SANDRACER.COM - Tic Tac - Bookies Secret Betting Language

Tic Tac, or Tic Tack Betting

"Tic Tac" is the language once used by rails bookmakers and bookies runners(staff) to secretly communicate between each other quickly, without the punter hearing and understanding what is going on between the odds compilers. A horses odds price movement in the betting ring can be valuable information to a gambler, especially trackside, if one can get the information early.

A quite difficult language to learn, especially the hand signals I gather. I can't say I have ever donned the white gloves atop a wooden box to try tic tacking myself though. The tic tac hand signals are further encoded by the use of a twist card, which individual bookmakers & layers used to use to mix up the racehorse runners and racecards, to keep their information secret from other betting firms.

Tic Tac is very rarely used by betting shops or rails bookies these days, the technological age of hendheld computers and mobile phones has diminished the use of tic tacking dramatically. I guess the main proponent of tic tac that most punters will be aware of is John McCririck, seen live on Channel 4 racing. Rails Bookie Barry Dennis (rip) still tic tacks, but even he utilises computers more and more, as evidenced by the fact Dennis runs a website.

You may be looking for information regarding a "tic tac betting system" you've heard a whisper about, more commonly known as, or similar to Martingale.

The tic tac betting system is simply following favourites at any given meeting. You bet more and more on each race on the favourite, adjusting stakes accordingly, dependant on the odds, every time trying to win a set amount, say £100, including previous losses.

Don't bother. There is no system to beat the house edge. You'll win for a bit, then you'll do your money when no favourite wins, or you can't get a bet on for stupid stakes in the last race on a 1/4 shot in a maiden.

Rock Cake - Tic Tac slang for a small bet.
Monkey - Tic Tac slang for £500.
Kite - Tic Tac slang for a cheque.
Knock - Tic Tac slang for to owe money and not pay up.
Beeswax - Tic Tac slang for Tax.
Jolly - Tic Tac slang for a favourite.Evens, Levels
11/10, Tips
6/5,   Sais A Ching
5/4,   Wrist
11/8, Up the Arm
6/4,   Ear 'Ole
7/4,   Shoulder
15/8, Double Tops
2/1,   Bottle
9/4,   Top of the head
5/2,   Face
11/4, Elef a Vier
3/1,   Carpet
10/3, Burlington Bertie
4/1,   Rouf (four spelt backwards)
5/1,   Hand
9/2,   On the Shoulders
6/1,   Exes
7/1,   Neves (seven spelt backwards)
8/1,   T.H
9/1,   Enin (nine spelt backwards)
10/1, Cockle or Net (ten spelt backwards)
11/1, Elef
12/1, Net and Bice
14/1, Net and Rouf (10 and 4 spelt backwards)
16/1, Net and Ex
20/1, Double Net
25/1, Macaroni
25/1, Pony
33/1, Double Carpet
100/1, Century

♠ Barry Dennis's Tic Tac Guide (via archive.org)
♠ BBC Tic Tac Guide - View Some Hand Signals Here
♠ Tic Tac Wiki Information Webpage
♠ Secret Systems - Tic Tac Slang Words
♠ Guardian - Barry Dennis - How To Be A Tic Tac Man
♠ Tick Tack Man Don Butler Explains A Few Things (via archive.org)