I can remember the time when I was first prevented from having a bet with an online bookie as if it was yesterday. It was a real badge of honour, the betting equivalent to coming home safely from flying the last mission in the skies above enemy territory. I’d made it. I had the bookies running scared. This time next year not only would I, like Del Boy, be a millionaire, but I’d also be a “face” (it didn’t concern me that it might prove be tricky to be a “face” online, but there you go). I was young and foolish – forgive me.
Roll on more years than I care to count, and now of course when I get the email saying that the traders, in their infinite wisdom, had decided that my business is unwanted, it’s a real pain in the a*se. Usable accounts have become a valuable commodity, and are to be nurtured and protected.
The recent SBC pieces from the bookie insider have made for fascinating reading. I wish I’d had the insight they provide years ago! Still, there’s no point worrying about things that can’t be changed and to be fair, I feel I have already been doing most (but not all) of the things suggested in the articles to stay under the bookie radar.
Really, most of the right things to do are common sense. I never, unless it’s in one of the big races of the year, place bets the night before racing. Doing so really is asking for trouble. You may as well send a personal email to the Head of Trading asking them to close your account because you’re going to take advantage of ricks in the market when the bookie is at their most vulnerable.
I always split my stakes so that I never place more than £30 on one bet with one book, and whenever possible, I’ll try to limit the bet to a maximum £20. Even if using three books to strike what is effectively one bet, the effort is worth it in the long run.
On a similar note, I’ve learnt not to take an outstanding price being offered by just one or two books. Again, by doing so, tempting though it may be, you really are going to cause the alarm bells to ring loud and clear for the bookies. Similarly, only betting at a consistent time on one sport has to stick out like a sore thumb. More and more have I started placing small bets on random events and laying off on the exchanges to ensure a tiny loss. If this makes betting patterns harder to spot, it’s got to be a good thing.
So look, use your common sense. Don’t get greedy, and do what it takes to protect those accounts for as long as you possibly can. Next week I’ll talk about how betting high volume/small amounts might be one way to go about things to a. generate a good profit, and b. keep your accounts healthy at the same time.
Performance from Monday 11th to Sunday 17th February
It was a strange week with not one bet struck over Monday and Tuesday as the effects of Equine Flu’ continued. All back to normal on the Wednesday though, but it was as if the tipsters need time to find their stride again. No noteworthy individual performances this week.
Portfolio Performance
‘Main’ portfolio: ROI -10.17%, ROC -1.55%.
‘Starter’ (Football Lay Profits, The Accountant, Racing Service 2, Northern Monkey): ROI -3.71%, ROC -0.69%.
‘Broxchange’ (Football Lay Profits, The Accountant, Golf Insider): ROI -6.32%, ROC -1.37%.
Individual Service Performance
The Accountant: Staked 11pts, -2.189pts, ROI -19.9%.
Racing Service 1: Staked 3pts, -1.375pts, ROI -45.83%.
Football Lay Profits: Staked 45.75pts, +0.64pts, ROI 1.39%.
Golf Insider: Staked 12pts, -1.5pts, ROI -12.5%.
MVS (Lite): Staked 16pts, -6.374pts, ROI -39.83%.
Northern Monkey: Staked 4.75pts, +2.178pts, ROI 45.85%.
Football Service 2: Staked 8.75pts, -0.019pts, ROI -0.21%.
Racing Service 2: Staked 6pts, -1.5pts, ROI -25%.
Racing Service 3: Staked 17pts, +1.85pts, ROI 10.88%.
