It’s that time of year again, isn’t it, when we start to look back at the previous 12 months and reflect on what has gone well and what perhaps, not so well?
I remember writing in these pages, not long after the turn of the year, that something I was a little anxious about for 2023 was the “progression” of my betting into the shops using cash and the Exchanges, and away from online, soft bookmakers. The well of accounts had run dry. Even now, and only through happy circumstance and a coming of age within the family that has meant that some funds have been directed back to the latter, have I regained any sort of exposure to the soft books. 90% of my betting remains channelled through the shops and offices of Messrs Fred and W.Hill esquire.
Frankly, the impact this has had on what was by far my most profitable strategy of 2022 – the Lucky 15s derived from the Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker – has proven to be huge. The level of bank growth achieved through 2022 has been decimated and the ROI left a fraction of what it was.
And yet…
…I am absolutely delighted with the outcome, with my ability to maintain a fantastic level of profit and at an ROI that I can say has pleasantly surprised me.
This past week has seen 100% bank growth achieved for 2023 from the Lucky 15s (and yes, before anyone says anything I know it could oh so easily dip below that figure again before the week is out). The ROI is at a shade north of 15%. Allowing for the considerably larger stakes that can be got down in the shops than I could ever get down online, this has been a genuine triumph.
2022 was outstanding for the Lucky 15s. My ROI for the year was 68.1%, and ROC at 602%. But quite honestly, having the likes of Skybet and Bet 365 to bet at, with their BOG (originally) and extra places available, it was like printing money. 2023 has been harder work, clearly, but to double the (bigger) bank and to be getting to a 15% ROI is something I’m incredibly happy about, and in all honesty, relieved to see.
And here’s the thing. I had four bets in 2022 that provided almost, or more than a 100 point profit. Big wins. This year, I’ve had one that coughed up 50 points (a nice win) but that’s it. This year has instead seen what has been an almost quiet accumulation of profit. No fireworks, just plenty of sparklers.
But the biggest difference is that it has felt much more sustainable. Whenever I make a profitable bet, I don’t worry that that’s my account gone. True, having not hit the “jackpot” Lucky 15 which might mean the bookmaker involved playing funny buggers when it comes to paying out by insisting on seeing wage slips from the ‘paper round I did in 1986, I guess I’ve had it easy. But let’s cross that bridge if and when it arrives.
So, to conclude, the Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker and the Lucky 15 strategy remains the foundation stone of my betting. Who knows what will happen in 2024 with it. It could be a losing year. But let’s not worry about that right now.
