. But that is people who are interested in this niche trading approach, that have the pockets to fund losses until you are winning and have the time to dedicate to mastering what Carl teaches.

But for a lot of people, I feel like Carl’s In-Play Trading might not be a good fit. Again, I want to nail home that this isn’t a bad product. Carl achieves what he sets out to do. I just feel like he perhaps does a bit too good a job of making it seem like this is easier and more accessible than it realistically is for most people. That might not be a problem if you could get your £290 back. But you can’t. Making it a very expensive risk.

Really, that is a very reasonable phrase that sums up Carl’s In-Play Trading. It is an expensive risk. Don’t get me wrong, the rewards can be earned on a long enough time frame. I’m just not certain that are many people can realistically afford to keep making the mistakes that are somewhat inevitable until they get there.  

That being said, and getting back to the cost of this Betfair course, it’s still a fair risk considering the lack of a money back guarantee. At least if the product had such a guarantee, then it would show confidence in the teaching materials, and whether they can be replicated, or not.

 

Related Content and Resources:

 

Betfair Scalping System Review, BFScalper Course, Looking Good So Far

Bet Angel Review, Is Peter Webb’s Betfair Trading Software The Best Out There?

Betfair Trading Software, Which is The Best And Why?

3 Comments

  • Jane says:

    Daniel – did you actually try out any of Carls methods yourself? Whilst he traded with a £350 starting bank that doesn’t mean everyone has to start out with thirty quid bets. It’s entirely possible to dip your tie in the water with a tenth of that. I’d be interested to hear from anyone that does actually use his methods though.

  • John Peters says:

    Has anybody actually tried Carl’s course? I’ve seen his twitter but not heard any customer comments on it? Thanks.

  • Paul says:

    I had some experience with inplay trading, before Carl’s course, but
    learnt a lot from his program.
    great price for value his program is.
    Bought the course for £260

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