NSW TAB - FLEXI BET ROCKS !! 07/03/01 Regular Turf Deli viewers would know that it is rare that we have a kind word to say about the TAB's. In fact, come to think of it, it's rare we have a nice word to say about anything…but it is the unreserved right of the punter to be a cynical, bitter and twisted black hole of humanity (regular punting will do that to you !!). You need those skills to be able to ruthlessly pot most of the field so you can back a winner. However, we have to bow and pay homage to the NSW TAB - they are streeting ahead in leaps and bounds and leaving the Victorian TAB back in the stone age. We have been a fan of the NSW TAB internet betting site for a while - they have developed an easy to use, well thought out interface (unlike most of the dribble on the net - and yes that does include us). But they have blown Turf Deli well and truly away with their new concept - FLEXI BETTING. Here is how it works : For any of their big multiple bet types - trifectas, First 4 (first 4 across the line), or Superfecta (first 6 across the line), you can now bet fractions of a unit !!! Sounds confusing we know, but its actually quite simple. First of all, pick out your bet, irrespective of the cost (you need to be on the ball to work out which races the First 4 and Superfecta are running on - but they do run on Melbourne races too). e.g a trifecta : 1 to win, Field for 2nd and 3rd which would cost $90 for an 11 horse field ($1) The decide how much YOU want to bet - that's right - you only bet how much you want to spend, irrespective of the normal cost of the bet. So you say, "But I only want to spend $10" and they say " Right, no problems, that entitles you to 11.11% of the dividend." !! Its that simple. You decide what combinations you want to take, you decide how much you want to bet, then they tell you what fraction of the dividend you will get if you win. Which makes it very easy to bet to a budget. We've found you can just pick out the races you want to take trifectas on, put them at $10 a pop over the net, or on the phone and just sit back and let the day's racing happen. As far as whether this affects dividends - really not sure - but there is a sneaky suspicion that it might take the edge of some of the more extreme dividends. What it does do though is give a big boost to the pools for the more exotic bet types - and means you can have a serious go at a Superfecta (this sort of thing is exactly what the Victorian TAB needed with their ill fated straight six bet). We tend to speak our mind on this web site - and we honestly are totally hooked on FLEXI BETTING.