In this series, I've discussed the various methods by which the use of proportionate betting can mean that you never have to lose again. Hopefully, I have convinced many among you that this is so.

I know there are doubters still because of the large volume of correspondence which has been received at P.P.M. since I began the Pro-Power articles. As I said last month, the critics who claim ProPower is dangerous loss-chasing are correct to a point; I maintain, though, that all betting is loss-chasing. The difference with Pro-Power is that you chase losses in an orderly fashion.

This article travels over ground with which many punters are familiar-the proportional side of doubles betting. All you need do here is work out the expected double dividends and back them accordingly. It's something which quite a few P.P.M. writers have spoken about in previous years, but let me quickly explain things.

You decide on a banker special in the first leg of the double. It's priced at, say, 5/1. You couple it with four other horses in the second leg. These are at 4/1, 5/1, 6/1 and 8/1. You can work out what the doubles are likely to pay on the TAB by multiplying the odds.

Double No. 1: 5/1 into 4/1 = 6 x 4 + 6 = Return 30.
Double No. 2: 5/1 into 5/1 = 6 x 5 + 6 = Return 36.
Double No. 3: 5/1 into 6/1 = 6 x 6 + 6 = Return 42.
Double No. 4: 5/1 into 8/1 = 6 x 8 + 6 = Return 54.

If you wanted to back each of these doubles to return you 100 units or a bit more, the bets would be as follows (rounding off to the highest figure):

Double No. 1: Four units (to return 120).
Double No. 2: Three units (to return 108).
Double No. 3: Three units (to return 126).
Double No. 4: Two units (to return 108).

Your total outlay is 12 units, and you have a likely return in the event of a winning double of between 108 units and 126 units.

Once again, the strength of this approach is seen. You are putting MORE money on the shorter priced combinations because they offer more chance of winning. (Because you cannot accurately foresee TAB double dividends, you can only estimate what they will pay, so it could be that the final divvies will be higher, or lower, than your forecast).

This sort of proportional approach is even more exciting and rewarding if used in conjunction with a punter's own market assessments; that is, for the punter who establishes his own 'true' prices on runners and then backs them when they offer overlay possibilities.

In the above example, if we assume they are a punter's own assessed prices, it could be that the 5/1 chance in the first leg will actually win at 10/1 and the 8/1 chance in the second leg will also win at 10/1. In this instance, you have a likely return of 120 units for each unit outlaid (240 for two in this double).

But what if you wanted to play cautious and cover yourself should that banker bet in the first leg run 2nd or 3rd? Well, you can do this if you like. Remember from our previous articles that you are always shooting to regain Expenses and Losses, plus a $10 profit target? Okay, we'll continue from there.

With the 'saver' bet you seek only to recover past losses and past expenses.
Let's say you are seeking expenses of $10 and losses of $10, a total of $20. You have already worked out your doubles (see the above examples) but now you are going to play your banker in the first leg for a PLACE, so that if it doesn't win, but finishes 2nd or 3rd, you can still, save the day.

Now a 5/1 chance is likely to pay only around even-money the place, which in percentage terms equals 50%. The percentages of your doubles bets equals 12 per cent; this makes a total of 62 per cent.

To achieve all you set out to do, you now need to put a $40 place bet on your banker in the first leg of the double. If, suppose, it did fail to win, but finished 2nd or 3rd you would receive back $80.

The position, then, is this: You have bet $12 on your doubles and $40 on the first leg banker for a place, a total of $52. You have got back $80. That gives you $28 profit, which covers your expenses and losses ($20), and hands you an extra $8.

Of course, if your first leg banker wins, you have two bites at the cherry. Firstly, you collect the $80 on the place bet, but then you also collect your double dividend. Let's say it returned you $108. That's a total of $188 for a bet of $52.

And remember, it's a bet that could never lose as long as your first leg banker managed to run a placing!

Some punters might not like this particular approach, with the place saver, preferring instead to place more money on each individual double. As long as you can strike a good percentage of doubles, this doubles-only approach could prove more advantageous. But for those punters who are more conservative, the big place bet on a horse they have chosen to win is probably the way to go.

Assuming your 'bankers' are exactly that-prime win bets-then you will rarely have a losing bet. And even if you do, all you have to do is follow the ProPower formula of catching up losses and you need never have to lose again! Add the losses to the next bet, and wager accordingly to regain them!

This brings to a close my Pro-Power series. I trust you've enjoyed it and that it has been 'food for thought' in your betting. I am keen to hear from P.P.M. readers who use the method, and from those who are against it! Later in the year, I'll be reviewing Pro-Power and showing you some 'real life' examples of the method in operation.

What I intend doing is using the tips of some well-known newspaper experts, and applying the Pro-Power technique to them. It should be a most interesting exercise.

Click here to read Part 1.
Click here to read Part 2.
Click here to read Part 3.

By Alan Jacobs

PRACTICAL PUNTING - MARCH 1992