The word that most accurately describes portfolio performance through August is “solid”.  An overall ROI of 12.03% is pleasing and bank growth of 6.88% is not to be sniffed at.  Of the six services to provide tips, five ended the month in profit.

This month’s ‘Top Tipster’ award goes to Jason James Quantum Racing.  This was looking highly unlikely until last Saturday when a 2pt win double was landed, coughing up a 30.5pt profit in the process.

Last Saturday was actually a fantastic day all round with the day’s total profit figure representing 67% of the end of month profit figure.  Good job I didn’t miss those bets coming through!

Racing Service B was another who left it until late in the month before producing the goods, and like Jason James, that he did so at all was largely down to a successful win double, this time on Wednesday just gone (30th).  So when all was counted up Will enjoyed a decent enough August and it really is time now for the service to kick on.  It’s been a wee while since it demonstrated any real consistency and it needs to end the year strongly for me to retain the faith.

Away from racing and it was nice to see Pinpoint Golf which enjoyed another good month, mainly due to Justin Thomas winning the USPGA.  Ironically, for a service that relies predominantly on a statistical pricing money, there was a fair amount of personal judgment that went into making Thomas a tip.  Should Liam continue to combine the findings of his model with such shrewd personal judgment, the golf betting future will be bright.

The only bum note this past month has been played by Morning Value Service (Lite).  I guess that after such an outstanding performance over June and July, we were due a small correction, and that’s what we got.

Chasemaster: Staked 16pts, +3.333pts, ROI 20.8%, ROC 3.33%.

Jason James: Staked 129pts, +34.007pts, ROI 26.36%, ROC 17%.

Morning Value Service (Lite): Staked 79pts, -4.917pts, ROI -6.22%, ROC -4.91%.

Northern Monkey: Staked 90.2pts, +4.697pts, ROI 5.21%, ROC 5.87%.

Racing Service B: Staked 92.5pts, +19.375pts, ROI 20.94%, ROC 9.68%.

Pinpoint Golf: Staked 151.8pts, +47.3pts, ROI 31.16%, ROC 9.46%.

How often do you find that, “life gets in the way” of doing what you either want or obliged to do?  Things happen, that are out of your control, and dealing with these events often mean that you can’t devote as much time to your work as you would like, or you can’t go on holiday as planned, or similar.

Now I don’t know about you – and perhaps I’m being a little self-centred here – but I find that when these things happen you can often become so self-absorbed that you tend to block out from your own mental processes the fact that others have do deal with what life throws at them too.  That people you work with or friends have to deal with problems and issues in the same way as you do.  I don’t mean this in a nasty, completely selfish way.  It’s just human nature to concentrate on dealing with your own issues when they arise, or those of your immediate family.

They say that some of the most stressful “life events” we have to deal with as adults are moving house and having children.   The times that I’ve moved house, and on two occasions had the joy of bringing a new life into the world, I took some time off work.  I think the Missus would have been a little less than impressed if I hadn’t!  And so it was tremendous respect that I watched how two of the tipsters I follow go through these events recently, each barely taking a breather from tipping whilst they did so.

Wayne at Northern Monkey moved house a little while ago, but the tips kept coming.  I was minded too this week of how easy it can be to forget that the tipsters whose expertise we benefit from and who send their emails out on a daily basis do not commit every single waking second to reading form, writing and sending out emails to their members, and recording their results, but in fact are just “normal” folk dealing with day to day life as we all do.  Wayne explained how he had fallen asleep whilst preparing a members’ email in the wee small hours after working overtime in his day job.  Can’t help but admire his diligence and work ethic.

And congratulations to Kieran of the Morning Value Service (Lite) service whose life was both enriched and at the same time (in my experience) made more complicated for ever by the birth of his daughter recently.  Kieran’s paternity leave from tipping?  Three days.

Figures for the month to date below – more by way of thoughts on performance in the end of month review later this week, including observations on a quite remarkable Saturday.

Chasemaster: Staked 13pts, +6.333pts.

Jason James Quantum Racing: Staked 113.5pts, +36.007pts.

Morning Value Service (Lite): Staked 69pts, -0.792pts.

Northern Monkey: Staked 79.6pts, +9.797pts.

Racing Service B: Staked 83pts, -4.635pts.

Pinpoint Golf: Staked 116.4pts, +61.317pts.

Total ROI: 15.29%.

It’s been a funny old month.  At times it’s felt like a real struggle, but when all has been done, dusted and counted, it’s not been a bad one at all.

We had six services giving bets, three producing a profit and three a loss.  The final figures show an ROI of 8.63% and total bank growth of 5.17%.

The best performing service, for the second consecutive month, has been the Morning Value Service (Lite).  It really is going through a golden period.  I’m finding the odds quick to disappear now, certainly faster than in previous times and no doubt this is a consequence of the sheer level of profit that has been made recently.  This often happens when a tipster goes through a hot streak.  Some current members will no doubt be raising their stakes and perhaps as news spreads of the good form, new members sign up.  I can’t say I approve of folk doing this.  In my experience, staying consistent with staking and looking at the long term history of a tipster should be your guiding principles, not short term success.  I’m not suggesting folk shouldn’t join MVS (Lite).  Far from it – I’m just saying that the motivation for doing so should be the long term figures, not the exhilerating rate of profit accrued over the past two months.

Another to enjoy good times through July is Chasemaster.  Here is a service in which it is necessary to show patience.  There aren’t a lot of bets every day, and it can go through relatively lengthy spells of not much happening, but then seemingly out of the blue, BOOM!  The highlight this month was a horse called Strumble Head which ran on the 23rd.  Tipped at 8/1, returned at 10/1, it never looked like doing anything other than cruising to victory.  So nice when that happens!

The last service to end July in the black was Pinpoint Golf.  I know a knew method is being used in terms of utilizing the model that kicks up the selections, and at the moment it seems to be working.  What has impressed me over the past four or five weeks has been the relative consistency achieved.  I expect golf betting to be extremely volatile, but not this month.

Racing Service B and Northern Monkey each produced a small loss, and Jason James will be looking forward to a new month and not dwell too long on July!

Chasemaster: Staked 10pts, +16.487pts, ROI 164.87%, ROC 16.48%.

Jason James: Staked 107.5pts, -39.6pts, ROI -36.8%, ROC -19.8%.

Morning Value Service (Lite): Staked 92pts, +28.58pts, ROI 31.06%, ROC 28.58%.

Northern Monkey: Staked 117.87pts, -2.32pts, ROI -2%, ROC -2.71%.

Racing Service B: Staked 96pts, -2.17pts, ROI -2.26%, ROC -1.08%.

Pinpoint Golf: Staked 142.4pts, +40.9pts, ROI 28.72%, ROC 8.18%.