I posted on Monday that despite the fact that last week had been another that ended in a loss, I was feeling much better about things. Why is that? What’s changed to help build confidence?
A couple of things, really. First, although the Lucky 15s (break even) and the Football Coupons (small loss) didn’t produce the goods, some horses were beginning to place and we started to get three or four winning teams from the seven on the footie. This meant a series of small losses or a break even bet, and the odd one produced a small profit, but it was the fact that the seemingly endless run of no horse placing and maybe just one winner from seven teams on a coupon ended.
When you have seven teams on a coupon at prices including the odd 1.4 shot, and then a number around 2.0 and none of the beggars wins, it can be a little demoralizing. As can horse after horse after horse finishing outside the frame. When you get the odd winner and a couple to place, you can suddenly see why it is a matter of time before the stars align and a pretty decent win is landed. Who knows how long that period of time will be? But at least you can see it is just a waiting game we’re playing and that helps with finding the required patience.
The other major stabilising factor, for me anyway, is that for the first time this year, I do feel as though I have a settled strategy. I know which golfers I’m going to back, which coupons I’m going to look to exploit, and which horses I’m going to back.
The transition from online soft bookmakers to cash in shops has been a more difficult one to adjust to than I had anticipated, if I’m being honest. But at last I reckon I’m getting there. Once you know exactly what opportunities you’re going to look for and why, I think it’s easier to exercise the required patience through the drawdowns. When you’re feeling your way, not entirely sure of your approach, then I think seeing a lot of losing bets is harder to take.
I feel I’ve settled into a rhythm now. All we need now is some profit!
That’s my tuppence worth anyway.
I can’t leave this post without mentioning the weekend’s footie. As an Arsenal fan, the end of Saturday’s game was something else. Quite why the FA are investigating the celebrations at the end, I really don’t know. What are they trying to do? Police emotion? “Look at those people having fun and expressing theie joy at a sporting event for which they’ve paid a lot of money to go to. And as for those players! How dare such young lads who are in the midst of the season of their lives, with so much at stake, all show such emotion at scoring a winner in the 97th minute having been two goals down just 20 minutes earlier!”
Seriously, FA. In the words of Gary Neville…”do one”!
Perhaps in the interest of not losing any Manchester United supporting readers, I’ll leave my reflections on Sunday’s game before I even start them…
