The tipster blogger ‘Making Punting Pay’ on how he made over 7k in 2019 betting.

Yesterday saw the release of a very special SBC Report from a guest author – the tipster blogger, Making Punting Pay on how he made a £7,346.57 clear profit betting in 2019.

Exclusively available to SBC members only, this report details his journey to profit on a month-by-month basis, including the 6 tipsters he follows, the lessons learnt along the way and his advice to those looking to copy his approach.

Although to access the full 17-page report a Smart Betting Club membership is required (Get instant access), I wanted to share with you all an interview with the man himself to give you some insight into his approach.

SBC: Thanks for agreeing to the interview – first of all, can you explain why you decided to start following tipsters and more to the point – why you decided to write a blog about it?

MPP: For years I was your standard punter, firing on daft accumulators while watching the scores on a Saturday or throwing on a random lucky 15 at the racing, with no success whatsoever….a donation to the bookies every week.

I then became aware of the SBC about five years ago which was when I realised it was possible to turn myself into a profitable punter by following tipsters. I started blogging in the hope it would force me into being more disciplined with outside eyes looking on, while also giving me the platform to share my experiences with others who may be doing the same thing. These types of blogs have been incredibly useful to me in the past, so hopefully one or two others find mine of use.

Onto your 2019 performance and how about some headline figures to begin with. Exactly how much did you make in 2019 before and after any costs?

The final total was £10,886.57 profit although after you deduct the subscriptions (£3,540) the final figure was £7,346.57.

How many hours a week do you think it took to run your ‘portfolio’ and would you say it was worth the time and effort you put into it?

I’ve actually managed to reduce this considerably in the past few months as a result of account restrictions forcing me onto the exchange. It’s hard to put an exact figure on it but i’d estimate I used to spend about 8 hours a week with that time mainly taken up by shopping around trying to secure the best price as soon as bets were released. Now with little accounts left, i’m forced to use the exchange close to the off which has freed up a lot of time. I’d estimate i’m down to about 3 or 4 hours per week now so definitely worth the effort.

Onto your portfolio itself – how did you choose the tipsters to follow?

In 2019 I had six tipsters – three racing, two golf and one football. The SBC tipster profit reports and magazines are my first port of call to identify potential tipsters and ensure they suit my personal circumstances. I then narrow the list down by conducting my own analysis to double check the ones that will suit me best which also usually highlights areas where I can tailor each service to either increase ROI or ROC or simplify the way I follow a service i.e. potential for placing bets later in the day.

Digging into your results last year – Who was your best performing tipster in 2019?

Best performing was a service whom I refer to as Racing Service 3 (the tipster in question likes to stay out of the limelight) who generated a profit of £9,216.77 at 10.1% ROI and 92.2% ROC. The Value Bettor is also worth a mention since he’s only in action 5 months of the year and managed to produce a profit of £5,674.07 at 22.7% ROI.

What was your biggest win or success story?

My biggest win was back in April when I had £100 on a 33/1 winner, but i’d say the biggest success story was the number of times I managed to recover from substantial four figure drawdowns.

Of course we should never forget the downside of betting either and the losing runs we all go through at times. What was the biggest issue you faced and what was the worst bad beat or bad luck story of the year?

The biggest issue I faced was the volatility of the portfolio. I felt as though I was always on either a huge drawdown, or on a big winning run, there seemed to be no middle ground.

Back luck wise was probably back in March when I was only able to place half my usual stake on 28/1 and 33/1 winners due to the odds disappearing as I was splitting my stakes across a number of books. If I managed to get the full stake down then i’d have been £3000 richer.

What would you say to anyone wanting to copy you and what they should be prepared for?

It may seem like a get rich quick scheme but it’s far from it. It isn’t as easy as just picking a tipster and placing the bets, as if you don’t have a disciplined approach then you will be up against it. Even the best of tipsters go on losing runs so you need sufficient betting banks and the mentality to absorb the losses. Would you keep placing bets if you had lost 50% or more of your bank?

In 2019 I endured four losing runs of more than £5000 but kept at it, refusing to reduce stakes in the knowledge that the tide would turn. I’d guess not a lot of people would be willing to see out the dark days, which is why so few make this work. The pressure you feel under when you have no idea where the next winner will come from is pretty intense. Those who don’t know how to lose, will have no chance of winning in the long term.

Finally – how can people read more from you (besides your 2019 report!?)

I make regular updates on the blog at http://makingpuntingpay.blogspot.com where you can subscribe to receive updates via email. I’m also on Twitter @MakePuntingPay

My thanks to Making Punting Pay for answering these questions and if you want to read more from him then the specially commissioned 2019 report is now available to all Smart Betting Club members. You can sign-up instantly via for as little as 26p per day.

I should say here as well – the person behind the Making Punting Pay blog is an SBC member but aside from that he has no affiliation with us. He writes his blog off his own steam with no influence from anyone connected to SBC so his blog is a fantastic independent resource I recommend you check out!

 

Peter Ling

Smart Betting Club Owner and Founder

 

 

 

9 years following tipsters averaging 12k a year profit. One SBC members’ real life betting journey

For those of you after some inspiration on how to make a profit betting, today I want to share my recent chat with one very long running SBC member on exactly how he continues to make his betting following tipsters a real success.

Step forward Jim – a Smart Betting Club member since 2012 no less and with whom I spoke to earlier this week to get the lowdown on his latest betting experiences and results figures.

To set the scene – back in 2016, I first interviewed Jim on his betting results and how he won £20,000 in 2015, the first year that he took it all seriously. You can read this original interview here.

Now 4 years later, Jim was good enough to agree to answer a few of my questions on his performance since then (during which time he has been an SBC member naturally!) including how he now averages around £12,000 profit per year…

SBC: You first joined SBC back in 2012, so you are coming up to nearly 9 years of membership now! What is it about SBC that continues to appeal to you?

Jim: I have been a member of SBC since 2012 – a long time.

At first, I just played around with different tipsters to try and find the right one for me. The first one I chose gave out tips the night before and still is very good, yet I don’t use him anymore as I got banned very quickly by the bookies for following him in. SBC warned against this as being a red flag for this service and they were right. I thought that suffering from a bookmaker restriction was a status symbol at first, but I quickly realised it’s a no no now.

SBC: Back in 2016, in our original chat, you explained how 2015 was a vintage year for you making over £20,000. How has your betting fared since then?

Jim: That’s right as it was only in 2015 that I began to take it seriously and I made 20 grand in total that year. In the years since, I have still made a good profit on average of around £12,000 per year.

In 2019 I was down £6000 up to June after a poor first 6 months, but it all turned around in the second half of the year and I ended up £12,000 in profit in total. Shows the value of being patient, but then having done this seriously since 2015 I know how to ride the ups and downs along the way.

SBC: In terms of the tipsters you use – have you been following any since 2012?

Jim: Well the first thing to say is that I only follow racing tipsters, which is both good and bad. Good because they make a fantastic ROI but bad in that it increases issues at my profit levels with bookmaker restriction issues.

Service wise, I have been with 2 of the same tipsters since 2012. They don’t just give tips out and say get on with it. They genuinely care about their members and making sure you can make a profit following their advice.

SBC: What about the tipsters you follow currently?

Jim: I only use 4 tipsters now and I’m happy with how things are going. I could follow more but I want to have a life outside of them and my day job. I would also rather up my stakes in these 4 tipsters I trust rather than join anyone new.

Three of them are SBC recommended tipsters and the other one I just came across through a fellow SBC member who is very switched on. My outlay in a year is now about £200k in terms of stakes and I try to make 10% ROI. 200k might sound a lot but I’ve built it up over the years, so it’s well within my comfort zone.

SBC: What are your betting plans for the future? Do you think you will still be doing this in 2030?

Jim: In the future I want to be able to make a good profit just by using the exchanges although that isn’t always possible right now. At my staking and profit level, getting on is tricky sometimes as I don’t use a VPN and I’m hopeless at the tech stuff. So, I use a mixture of phones and place a bunch of bets in shops too as this works for me (I work in a big city centre so have ready access).

SBC: What would you say to anyone considering a SBC membership but unsure as to whether to take the plunge?

Jim: If you take the plunge to join SBC it can change your life but just remember it’s a lot of hard work and effort, especially at my staking range.

I would also say it’s essential to keep a spreadsheet of all your bets so you really know where you stand. Some months you think you are losing because you have had a few bad days in a row but when you look back you realise you’re doing ok and vice versa. It’s only because you have the spreadsheet, do you actually know where you stand.

 

My thanks go out to Jim for taking the time to answer my questions.

So, whilst I have promised Jim I won’t reveal the exact names of those tipsters he follows, he does make clear in this chat that 3 of them are those we at SBC currently recommend and have done for some-time.

Indeed, it appears that Jim has also been following them for several years now too – showing the value of finding a professional, well-run tipster service (or 3!) that can make a difference to your betting.

Of course, betting can be a bit of a rollercoaster at times as his 2019 ride alludes to, but with the right strategy, record-keeping and a bit of patience, his story is a fantastic bit of inspiration for those of you looking to do the same in 2020 and beyond.

Read More Real-Life SBC Member Experiences

If the chat with Jim has whet your appetite for more on the SBC difference – you can read further real-life betting experiences from other members using the links below:

MPP – A £25 Hourly Wage betting – an interview with the punter/blogger making it pay!

D.G. – The reality of following 8 tipsters and the SBC difference

Dave – An interview with the punter up 5 figure profits annually using tipsters

So why not join the Smart Betting Club today and see the difference we can make to your betting with tipsters!

 

 

2020 SBC Awards Results – Your Best and Worst Bookmakers

Tuesday saw the grand unveiling of the 2020 SBC Awards – featuring the results of your votes across 7 different categories from Best Free Tipster to Best Betting Website, Podcast & more.

In today’s post I have a bit more detail to share on a few of the winners, including that of just who you voted for in the Best & Worst Bookmaker Categories as well as Best Exchange.

Don’t forget you can grab your copy of the 2020 SBC Awards Report via the link below.

 

Best Bookmaker – Bet365

There was no contest this year when it came to your Best Bookmaker with Bet365 once again top of the pile taking nearly half of all votes cast.

There was notable movement below them as Skybet jumped from 4th to 2nd this year with 16.55% of the votes, whilst Pinnacle snared Bronze with 9.34%. The latter was quite the achievement when you consider that many punters are still unable to bet with them directly.

Of the other nominees, only William Hill polled a significant number with 7.15% of the votes in 4th spot. A full breakdown of the votes can be found below:

Best Bookmaker Votes

Worst Bookmaker – Ladbrokes (again!)

When it came to the Worst Bookmaker Award, the competition for places really heated up with 6 firms all attracting more than 10% of the vote share.

Despite the increased competition, it was Ladbrokes who once again won this Award – for the 4th year in a row no less, polling just short of 20% of your votes.

Up one place to Silver this year was Irish firm, Paddy Power, who increased their worst bookmaker vote share from 12.85% to 15.06%, whilst Coral took Bronze with 12.90%.

The 3 other firms each polling more than 10% each in 4th, 5th and 6th spot were BetfredBoylesports and Betway respectively.

The issues put forward by those of you commenting after voting in this category surrounded the usual common themes of poor customer service, stake restrictions and account closures.

For balance it is worth noting that Best Bookie Award winners – Bet365 and Skybet both also polled about 2 to 3% each in this category. Reflecting the diverse ranges of opinions and experiences many of you have when it comes to bookmaker treatment.

Worst Bookmaker Votes

Best Exchange – Betfair

This year for the first time we also introduced a separate award for Best Betting Exchange to acknowledge the growth and increased competition in this market.

With only 4 contestants, we awarded prizes to the top two, with the Gold Award taken by the Betfair Exchange who took 74.05% of the votes.

Matchbook were their nearest competitor with 15.56% of your votes and took Silver, whilst Smarkets and Betdaq polled around 10% between them in 3rd and 4th.

It will be intriguing to see how the Exchange market changes in coming years with Betfair now adopting a lower 2% commission model for those that demand it – the same tariff as their 3 main rivals.

(It should be noted you have to choose this 2% rate as by default Betfair places you on 5%, whilst there is also an 8% option for anyone who wants it – not that you should, it’s terrible value. You can read more about setting your commission rate via this link.)

Of these exchange rivals, we have already seen how Matchbook continue to lead the way with impressive content – podcasts, articles and free tipsters, whilst Smarkets have been expanding their own remit with new sportsbook app – SBK and innovations of their own. Read our recent interview with Smarkets.

More competition is only a good thing as it ensures lower costs for us punters as we have seen with Betfair’s move from 5 to 2% commission last year. We therefore welcome this rivalry in the Betting Exchange sector.

Best Exchange Votes

For more on all the other public voting categories, including that of Best Free Tipster, Best Betting Podcast, Writer & Website, make sure you grab your free copy of the 2020 Awards Report.:

How To Access The Expanded Awards Report

For those of you interested in reading more on the 2020 SBC Awards results, including who won the prizes for several vital ‘Best Tipster’ categories, you can also access all of this with our special expanded SBC-members-only Awards Report.

Gain instant access with a Smart Betting Club membership – now available at the lowest ever prices for 2020.

 

 

 

The 2020 SBC Awards – All Your Winners Revealed!

It’s a pleasure to share with you today the results from the 2020 SBC Awards – helping to recognise the very best of the betting and tipping world from last year!.

You voted in your thousands across 7 different categories from Best Free Tipster to Best & Worst Bookmaker with the top 3 in each category winning a Gold, Silver or Bronze Award.

Follow the link below to grab your copy of the 2020 SBC Awards…

 

About These Awards

The Smart Betting Club is an independent website dedicated to helping its members and readers make their betting a success. Primarily this is through our detailed tipster reviews & profit reports on the experts to follow to do just that.

Yet, in recent years our remit has expanded beyond simply reporting on the best tipsters to uncovering the truth on the betting world itself – be it the bookmakers/exchanges you bet with or the resources, websites & podcasts that help you make informed betting decisions.

Therefore to recognize those making a positive impact on your gambling – at the start of each year we now publish these Awards to help showcase the very best of both the betting & tipping world.

These Awards are important as they are based on the fundamental SBC principles of honesty, fairness and independence, with no bookmaker affiliations or advertising requirements to cloud opinions. They represent the true judgement of the general betting public and SBC members on what is out there of merit.

Best Website, Writer, Free Tipster, Podcast, Exchange & Bookmaker Awards

In this Free report you can read the results of the following categories:

  • Best Free Tipster
  • Best Betting Website
  • Best Bookmaker
  • Worst Bookmaker
  • Best Betting Exchange
  • Best Betting Podcast
  • Best Betting Writer

A Gold, Silver or Bronze Award was given in each category based on the percentage share of votes received. You can read the exact breakdown of votes cast plus a summary of who won what and where you can find out more.

Follow the link below to grab your copy of the 2020 SBC Awards…

How To Access The Expanded Awards Report

For those of you interested in reading more on the 2020 SBC Awards results, including who won the prizes for several vital ‘Best Tipster’ categories, you can access all of this with our special expanded members only Awards Report.

This expanded members 2020 SBC Awards Report also reveals the Gold, Silver & Bronze Award winners for:

  • The Best Horse Racing Tipster
    The Gold winner made a 38.7% ROI from all advice supplied last year
  • The Best Sports Tipster
    The Gold winner made a 27.57% ROI from all advice supplied last year
  • The Best Overall Tipster
    The Silver winner made a 22.41% ROI from all advice supplied last year
  • The Best Tipster Newcomer
    The Gold winner made a 147% ROI from all advice supplied last year
  • Plus!! It also provides the lowdown on why 79% of SBC members made a profit last year from their betting.

If interested in reading this extended SBC members Awards Report, you can gain instant access with a Smart Betting Club membership – now available at the lowest ever prices for 2020.

Read our detailed review of the in-form Wizard of Big Odds tipster service. Free download inside

To help showcase how the Smart Betting Club can help you, today I have a free sample review to share about the in-form Wizard of Big Odds racing tipster service.

 

The above link opens up a PDF file featuring the review. If it doesn’t work – email me pete@smartbettingclub.com and I will send it you instead!

The Wizard of Big Odds service is attracting a LOT of interest at the moment, based on the fact they are bang in form and have now made 469.9 points profit @ 37.5% ROI from 1160 bets.

At just £5 stakes, that is a profit of £2,349.90 in a little over 19 months. Quite a record thus far and in this review you can read our detailed take on:

  • Performance analysis;
  • The results of our odds movement study following the service;
  • Betting bank and staking plan analysis;
  • Examination of performance at Betfair SP;
  • Monte Carlo simulator results (including outputs like p-value);
  • The bookmaker accounts required to follow;
  • Exactly who the service is suitable for;
  • How to save 50% on subscription to this service with SBC (up to £175 a year).

So, if you wanted to explore the detail we go to in our review process and get our take on this popular tipster, download your sample review copy now:

Click Here To Download This Review

Forensic Tipster Examination As Standard

My team and I first examined this service back in October 2019 following an extensive proofing period and we continue to report back on progress – both the ups and downs in our regular Tipster Profit Reports.

The Wizard of Big Odds is just one of 60 tipsters providing advice across a range of sports that we review and monitor for Smart Betting Club members. The very best tipsters we find make our ‘Hall of Fame’ of recommended services proven to make money betting.

Although showing a lot of promise, the Wizard of Big Odds has yet to merit a Hall of Fame rating – simply because we are so demanding when it comes to those we recommend.

We don’t simply put forward a tipster based on a few months results or a streak of good form, but genuinely long-term stats that demonstrate they have a clear edge on the bookmaker. This service is getting there and is certainly close to a HoF rating, but not just yet. This is because a tipster has to tick a lot of boxes to get through the Smart Betting Club review process and come out the other side with our recommendation.

After all our goal is not to help you beat the bookmaker for a few weeks or months but for several years to come.

Join the Smart Betting Club today