Spread betting was once the domain of institutional investors, city traders and high rollers. Not any more. You would now be hard-pressed to find any other form of trading that allows such a scale of return.The aim of this book is to give you a basic understanding of how spread betting works, so that, with a little time and effort, you can find out how to turn a pauper's budget into a king's ransom.However, an issue that should always be at the forefront of a novice spread better's mind is managing risk. As such, the secondary aim of this book is to explain the risks involved, and how to reduce them.The book is accessible to investors with a basic grasp of investing and yet also interesting enough for the more experienced trader. The book starts with the basic 'what/when/why/where/who' and then progresses to the 'how' in detail.The road to successful spread betting starts with education. By the time you finish reading this book, you should know how to place a spread bet, the rules of the game and how to trade successfully. The appendices and glossary at the back serve as your quick and handy cheat notes when you start trading.As the saying goes: "Don't just learn the tricks of the trade. Learn the trade."