8. Using Geeks Toy I
Geeks Toy is an invaluable tool for trading on the betting exchanges. Without this program it would be much harder to make a profit, because when you use Geeks Toy you are securing a competitive advantage compared to users who use a betting exchange website. Geeks Toy is much faster in both placing bets and viewing real time prices compared to the website, is much more versatile and bets can be placed, amended and cancelled with a single click of the mouse.
Downloading and installing the program is pretty standard, so we will not elaborate further on that. In this tutorial I will demonstrate the basic functionality of the software to enable you to be able to understand it and use it.
First login
When starting the application, after a few seconds it will open login screen. Here depending on the version, you will enter your Betfair or Betdaq username and password. You can also choose whether to work in training mode or a real mode. In training mode you can get familiar with Geeks Toy without risking your real money.
Training mode is only available for Betfair version and training mode works in a similar way to real mode, but with virtual bets that are not placed on the exchange. It will still display live data from Betfair and the only difference is that all your bets you will place in training mode will be placed with imaginary money on your computer. Thanks to that you can try trading and learn the software without risking any money caused by a misunderstanding or accident.
You can also choose which language you want to Geeks Toy operate in. The software and help files will be then in the language you have chosen. Once logged in, you will be presented with the Main Info Bar, and the Market Navigator within.
Market Navigator
Searching and opening markets is primarily done using the Market Navigator window. In this window you can browse all markets available on Betfair or Betdaq. Markets are categorised by individual sports, countries, meetings and opening any market is very simple and intuitive:
The Market Navigator will be the first thing you will see after opening Geeks Toy. Try how it works and open your first market.
The program consists of many windows / widgets
Geeks Toy consists of many sub-windows or widgets and each has a different function. When you first start the program and the first open market (open the market from the menu of window Market Navigator) you should see this:
It is the Main Info Bar window, and within is a number of other windows. These individual windows can be separated from the main window, they can be hidden, made bigger, have their setting adjusted, etc. The Main Info Bar the basic controller of program from which everything else originates.
Each window has its own help
Every window in the program has its own contextual help. To open the help for a window, simply click on the question mark in the top bar of the window. Help will explain how the window works, and all the settings / features you can modify in that window.
Again, be patient and try to understand the program using the help as much as possible. The application is a very powerful and configurable piece of software, and studying the manual will pay off in the future - whether in the form of profit, which you will achieve by the proper use of the program, or so you will not lose money due to lack of understanding. A link to the full user manual can be found here, or at the bottom of the website.
Each window has its own menu
Each of the many windows program Geeks Toy has its own menu that gives you access to many features and options for that window. To view the menu right-click on the top bar of the window.
If you do not know what a menu item means, open the online help and there you will find a complete explanation of all the options.
The appearance, position and function of windows can be edited and saved
Program Geeks Toy is very versatile. You can locate windows where you choose on your desktop, adjust colours, behaviours and settings completely to your liking. It does not matter if you are using a small monitor, or four big screens. You can always customize the desktop, depending on what you want to do. When you close the software, it will remember everything for the next time you use the software.
You can also save and load custom profiles that can be very useful. You can have different settings for different sports, different settings for different trading techniques, or Geeks Toy can be installed on a Flash card and you can transfer settings to another computer. .
The ways to configure Geeks Toy for the betting exchange are near infinite. To understand it as much as possible I recommend the following procedure:
- Read all three parts of the tutorial "Using Geeks Toy"
- Watch the accompanying video tutorials.
- Read the user manual thoroughly for each Window that you use.
