I don’t know whether or not Charles Darwin enjoyed a flutter, but I do know he talked a lot of sense when it came to evolution, natural selection and survival of the fittest.  From what I can gather, the fundamental of Darwin’s theories was that species would either adapt and if not thrive, at least survive.  And if they didn’t, well, it was curtains.

Now let’s take that principle and apply it (admittedly clumsily) to betting.  I think we have to acknowledge that being able to adapt and to be resourceful are two pretty useful skills to be able to call on if wanting to survive and then thrive in the betting world for any substantial period of time.  And I do.  I do want to.

And so it is that since losing the ability to bet on the eSoccer Edge picks last week, my mind has been concentrated on figuring out what next to do for the best.  eSE was very, very good to me.  I made a decent amount of dosh from it, but temporarily at least, that tap has been turned off.  So what next?

I think I mentioned in last week’s post that I was looking ideally for a high turnover approach, from a trusted source, with a track record of success.  I had a thought, placed one bet to test something out, and then it was clear where it was I should turn to…WinnerOdds Tennis.

Regular readers of the Bet Diary will know that I used WinnerOdds Football, and what wound that up for me was the inability after a while, to get on enough of the bets that came through.  It seemed though, from my experimental bet, that tennis is a sport I can still bet on, without restrictions that are too, well, restrictive.

How long this will last, who knows?  But my thought process is, let’s squeeze as much juice out of this account-shaped orange as is humanly possible.

After one week, and no issues so far.  Furthermore, WOT has got me off to a grand old start.  Don’t worry, I’m under no illusions. The current ROI of 18.68% is waaaaaaayyyy too high, but always nice to get off to a good start with something new.  There are a few other accounts I have access to that I can use for the moment too, so it’s not all going in one firm’s way just yet.  Let’s see how long I can make this last.

Meantime, ever conscious of Darwin’s theories (ahem), I’m thinking about what happens when I next need to adapt.  A road I’ve been down before – and successfully so – was betting more with cash in shops.  It may be that this is something I need to pick up again and to that end, I’ll be running a trial using one particular strategy that involves shop betting in the not too distant future.  Two weeks to be precise, when I get back from holiday.  But I’ll be writing a lot more about that once I get going.

Have a good week, and here are the latest figures…

July 2025 (stakes normalised)…

Bookie Bashing Golf Tracker/WGV: Staked 896pts, +136.4pts, ROI 15.22%, ROC 9.09%

eSoccer Edge: Staked 1,860pts, +116.5pts, ROI 6.26%, ROC 7.76%

The Value Machine Exchange Profit: Staked 1,670pts, +220pts, ROI 13.17%, ROC 14.66%

Tilt The Odds: Staked 681.4pts, -154.58pts, ROI -22.68%, ROC -10.3%.

SharpBetting Football: Staked 4,188pts, +248.01pts, ROI 5.92%, ROC 16.53%.

WinnerOdds Tennis: Staked 1,533pts, +286.49pts, ROI 18.68%, ROC 14.32%.

TOTAL: Staked 10,828.4pts, +852.82pts, ROI 7.87%, ROC 10.66%

So immediately after posting last week around the subject of being able to get on eSoccer Edge tips again and how everything was going swimmingly again, now I can’t get on any.  Yup, my stakes have been restricted to pennies by the firm through which I was streaming all of these bets.

This is one of those times that makes you feel that you are merely a pawn in the chess game being played by the Gambling Gods.  It’s as if they were waiting for me to post of good things, and then quickly act to take away the joy you had.

“He’s making lots of money from this service is he?  He’s written about how things have got back to normal after a difficult spell, has he?  Well how do you like this then!?  You are a mere mortal, here for our entertainment.  And don’t you forget it!”

Interestingly, it’s only for eSports betting that the bookmaker has restricted me.  However, after backing Weekly Golf Value’s William Mouw, 45/1 winner of the US Tour event on Sunday at the same book, it will be interesting to see this week if golf betting is an avenue that remains open to me with this particular firm.

It was inevitable that this would happen, and has always been only a matter of time.  Even disguising bets as best I could by using multiples with other sports, keeping stakes and bookmaker liabilities relatively low in an attempt to remain underneath the radar for as long as possible, and using all the other tricks we use…you simply can’t profit from a soft book to the level and extent I have with this service to go unnoticed forever.

Despite knowing the day when I found myself restricted was always going to arrive however, it still stings.  I feel there is a big gap in my portfolio now, a vacuum which as I type, I’m undecided how to fill.  I’m sure that I’ll be able to jump back on board at some point down the line, but getting to that point is going to take a little time.  In the meantime, I need to work out what to do for the best.

The vacancy I now have to look to fill is a high turnover service, with relatively short losing runs, that is most likely to provide the sort of consistency eSE has given me over the last few months.  When we take out the weird period when something fundamental changed within the eSports game which caused a sharp drawdown (which was quickly recovered from), the largest drawdown I’ve experienced in amassing 2,428 points of profit has been just -210.7 points.  Not only has eSoccer Edge produced fantastic profit, it’s facilitated my betting to be as least volatile I’ve ever known it.  And as time wore on, I got to appreciate that more and more.  It was like being coddled in a warm, fluffy safety blanket.

It may be I have to accept that I’m going to have to accept more volatility moving forward, and fill the gap temporarily with a service that provides good profit but which doesn’t have the day in/day out consistency I’ve grown used to.

Anyway, ideas are buzzing through my head.  I need to just sit down and think things through.  Possibly trial a service or two and see where I am and how I’m feeling after that process.  Obviously, I’ll keep you updated every step of the way through this process.

Speak soon.

July 2025 (stakes normalised)…

Bookie Bashing Golf Tracker/WGV: Staked 626pts, +244.4pts, ROI 39.04%, ROC 16.29%

eSoccer Edge: Staked 1,860pts, +116.5pts, ROI 6.26%, ROC 7.76%

The Value Machine Exchange Profit: Staked 940pts, +410.36pts, ROI 43.65%, ROC 27.35%

Tilt The Odds: Staked 478.4pts, -39.75pts, ROI -8.3%, ROC -2.65%.

SharpBetting Football: Staked 2,679.5pts, +139.39pts, ROI 5.2%, ROC 9.29%.

TOTAL: Staked 6,583.9pts, +889.9pts, ROI 13.51%, ROC 11.86%

What do we think is the most important factor in profitable betting?

If I had to make a check list, it would look something like this…

• Having an edge.
• Patience.
• The ability to get on.
• Patience.
• An appropriately sized betting bank, ie. having sufficient funds so as not to carry too much risk.
• Patience.
• Extra dollop of patience, for when patience starts to wear a bit thin.

Normally, when talking about having patience in the context of gambling, we mean the ability to focus on the long term and refusing to allow drawdowns and extended losing runs to knock us off our path.  In other words, not giving up on something or someone with a proven edge, too soon.

Last week though, I felt I was able to demonstrate a different type of patience. Or at least, I was able to be patient when faced with a slightly different challenge.

The profits I’ve enjoyed from eSoccer Edge since the early part of this year have been nothing short of phenomenal.  After yesterday’s profits were added to the pot, I’m standing at just over 2,500 points profit at an ROI of 15.3%.  The issue last week was that I struggled to get many bets down at all.  Turnover suddenly slowed drastically as lines/prices on the bets changed almost immediately the Telegram notifications came through.  In short, it was a bit of a pain.

This week however, the situation has almost completely eased, and I’ve been able to get on over 95% of the picks that came through at the times I was happy to be betting.

Where I’m pleased with myself is that for most of last week, if the bets came through, I’d react in the same way I always do and look to jump on quickly and efficiently.  I must have tried and failed to get on well over 50 bets.

But I figured on two things.

One – this is an exceptionally well run service, and I knew the powers that be would be working hard on finding a solution.  And…

Two – the crashes might well be caused by someone staking big and looking to make a quick hit of profit and max out before the account would be shut down…but I was pretty confident if this was the case, it would be shut down.

I don’t know what’s ultimately happened, but I do know that this week normal service was very much resumed, and I’m 231.5 points better off than I was.  I wonder when the insanely hot streak this service has been enjoying will end, and patience will be tested in a more traditional way?

I’m going to give myself a little pat on the back. 🙂

Enjoy the sun, folks!  See you next week.

July 2025 (stakes normalised)…

Bookie Bashing Golf Tracker/WGV: Staked 218pts, +115pts, ROI 52.75%, ROC 7.66%

eSoccer Edge: Staked 1,440pts, +209.5pts, ROI 14.54%, ROC 13.96%

The Value Machine Exchange Profit: Staked 700pts, 293.18pts, ROI 41.88%, ROC 19.54%

Tilt The Odds: Staked 373.4pts, +51.32pts, ROI 13.74%, ROC 3.42%.

SharpBetting Football: Staked 2,155pts, +172.05pts, ROI 7.98%, ROC 11.47%.

TOTAL: Staked 4,886.4pts, +860.05pts, ROI 17.6%, ROC 11.46%

The first week of July has been kind, profits have come in very nicely, and as a result a new profit high has been reached for the year to date.

An overall ROI for the week of 24.59% and bank growth of 7.32% tells the story.  July has seen a very strong start.  And yet, there’s an inescapable sense of what could have been…again…after watching the end of the John Deere Classic golf tournament last night.

Weekly Golf Value generated an ROI for the week of 52%, but in what seems to have become a theme recently, one of our players threw away a strong position, and ended up losing in a play-off.  There was a time we couldn’t lose a play off.  Now we can’t win one.  Having said that, our man Grillo missed a putt to win it on the last and avoid the need for any extra holes, by a matter of an inch or two.  I guess that sums up the very fine margins between winning, and winning big.

It was the horses last week that produced much of the profit, however.

A couple of nice winning multiples were landed for Tilt The Odds, although still waiting for a biggie.  Keep hitting the crossbar as far as that is concerned, but nevertheless bank growth of 10.76% represents a fine week.

And then we had The Value Machine Exchange Profit enjoy a great day last Thursday, but subsequently give some back.  I’m quite looking forward to getting really stuck in with this come the autumn.  At the moment, I’m not able to get a fair percentage of the bets down, particularly at weekends.  This will change when the cricket season comes to an end, but in the meantime and despite a bit of clawback, bank growth of 12.1% on the week is excellent stuff!

And a similar story for SharpBetting Football, with a couple of fantastically profitable days followed by a bit of a clawback by the books.  But very healthy ROI (8.68%) and ROC (6.28%) have meant that July is already looking much better than June was.

Just hints that the line/price movement issues recently experienced by eSoccer Edge have been got on top of.  I don’t want to speak to soon, but there are promising signs and I’ve been able to get on a few more bets towards the end of the week than I was at the start.  Let’s see what happens this week.

July 2025 (stakes normalised)…

Bookie Bashing Golf Tracker/WGV: Staked 218pts, +115pts, ROI 52.75%, ROC 7.66%

eSoccer Edge: Staked 300pts, -3pts, ROI -1%, ROC -0.2%

The Value Machine Exchange Profit: Staked 460pts, +181.6pts, ROI 39.47%, ROC 12.1%

Tilt The Odds: Staked 170.2pts, +161.51pts, ROI 94.89%, ROC 10.76%.

SharpBetting Football: Staked 1,085pts, 94.2pts, ROI 8.68%, ROC 6.28%.

TOTAL: Staked 2,233.2pts, +549.31pts, ROI 24.59%, ROC 7.32%

First of all, a huge apology for being a day later with this post than had been planned and promised.  We had to say goodbye yesterday to the faithful mutt who, at 16 years of age had chased her last squirrel, bless her.

Without further ado, let’s take a look back at June’s betting and we’ll start with the main figures:

Staked 13,890.9pts, +720.11pts, ROI 5.18%, ROC 9.6%.

The target for each month is to look to hit bank growth of 10%, so the first thing to say is that at 9.6% ROC, June has been a decent enough month.  However, a week before the end that ROC figure was up near the 12-13% marker, and the ROI near the 10% line.  The last few days of June were anything but “blazing”.

My biggest overall drawdown this year has reached a depth of -467.45pts, and that was hit this Sunday just gone.  A decent Monday from eSoccer Edge has eaten into that, but it shows how the last week has been a bit of a struggle.

Winner of ‘Service of the Month’ was yet again, for the third consecutive month, eSoccer Edge.  Its figures were frankly, phenomenal…

Staked 3,480pts, +922.25pts, ROI 26.5%, ROC 61.48%.

Not sure I’ve ever had 60%+ bank growth from any one service in just a month’s worth of betting.

I am forcing myself to remember that 26.5% ROI is waaaaaaayyy over the expected long term norm, and as hot as the service has been running, there will come a time when it runs cold.  The other issue is that the speed with which lines and prices are now moving has severely curtailed the number of bets I’ve been able to get on.  I’m really hoping this can be got on top of, and am very willing to give time to see this happen.  The fear is that this becomes a service that burns ridiculously bright but only for a short time before burning itself out.  But I have total belief and trust in the management team to be doing everything possible to get on top of the problem.

A very poor last weekend across three tournaments meant that a fairly sizeable chunk was taken from the profits that Weekly Golf Value had amassed.  Despite a winner in June, it will be a month that goes down as a “what might have been”.  A number of close finishes and players throwing away seeming victory meant it could have been an absolute stormer.  Still, I refuse to complain.  Even with the last weekend’s disappointment, June finished with a perfectly respectable ROI and overall across 2025, my ROI is just a shade under 30%.

The third profitable service in June was The Value Machine Exchange Profit.  Again, a bit of a dip towards the end of the month meant it didn’t finish at the sort of performance level it looked like it might at one point.

The exact same comments apply to Tilt The Odds and I’m waiting patiently for that one bet that transforms how it looks.

The one disappointment was SmartBetting Football which followed an extremely hot May with a cold June.  It was never in profit, reached a fairly sizeable drawdown, but over the last couple of days started to process of clawing those back.  It will.

And let’s not forget where this service is for me overall.  Still on a 693pt profit and an overall ROI of 4.72%, which in a high turnover service isn’t at all shabby.

June 2025 (stakes normalised)…

Bookie Bashing Golf Tracker/WGV: Staked 1,616pts, +133.04pts, ROI 8.23%, ROC 8.86%

eSoccer Edge: Staked 3,480pts, +922.25pts, ROI 26.5%, ROC 61.48%

The Value Machine Exchange Profit: Staked 1,890pts, +97.92pts, ROI 5.18%, ROC 6.52%

Tilt The Odds: Staked 820.4pts, -108.45pts, ROI -13.21%, ROC -7.23%.

SharpBetting Football: Staked 6,006pts, -320pts, ROI -5.32%, ROC -21.33%.

TOTAL: Staked 13,890.9pts, +720.11pts, ROI 5.18%, ROC 9.6%