Year: 2024

🎧SBC Podcast #80 – Zeus O’Dea On Politics Betting: A US Election Special🎧

Posted on by Josh P

In the latest SBC Podcast I am joined by a guest who is perfectly placed to talk about the biggest betting market of all time: the US Election of 2024!

Zeus O’Dea is a professional bettor and trader at the crypto-book Shuffle, one of the newer entrants into the global betting markets (and a relatively big one at that!).

As a guest, Zeus brings plenty to the table as he specialises in several markets and we dig into two of them – politics and cricket.

With November 5th just weeks away, it is the former that makes up the majority of our chat as Zeus talks us through some of the stranger market moves of recent times and how things like polling and commentators like Nate Silver can impact upon odds.

This chat was like no other as alongside our betting talk, crypto deals in Montenegro and evictions from an Oval Test Match both made it into our conversation too!

You can listen to Episode 80 now via Apple / Spotify / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

You can also support the SBC Podcast by visiting our brand new podcast sponsor, Matchbook. You can get 150 days, commission free with them via this link.

 

In this chat, Zeus and I talk about:

  • Zeus’s Travels
  • How Zeus got into the betting world
  • Moving into employment with Shuffle
  • Crypto & how it is different from traditional betting
  • Controversial weather betting & pricing up obscure markets
  • Political betting & BIG bets
  • Taking risks as a bookmaker
  • 2024 – different from previous elections?
  • Polling and its impact on odds
  • Submarkets providing betting opportunities and edges
  • Nate Silver & his opinions on betting markets
  • Useful resources to inform betting choices
  • Cricket betting
  • Zeus being forcibly removed from a Test Match
  • Predictions for the US Election 2024
  • How to find Zeus

With the US Election likely to dominate the traditional and betting news in the next few weeks we will be providing further content with expert guests joining me for reactions to market moves and their very best bets. Make sure to follow us on social media @SBCInfo to keep up to date with this!

For those of you who would like to follow Zeus on social media, you can do so on X/Twitter @ZeusODea.

I hope that you enjoy the listen!

Real-Life Betting For Profit Using Tipsters – Read The FREE Bet Diary Every Week!

Posted on by Josh P

Betting can often feel like a solitary game and it’s rare for any of us to regularly talk about our punting in an honest and transparent way, if at all (booming on social media doesn’t count!).

Rowan Day’s Bet Diary Series does just that, with his highs, lows and everything in-between covered in his excellent weekly posts on his usage of tipsters to make a profit betting.

(Something he has been doing using SBC’s recommended tipsters for a very long time!)

Follow Rowan’s Real Life Betting Journey

Below are some excerpts to show why this series is so popular as Rowan gets into the weeds on the ups and downs of how he makes a long-term betting profit.

In this post from September 23rd, Rowan had a good week:

‘It’s felt a little while in the coming, but on Friday I had the first four up in a Bookie Bashing Lucky 15 sourced from the Early Pay Out Tracker for the first time this season. Decent prices too, and that one bet provided a profit equal to 24.7% bank growth, and has pushed the ROI for the month to date up to 37.3%. Sadly, each and every other day for this strategy was a losing one, but I can live with that when we get winners such as this.

Sys Analyst carried on the good work done this month. Only in action on the Friday and Saturday, a nice winner at just over 11/1 on the Exchanges and a 20/1 place at a bookmaker ensured more profit. It’s been beautifully steady this month, and long may that continue. Actually, “steady” doesn’t do it anywhere near justice. Bank growth this month is currently 22% and the ROI is 172.4%. Let’s upgrade “steady” to “bloody spectacular”!’

This week’s post is a little less optimistic but Rowan always deals with reality head on:

‘…to be honest, I’d snap your hand off for “not great”. The word I would use instead to describe the past seven days or so, is the title of this post!

We all know these spells happen from time to time, but it makes them no less painful to endure when they do. It’s been a horrible week, with not one tipster or strategy used generating any profit, and a number producing a pretty sharp loss. Diversification is supposed to stop such acute sharp, short term swings, but every now and then, the principles of diversification get trampled on and destroyed.’

Real Life Betting

As you can tell from these examples, Rowan lives and breathes his betting, reporting the wild variance that can come with following any tipster or system.

He has been doing this for a long time so he knows ‘the game’ but I still find it fascinating (and refreshingly honest) when he articulates the joys, biases and paranoia that can come with serious betting for profit.

‘Have I found the new Patrick Veitch?’, ‘Has this tipster lost his edge?’ and ‘Does everyone else feel this way sometimes?‘ are all questions that I have asked myself after 20 years of serious punting so it is great to know that someone else has too!

In addition to this, Rowan’s posts also discuss things like:

  • New tipsters, strategies and angles that have come into the SBC or the general market
  • Account restrictions
  • Shop betting and dealing with the ‘beady eyes’ when taking that value
  • Rowan’s thoughts on developments in the gambling world
  • A lot more besides!

Don’t Miss Out: Free Email Updates

For those of you interested in reading the Bet Diary you have two options.

Option 1 is to simply visit the Bet Diary link each week to read Rowan’s posts. He blogs on the Bet Diary a few times each week.

Option 2 is to click here and join the Bet Diary Saturday email list, where every Saturday we collate all of Rowan’s latest posts and send them direct to your inbox!

(Note – after you click that Option 2 link, you should receive an email notifying you have joined the Bet Diary Mailing List. If not then you can sign-up for free email updates here.)

Every one of Rowan’s pieces is also kept on this page if you would like to go back and read through the archive!

Betting doesn’t have to be a solitary game when you can read the thoughts of others – this is the perfect opportunity to do just that!

🎧SBC Podcast #79 – Thomas Pearson On Punting, Tipping & How To Treat Customers Fairly!🎧

Posted on by Josh P

In the latest SBC Podcast I am joined by a fascinating guest who’s service was the at the centre of the latest SBC Magazine.

Thomas Pearson is the owner/operator of the service that bears his name and he has built up a very impressive record since he started his horse racing tipping at the start of 2023.

Big prices, big winners and 20%+ returns to Betfair SP have made him popular with a wide ranging audience and in this chat we discuss all aspects of his service alongside his journey to get here and his own personal betting.

Thomas’s Fair Odds Policy was also a big part of our chat as we went through what he does, why he does it and how this compares to the rest of the tipster market (of who many have no qualms in taking the best prices before markets have even formed!).

You can listen to Episode 79 now via Apple / Spotify / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

You can also support the SBC Podcast by visiting our brand new podcast sponsor, Matchbook. You can get 150 days, commission free with them via this link.

 

In this chat, Thomas and I talk about:

  • An introduction to Thomas Pearson
  • Thomas’s punting – is he a full-time punter?
  • How ‘TP’ got here
  • Switching from being ‘degenerate’ to betting more selectively
  • Horse racing only? What else does TP bet on?
  • Thomas’s favourite types of races for betting & tipping
  • Tissue pricing & other ways to determine price
  • What makes a horse value? How does a race set up help?
  • Thomas’s favourite code & race types
  • TP Racing Tips & what came before
  • Data, drawdowns & tempering expectations
  • Fair odds, attainable prices & bad tipster practices discussed
  • An edge at BSP
  • How Thomas bets his tips
  • A very affordable price point
  • Betting on pool – a possible future service?!

Thomas was a great guest and the way he runs his service is both innovative and refreshing.

One quote that stood out in our chat was ‘One thing I would say is… a tipster’s record…if you’re following them, you should be able to better them.‘ – I wholeheartedly agree!

I hope that you enjoy the listen!

Jam Packed SBC Issue: Explore The Betfair SP Racing Tipster (20% ROI) & A Lot More

Posted on by Josh P

The latest SBC Magazine (Issue 145) has just been published, and it is packed with information, news, resources and reviews to help you make your betting profitable.

Horse racing is a sport where how you tip matters and our first tipster review looks at a service that does everything right.

Mid-morning bet release, a (very) fair odds policy and profitable on exchanges (20.91% at Betfair SP) – this service is young but looks very promising – we take a deep dive into the numbers!

Our other reporting from the month focuses on a SBC Premium Service Demetrio Giotti, who has started the 24/25 season with 4/4 successful tips.

We look at the long-term data, CLV, a challenging 23/24 season and a lot more for a service that is the perfect fit for anyone looking for a solid, scalable edge that can be utilised with sharp bookmakers such as Pinnacle.

We provide a snapshot of what’s inside below. If it sounds like it could be for you, then sign-up for membership to get instant access to SBC 145 and our full back catalogue​

SBC 145 includes:

  • A horse racing service review with an edge to both advised prices and Betfair SP: lots of boxes are ticked with this one and at just £15 a month, it is a candidate for anyone’s portfolio​
    ​
  • A deep dive recap on Demetrio Giotti and one of the very best scalable edges
    ​
  • Various podcast and Spaces content with the likes of Mads Kindberg Nielsen, Matthew Trenhaile & Lee Keys starring
    ​
  • Video guides for the ‘Top 10’ services that can be used worldwide and Irish Cash Consortium

Alongside this, the magazine also contains our ongoing commentary on political developments on both sides of the Atlantic as bettors face some new (and old!) challenges from both operators and legislators alike.

Sign up for instant access

To gain instant access SBC Magazine #145 and all of our back catalogue of reviews and reports, you will require SBC Membership. To sign up as a paid SBC member, just click here and follow the registration link.​

To have a good look at what SBC Members get, this video introduces changes to the area of the site for those with full subscriptions, providing you with a sneak peak of what is inside!

🎧Tipster Follow Up: Matthew Trenhaile On Tipsters🎧

Posted on by Josh P

As a follow up to SBC Podcast #78 (which I have linked up below incase you missed it), today, we were joined by Matthew Trenhaile to talk about all things tipsters.

Matthew has been a long time user of the Smart Betting Club (he even goes back to the Secret Betting Club days!) and he has many views on how to assess tipsters that were as interesting as you would expect!

Click here or on the image below to listen to this chat with Matthew, Pete and Josh – we have nearly 2 and a half hours worth of ‘Trench’ content from this week and you can get stuck into all of it from this page!

In this chat, Josh and I asked questions relating to:

  • Why tipsters do what they do and why ‘not being a millionaire’ is not a reason to ignore them
  • Trench’s favourite tipsters and services he rates highly
  • Matthew’s process for assessing tipsters and ‘bare minimum’ requirements he has
  • Intricacies between data driven selections and more nuanced expertise that tipsters can possess
  • CLV, bookmakers’ responses to bets and edges that can go unnoticed
  • Oddschecker’s ‘Betting Professor’

If you want to listen to the aforementioned SBC Podcast with Trench, you can do so here:

You can listen to Episode 78 via Apple / Spotify / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

🎧SBC Podcast #78 – Matthew Trenhaile Answers YOUR Questions In This Special Episode!🎧

Posted on by Josh P

In the latest SBC Podcast I am joined by a guest that I have been chasing and cajoling for for a long, long time!

Matthew Trenhaile (or ‘Trench’) has worked in various roles within the industry for operators such as Mustard Bet and most recently, Pinnacle.

Alongside this, he has compiled odds for several sports, worked at spread firms (in both betting and finance) and developed an insight into the betting ecosystem that few possess.

Trench’s newest venture is a consultancy, Anubis Trading, and with the launch of his own business, he has been on somewhat of a ‘whistlestop tour’ of leading podcasts in Europe, North America and South America.

With that in mind, we did something a bit different for his appearance on the SBC Podcast, with an ‘Ask Me Anything’ special where you, the audience, posed questions.

Those questions and Trench’s answers can be found below with everything from sharp bookmaking, tipsters, moral questions and even ice cream covered. Enjoy!

You can listen to Episode 78 now via Apple / Spotify / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

You can also support the SBC Podcast by visiting our brand new podcast sponsor, Matchbook. You can get 150 days, commission free with them via this link.

In this chat, Matthew and I talk about:

  • 97% lose – why do sportsbooks limit winners?
  • Why has Pinnacle not been imitated?
  • Pinnacle never restrict – or do they?
  • What does the future look like for crypto books?
  • Polymarket – what does Trench think?
  • Who is shaping the UK & Irish horse racing markets?
  • Steam Chasing
  • BSP betting – skill or variance? How do we assess this?
  • What are the best edges Trench has ever seen?
  • The best ever bettor in Trench’s opinion?
  • Why isn’t Matthew a pro gambler?
  • Racing punting and sharing picks publicly!
  • Using tipsters
  • The morality of the betting industry
  • Tips for a 20-year-old starting out
  • 5/2 on a coin toss – how much is Trench having on?
  • Ice cream discussion
  • Anubis Trading and where to find Matthew

This will no doubt be one of our most popular ever podcasts and the fact that it went well over an hour (whilst feeling like a lot less!) demonstrates how much we talked about!

Matthew mentions a topic very close to your collective hearts as SBC Members and followers during the chat and a follow up may be a lot sooner than you think. I will let you know when that’s set up – in the meantime, enjoy the show!

4 Sample Clips On Tipsters To Follow Internationally

Posted on by Josh P

Last week we shared news of a new 1 hour 15 minute long video drop where we discussed 10 tipsters that are suitable for everyone, wherever they are and the majority of this group are also accessible with sharp bookmakers and exchanges.

This has proven to be very popular with SBC members so we thought that we’d ‘clip up’ a few of the more obscure sports that we talked about, profiling them in the videos below so you can sample what we talked about!

To watch the full length 1 hour 15 minute video (and a lot more content) sign up for an SBC membership today.

NFL Bets

First up is Touchdown Profit – a SBC favourite which has delivered a 13%+ ROI since it’s inception despite betting on big markets such as handicap lines and totals.

Here is a brief clip from the longer video on this service:

video preview​

Boxing Expert (5 Min Sample)

Next up is an extended chat where we look at Premium Boxing Tips, another niche service that is providing excellent returns in liquid markets:

video preview​

Darts Edges

Last but not least, we talked about On The Oche, a darts service that has been running for near enough 20 years:

video preview​video preview​

Sign Up To See & Hear More

In an extended chat, we talked about each of these in depth alongside seven other universally usable services that you can use.

This includes two ‘steam chasing’ products, two golf services a football concession edge and European basketball so there really is a wide range to choose from!

To watch the full length 1 hour 15 minute video and access all of the other SBC content, discounts and reviews you will require a paid SBC Membership.

To get signed up, just click here, choose a subscription plan and you will get instant access.

With this suite of new resources we are increasingly getting asked specific questions about certain sports or edges before people sign up and this is very much welcome. You can reach me at pete@smartbettingclub.com or Josh at josh@smartbettingclub.com and we will get back to you as soon as we can if you would like to know more!

🖋️ Mads Kindberg Nielsen: Mastering The Mental Game In Sports Betting 🖋️

Posted on by Josh P

Mads Kindberg Nielsen was a recent guest on SBC Podcast #77 (links for which are below) and at the end of that chat, he talked about betting psychology with some practical tips to improve performance, whatever level of bettor you are! With Mads’ permission, we have translated a post where he writes about this (that he released in Danish at https://monetosbetting.dk/kindbergs-corner-hold-styr-paa-hovedet/)to read here. No edits have been made to the text – here it is:

Mads Kindberg Nielsen, co-owner of Monetos and long-time successful sports bettor, writes blogs on relevant topics within the betting world. The blog only expresses the writer’s opinion. 

You have to master the mental game in sports betting.

If you don’t have your head down, you can’t call yourself a good sports bettor. It’s that simple in my world. With the exception of responsible gambling/bankroll management, it is the most important feature in sports betting.

‘But what about my mathematical skills, my ability to read a football match or my large database of all sorts of statistics,’ you might think.

My answer: It doesn’t really matter if you piss off the entire month’s profit – or MUCH worse all your money – on one bad day, because you have played badly and irresponsibly and not been there in your head!

We sports bettors are constantly practicing to get better. We put an extra column in the spreadsheet with new numbers, so our model is (possibly) 0.3784% more accurate. We see extended highlights instead of just the goals. We read more and more news about each team and its players. Perhaps one more piece of news is just what gives us an advantage in the market?

In other words: We are working on our A-game. We optimize our A-game. All the time. And that’s fine enough.

But we forget our B- and C-game.

Same mechanisms as in poker

I once read a book called The Mental Game of Poker written by American Jared Tendler. It’s about poker, but the same mechanics apply in sports betting, and it helped me see my game and myself in a completely different light.

When we play our A-game, we’re in the zone. We find the right statistics and use them correctly. We don’t get emotional about overtime scores. Instead, we move on to the next analysis, which we can put our A-game into – WITHOUT changing the bet because ‘what is lost must be won back home’ or other stupid things that our emotions can tell us. No, we stick to the overall strategy of bankroll management and responsible play when we play our A-game.

In our B-game, we still make good decisions – for the most part. Maybe we get a little disturbed by a phone, a screaming baby, maybe we do our analysis with one eye while the other watches the football game on television. The analyzes are not quite as thorough. Overtime scores hurt a little, and we feel how the irritation is slowly moving us further and further towards the place we don’t want to go in any way: Our C-game.

In our C-game, we are on tilt. We make bad bets because we are in the throes of emotion. The brain hides under the desk or in the broom closet, while the emotions control the body and our actions. We no longer want to do the analyses, and the pulse is galloping away. The mouse clicks become harder in frustration, maybe we even slam our hand into the wall or the screen. All rational thinking has been flushed down the toilet, and the worst case scenario is that in our C-game we abandon our overall strategy and, in the worst case, play up our entire bankroll – and maybe even more. No thanks, right?

The next time you feel your C-game, STOP. Make something else. Be with family, friends, watch a good film, go for a walk with the dog. For God’s sake stop playing – and never consider playing again if it’s really bad.

When you’ve cut your C-game completely, you only have your A- and B-game left. So far, so good. So what do you do when you find yourself playing your B-game?

The answer should be self-evident: Then you stop, of course, because then you only have your A-game left.

Mads

You can listen to Episode 77 now via ​Apple​ / ​Spotify​ / ​YouTube​ and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

You can also support the SBC Podcast by visiting our brand new sponsor, Matchbook, with whom you can also get ​150 days commission free via this link​.

🎧SBC Podcast #77 – Mads From Monetos On In-Play Football Betting & Betting Psychology🎧

Posted on by Josh P

In the latest SBC Podcast I am joined by Mads from the in-play football tipping service ​Monetos​ and am pleased to welcome for the first time – our brand new podcast sponsor – ​Matchbook​.

In-play betting has exploded in popularity along with the ‘smartphone era’ and for the most part, it is seen as a very difficult nut to crack, with high overrounds, issues around data feeds and a more complex modelling task all providing challenges for serious bettors.

This does have advantages for the sharp eyed bettor and Mads and his fellow experts at Monetos, have found a way to use their expertise to profit in this market for themselves and others.

Alongside his betting, Mads is a former poker player and journalist so in our chat we talk about how this has shaped where he is today. Betting psychology and mentality are also topics that Mads has written extensively about. This was a brilliant chat which I got so much from – I hope you do too!

You can listen to Episode 77 now via ​Apple​ / ​Spotify​ / ​YouTube​ and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

You can also support the SBC Podcast by visiting our brand new sponsor, Matchbook, with whom you can also get ​150 days commission free via this link​.

In this chat, Mads and I talk about:

  • Mads’ varied professional life
  • Poker and getting a ‘proper job’ in journalism
  • Monetos and Mads and his partners’ vision for the business
  • Balancing a business and betting (& how the relate to each other)
  • Working in a team and finding value together
  • Betting In-Play, why Mads like it and why it offers some hidden benefits
  • Timing and the practical issues that come with having 3 ‘betting games’ at a time!
  • Pricing, bookmakers’ efficiency in getting things right (and where they don’t!)
  • Challenges with data, feeds and latency in information arriving
  • Stoppage time and how extended extra minutes have changed the dynamic of games
  • Pre-match vs. In-play and which markets Mads prefers
  • Monetos, its performance and getting on with exchanges
  • Betting psychology – what is the difference between winners and losers?
  • Mentality in life
  • Mads’ future plans
  • Where to find Mads

Learn More

In-play betting is an area that is under-served in the tipping world and having a team of the calibre of Monetos’s means that there is an excellent option if it is something that interests you. If you would like to learn more, full records, FAQs and sign up options are available to ​view here​.

If you would like to follow Mads on social media you can do so on X ​@MadsKNielsen​. The article about betting psychology that we discussed at the end of the podcast can be ​found here​.

Monetos can be followed ​@BettingMonetos​ and their site (which is excellent when using a translation tool!) can be ​found here​.

As ever, if you have any topics or areas of the gambling world that you would like us to discuss, please get in touch!

All Around The World: 10 Tipster Services That Can Be Used Wherever You Are!

Posted on by Josh P

Betting is an increasingly global business and here at the SBC we have been creating lots of resources that are tailored to your own circumstances. Some of you are limited by your location, the betting operators available to you and regulation in different jurisdictions varies. We have got anyone and everyone covered!

10 Of The Best

As an introduction to these resources, Josh and I have just made a 1 hour 15 min long Members Only video that introduces ten of the very best tipsters and services that can be used all around the world.

So, whether you are in the UK & Ireland, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Australia or Antarctica, these services are accessible to you!

Inside, we cover services that bet on:

  • Tennis
  • Multi-sport odds tracking and ‘steam chasing’
  • Golf (x 2)
  • NFL
  • Darts
  • Boxing
  • European Basketball
  • Football/Soccer (1 pre-match and 1 in-play)

We talk about our collective experiences of using these services, who they are best for and which outlets are needed to get on at value prices.

A few require soft bookmaker accounts but the majority are profitable to follow on exchanges or with sharp bookmakers, making them sustainable and scalable for every bettor.

Sign Up To Watch

To watch this video and access all of the other SBC content, discounts and reviews you will require a paid SBC Membership.

To get signed up, just click here, choose a subscription plan and you will get instant access.

With this suite of new resources we are increasingly getting asked specific questions about certain sports or edges before people sign up and this is very much welcome. You can reach me at pete@smartbettingclub.com or Josh at josh@smartbettingclub.com and we will get back to you as soon as we can if you would like to know more!