It’s been a while, but the NFL Half Time/Full Time strategy came good on Sunday evening.  I mentioned last week that I’d got one Half Time Draw to land, but then the team I needed to go on to win, didn’t!

This week, the Cleveland Browns did me proud, although not without a ridiculously tense end to their game.  They went ahead with a Field Goal with just 42 seconds left on the clock.  I guess my upbringing on football automatically leads me to believe 42 seconds is nothing.  In NFL, it’s a lifetime.  Anyway, it all ended well and gave the week a much needed boost.

Elsewhere, literally nothing remarkable happened.  So I shan’t remark, other than to say it was all a bit boring.  Nothing lost much, but nothing won much either.  Just one of those weeks.

This week has got off to a brighter start, but more on that in my next post.

In the meantime, here are the figures…

AI Football: Staked 1,621pts, -180.32pts, ROI: -11.12%, ROC: -18.02%

Bookie Bashing Football Coupons: Staked 3,622.50pts, +144.81pts, ROI: 3.99%, ROC 9.65%

Bookie Bashing Golf Tracker/Weekly Golf Value: Staked 7,496pts, +1,012.27pts, ROI: 13.5%, ROC: 50.61%

Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker (Lucky 15s): Staked 7,650pts, +1,095.26pts, ROI: 14.31%, ROC: 73.01%.

Bookie Bashing Value Bets Tracker: Staked 4,013.50pts, +317.62pts, ROI: 7.91%, ROC: 15.88%

DD/HH: Staked 1,467.5pts, +402pts, ROI: 27.39%, ROC: 40.2%.

NFL strategy: Staked 1,067pts, -74.67pts, ROI: -6.99%, ROC: -7.46%

Sys Analyst: Staked 5,784.80pts, -229.52pts, ROI:-3.96%, ROC: -11.47%

Touchdown Profit: Staked 820pts, +219.45pts, ROI: 26.76%, ROC: 21.94%

TOTAL ROI: 8.25%

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.

It was a decent enough week last week, with the total return ending up at 13.8% ROI.  But oh, what could have been.

I made what turned out to be a daft decision to ignore the Invitational golf event over in the US.  Weekly Golf Value put up two bets, and I backed neither.  Yup, you can guess the rest.

Best performer by some distance was the Lucky 15s from the Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker.  Again, no huge win or anything, but just a sequence of solid returns including one on Saturday that had four placed horses.  The ROI for this strategy since April now stands at a sliver below 15%, and yet I can say that I’ve not had one massive pay out.  More on this later this week.

What feels like a long road back for AI Football has started.  A quiet week, but one that didn’t bring a loser from the five bets I was able to place (one I wasn’t).  Let’s hope this signifies the start of a return to form.

The NFL Half Time/Full Time strategy finally had a half time draw land.  It’s been a while.  Trouble is, the wrong team then went on to win, sinking the HT/FT double.  The difference between a small profit on the week and what would have been a sizeable one.  Whilst on the subject of NFL, Touchdown Profit went 2-1 to add to this season’s incredibly positive figures.

Here are the figures…

AI Football: Staked 1,428pts, -176.09pts, ROI: -12.33%, ROC: -17.6%

Bookie Bashing Football Coupons: Staked 3,622.50pts, +144.81pts, ROI: 3.99%, ROC 9.65%

Bookie Bashing Golf Tracker/Weekly Golf Value: Staked 7,409pts, +1,075.89pts, ROI: 14.52%, ROC: 53.79%

Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker (Lucky 15s): Staked 7,395pts, +1,108.42pts, ROI: 14.98%, ROC: 73.89%.

Bookie Bashing Value Bets Tracker: Staked 3,891pts, +339.36pts, ROI: 8.72%, ROC: 16.96%

DD/HH: Staked 1,390.5pts, +358pts, ROI: 25.74%, ROC: 35.8%.

NFL strategy: Staked 987pts, -227.34pts, ROI: -23.03%, ROC: -22.73%

Sys Analyst: Staked 5,661pts, -150.76pts, ROI:-2.66%, ROC: -7.53%

Touchdown Profit: Staked 780pts, +220.44pts, ROI: 28.26%, ROC: 22.04%

TOTAL ROI: 8.45%

Very little to write about.  Just in the process of updating figures but have now done so up until the end of November which you will see below.

Last week prior to the weekend really was something of a damp squib.  Just one Lucky 15 bet struck, and very little action elsewhere.  Weather hasn’t helped.  The weekend was more interesting and so I’ll post again tomorrow to bring you completely up to date.

AI Football: Staked 1,348pts, -206.47pts, ROI: -15.31%, ROC: -20.64%

Bookie Bashing Football Coupons: Staked 3,622.50pts, +144.81pts, ROI: 3.99%, ROC 9.65%

Bookie Bashing Golf Tracker/Weekly Golf Value: Staked 7,312pts, +1,089.99pts, ROI: 14.9%, ROC: 54.49%

Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker (Lucky 15s): Staked 7,170pts, +983.06pts, ROI: 13.71%, ROC: 65.53%.

Bookie Bashing Value Bets Tracker: Staked 3,841pts, +389.36pts, ROI: 10.13%, ROC: 19.46%

DD/HH: Staked 1,365.5pts, +383pts, ROI: 28.04%, ROC: 38.3%.

NFL strategy: Staked 927pts, -245.94pts, ROI: -26.53%, ROC: -24.59%

Sys Analyst: Staked 5,583pts, -143.5pts, ROI:-2.57%, ROC: -7.17%

Touchdown Profit: Staked 720pts, +204.77pts, ROI: 31.99%, ROC: 20.47%

TOTAL ROI: 8.33%

NOT, a good week.  In fact, the very opposite of good.  BAD.  Very bad indeed.

I’m going to keep this update fairly short, and summarize thus…

No return from any bet at all last week from:

Bookie Bashing Value Bet Tracker (obviously only the ones I bet on – I’m sure others will have backed winners from this, and probably made a profit).

DD/HH strategy.

NFL half time/full time strategy – after an early return, it’s been a while.  This can be so frustrating as frequently the failure to get a draw at half time and therefore set up the full time double when it’s happy days, is just one score.  I still can’t forget the missed extra point after a touchdown that thwarted one of these bets.

Sys Analyst – Allan provided a results update recently.  I have no worries at all here.  The service has been there and done it in terms of recovering from drawdowns, many times over.

Add to the above and a loss too for the Bookie Bashing Lucky 15s strategy, no winner on the golf, and a loss too for AI Football which also sent out a missive to members apologising for the recent poor form (no need to apologise chaps, as we know, this happens), and you can see it was not a fun week.  Even the ever reliable Touchdown Profit went 1-3 for a loss!

All we can do is accept these weeks/months happen, and keep plugging away.  So that is what I shall do.

Have a good weekend!

AI Football: Staked 1,328pts, -186.47pts, ROI: -14.04%, ROC: -18.64%

Bookie Bashing Football Coupons: Staked 3,622.50pts, +144.81pts, ROI: 3.99%, ROC 9.65%

Bookie Bashing Golf Tracker/Weekly Golf Value: Staked 7,040pts, +1,157.84pts, ROI: 16.44%, ROC: 57.89%

Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker (Lucky 15s): Staked 7,155pts, +981.42pts, ROI: 13.71%, ROC: 65.42%.

Bookie Bashing Value Bets Tracker: Staked 3,746pts, +424.36pts, ROI: 11.32%, ROC: 21.21%

DD/HH: Staked 1,365.5pts, +383pts, ROI: 28.04%, ROC: 38.3%.

NFL strategy: Staked 927pts, -245.94pts, ROI: -26.53%, ROC: -24.59%

Sys Analyst: Staked 5,583pts, -143.5pts, ROI:-2.57%, ROC: -7.17%

Touchdown Profit: Staked 720pts, +204.77pts, ROI: 31.99%, ROC: 20.47%

TOTAL ROI: 8.84%