Betting Podcasts

🎧SBC Podcast #66: Chris Poole On His Career in the Betting Industry, ‘After Timing’ and Tales from the Inside!

Posted on by Josh P

In the latest SBC Podcast I am joined by Chris Poole, the Head Of Trading for Bet Victor and an essential X (Twitter) follow as he has a quite unique account, calling out the worst betting related boasting!

Chris has a wealth of experience, working his way up the bookmaking industry career ladder via multiple firms before settling into his current role with Bet Victor in Gibraltar.

Despite initially specialising on horse racing trading, Chris now oversees all of Bet Victor’s sports business, with over people 60 working in his team.

Alongside this, Chris has recently started a weekly Twitter ‘Spaces’ chat with the professional punter (and former SBC Podcast guest!), Johnny Dineen.

It was brilliant to get Chris onto the show to provide different perspectives from many of our previous guests as his job relates to stopping winners rather than finding them! I really enjoyed this chat and I am sure that you will too!

You can listen to Episode 66 now via Apple / Spotify / Google / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

An In-Depth Chat with an Experienced Industry Insider!

In this episode, Chris and I discuss:

  • The birth of ‘After timing Ansell’ on Twitter, the issues that it caused and Chris’s current social media activity
  • 26 years working in the industry, being a ‘dinosaur’ and starting out cashiering for an independent bookmaker
  • Progressing through the ranks to work for Boylesports, Paddy Power and Bet Victor
  • Moving to Gibraltar and adapting into a trading role
  • Chris’s early wins and how his grandparents influenced his love for ‘the game’
  • Early bookmaking experiences laying bets (and trying to arb!) on ‘The Crazy Gang’, sports days and Frank Bruno!
  • How Chris never has a ‘typical’ day in his current role
  • Personal betting in trading rooms
  • Football, horse racing and which sports make up the majority of Bet Victor’s trading each day
  • Surprising growth markets
  • Affordability Checks, proposed legislation and Chris’s reflections on how we have moved from the ‘wild west’ to the current day
  • Sorting the ‘shrewd’ bets from guesses, Twitter tipsters or other ‘momentum’ gambles
  • A scary multiple bet with three double figure selections that nearly cost Chris’s firm dearly
  • Minimum Bet Liability, Bet Victor’s attempt to launch their version of it and why it didn’t work when the big syndicates started to pick off prices
  • Best Odds Guaranteed and the issues it causes for traders
  • Chris’s foray into broadcasting alongside Johnny Dineen in their weekly X (Twitter) spaces horse racing chat, ‘The Morning Line’
  • The lessons that gambling can teach you and how it can help you in all areas of your life

Chris was a funny, engaging and knowledgeable guest and it was great to pick the brains of somebody with such a different perspective on the industry.

If you would like to hear more from Chris then you can follow him on social media @ChrisPoole___ and this is the perfect place to find ‘The Morning Line’ every Saturday morning.

Enjoy!

🎥 Practical Demonstration of ‘Hall of Fame’ Pinnacle Odds Dropping Service 🎥

Posted on by Josh P

Last week saw the release of the first review from SBC Magazine Issue #137 as we introduced Chasing Steamers to our members.

Using AI to scrape Pinnacle odds drops, this service provides thousands of monthly bets that can be backed at value prices with soft bookmakers.

We used it extensively as part of our review process and found it to be very good, especially for those of you at Stages 1, 2 or 3 of your profitable betting journey and looking to build a bank.

Video Resource

To accompany our 18 page review, Josh and I recorded a practical 1 hour video explainer last week, a clip of which you can watch by clicking play below:

video preview​

In the full 1 hour video, we talk about:

  • How the service works and who can make use of it
  • Our usage of it and the real life profits made.
  • Bookmakers and how to squeeze the most out of accounts by using less obvious ones!
  • Mistakes we made and tips to make the service more sustainable
  • How to get on selections (with live practical examples)
  • Recording results in an automatically updated personalised Google sheet
  • Conclusions about who it is for, how sustainable it is and things you need to consider before signing up

Sign Up For The Video & Detailed Report

Our detailed 18 page written report and one hour practical video explainer can be accessed immediately with paid SBC Membership.

Best of all, you can also enjoy a 15% discount on ALL Chasing Steamers subscriptions as an SBC member. Saving up to as much as £82.50 on a 12 month package with the service

Detailed reports, practical advice, member only content and considerable discounts are all examples of how we will help SBC Members assess this service but the benefits of membership don’t end there.

​This page discusses everything that you can access with full SBC Membership – I would love for you to join us!

🎧SBC Podcast #65: Flawed Big Name Tipsters, BetMGM’s Value Boosts, Unbelievable ‘Inside Info’ & Using Chasing Steamers

Posted on by Josh P

In the latest SBC Podcast I am joined by SBC’s Josh as the Betting Clever podcast returns to tackle a whole host of important topics in the betting world.

We get into what’s going on with affordability checks, why we don’t think much to the petition about it and the reality of using the black market and its growth. We also touch on the Tony Calvin ‘furore’ and the real issues with free tip columns like his, how to take advantage of Bet MGM’s deep pockets and some of the ongoing work we are doing reporting on tipsters.

One tipster of note, which has already attracted a range of questions due to an 88% ROI headline & claims of using ‘inside information’ is something that we cover in depth. This gives listeners an insight to how we approach new services, what we look out for and how we are collectively quite cynical!

There is much more besides in the podcast linked up below and we have provided some timestamps underneath so that you can skip to different parts of interest.

You can listen to Episode 65 now via Apple / Spotify / Google / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

video preview​

Two Members Of The SBC Chew The Fat

In this episode, Josh and I discuss:

00:00 Intro – The Return of the Betting Clever podcast

01:40 Hellos – Josh going too far after golf wins and our betting routines

04:05 Politics & Betting – Affordability, The fairly hopeless ‘Petition’, The Gambling Commission and favourite dinosaurs

11:56 The Black Market – Growth of unregulated operators and their issues

16:05 Rants – industry big wigs, naïve regulations & useless bureaucrats

19:50 Bet MGM – What are they doing entering the UK market & how we can profit from their boosts

23:42 Early Tipping – Tony Calvin, records, reactions and why these sites release information before markets have formed

29:00 Demetrio Giotti – making money on European basketball with Pinnacle

33:20 Inside Information – Pete & Josh’s cynicism & being pleasantly surprised

39:47 Chasing Steamers – who it’s for, our use of it and caveats

48:45 Headstart Racing – remarkable prices with this new free SBC tipster

This podcast series provides the perfect opportunity to discuss anything that you would like us to look at in the betting world so if you have any suggestions, please contact us through the usual channels and we will look to incorporate listener ideas into our future shows!

Enjoy!

🎧Escute Aqui: SBC Goes International! My Interview on the SharpCast Podcast

Posted on by Josh P

Recently, I was lucky enough to be invited onto the Brazilian based SharpCast Podcast to discuss all things betting and luckily, my hosts welcomed me in English!

Lucas and Divino are experienced pro punters from Brazil and it was a great chance to talk about the work we do at the Smart Betting Club and the constant quest to beat the bookmaker or exchange!

​You can listen to the full chat here.

We talked about:

  • The SBC, what we do and how the service has evolved over time
  • What we look for in tipsters and how we sort the best from ‘the rest’
  • Advanced metrics, Monte Carlo Simulations and CLV
  • Sports markets and where the profit is in 2023
  • Getting to know your ‘rivals’ – understanding why bookmakers and exchanges are all different
  • Betting successfully and the viability of earning a living from gambling
  • Aggressive marketing, problem gambling and shocking bookmaker behaviour
  • Social media and its drawbacks
  • The regulatory environment in the UK, North America and Brazil; where they are at the moment, current discourse and likely upcoming changes
  • The black market, its growth and how it is a growing threat
  • Networking, making connections and how this can pay dividends
  • Plans for the future

video preview​

🎧SBC Podcast #64: Nick Goff on Football Betting, Syndicates and the State of the Industry

Posted on by Josh P

In the latest SBC Podcast I am joined by Nick Goff, the professional football punter, former industry trader and member of a highly successful syndicate.

Nick has an extremely interesting back story, with industry experience and management of markets for one of the UK’s leading bookmakers shaping his knowledge and expertise.

Disillusioned with the direction the industry was taking, Nick took the plunge and decided to back his judgement by becoming a full-time bettor seven years ago.

Antepost betting and day of game action make up the majority of Nick’s activity and to complement his own work, he is part of a group of very successful bettors who cooperate in a football syndicate.

With extensive knowledge of ‘both sides of the fence’, Nick is well placed to discuss issues in the industry such as affordability, the White Paper, bookmaker behaviour and suggested policies (such as Minimum Bet Liabilities).

In this interview, we cover it all. Nick has unique insights and I was delighted to be joined by a guest with such extensive knowledge. I enjoyed this chat and I’m sure that you will too!

You can listen to Episode 64 now via Apple / Spotify / Google / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

An in-depth chat with a football betting expert

In this episode Nick and I discuss:

  • Nick’s work in the industry, working for four firms that no longer exist and progressing to become the Head of Football Trading at Coral
  • Learning from more experienced experts and amalgamating different insights to form his own punting philosophy
  • Building a bank, playing poker and betting on sports including snooker and NFL
  • Transitioning into full time punting, the challenges this presented and the support around him that helped to make it a success
  • How Nick’s betting has changed over time and how he has had to adapt as early markets have become more illiquid
  • Working cooperatively in a syndicate and finding others who have skills to complement each other
  • Discretion and the need to be less publicly open when working in a team
  • The White Paper, ‘frictionless’ affordability checks, shocking bookmaker behaviour and the state of the debate around gambling in the UK
  • The Black Market, its growth and who is likely to use it
  • Minimum Bet Liability and why Nick feels it an impractical way of dealing with over-zealous restrictions
  • The lack of long-term thinking in the industry to try and create more sustainable markets
  • The lack of expertise at the leading firms compared to ‘yesteryear’
  • 60-70 hour weeks – managing time, taking breaks and finding ways to take a break from an all-consuming role
  • Nick’s stoic attitude towards punting (and life!) and how he meets victory and defeat with the same face
  • Exacting revenge on a rude interviewer!
  • Plans for the future
  • Pearl Jam!

Nick was a fascinating guest and in addition to his insightful views, his outlook was something else that I loved about our chat.

If you would like to hear more from Nick, you can follow him on Twitter (or X!) @nickgoff79 and he writes a regular column for the ‘Not The Top 20‘ website.

Enjoy!

🎧SBC Podcast #57 : Johnny Dineen on punting, bookmaking, media work and much more!

Posted on by Josh P

In the latest SBC Podcast I am joined by someone who has done it all. Bookmaking, professional punting, media work… two Silver medals at 2023’s SBC Awards – welcome to the world of Johnny Dineen!

Johnny has received many plaudits for his ‘​Upping The Ante​‘ podcast along with his partner David Jennings, making him a household name in UK & Irish racing media.

But this is just a tiny fragment of the story. Johnny is also a full-time punter, a former bookmaker and someone with decades of experience in the betting world.

Having opinions and backing them is a common theme with Johnny and we talk about everything from punting (and laying) horses, the state of the betting industry and his work with the media. This chat was one of the most informative yet so sit back and enjoy a chat with a true racing expert!

You can listen to Episode 57 now via ​Apple​ / ​Spotify​ / ​Google​ / ​YouTube​ and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

An in depth chat with a true racing expert

In this episode Johnny and I discuss:

  • A changing betting environment and how Johnny has adapted
  • Getting on and the range of methods that a pro punter can employ to get money down
  • Johnny’s selection process and how discussing horses with other judges helps his decision making
  • Favourites, long-shots and how the shape of the market can decide whether Johnny ‘pulls the trigger’
  • Backing vs. laying and how Johnny learnt to trade from both sides of the fence
  • The journey from clerking to going it alone as a bookmaker
  • ‘Kamikaze bookmaking’ and standing out from the crowd
  • How Betfair changed everything
  • Johnny’s transition from being a layer to a backer
  • The publics’ perception of gambling & gamblers
  • Bad behaviour and shoddy service from modern bookmakers
  • The black market and how affordability checks may well change how we bet
  • ‘Upping The Ante’ and Johnny’s other media work
  • Social media and dealing with criticism
  • Plans for the future

Johnny was knowledgeable, funny and has an excellent gambling philosophy, making this podcast a must listen for anyone interested in ‘the game’.

If you would like to know more about Johnny and read his thoughts then ​his Twitter profile​ is a good place to start.

Enjoy!

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🎧SBC Podcast #56 ⛳: Stanley from Tour Tips on golf data, statistics and betting on tours from around the world 💻

Posted on by Josh P

In the latest SBC Podcast I am joined by golf betting and data expert Stanley, the co-founder of a service that we have tracked for some time, .

Many sports are now utilising data to measure performance and this has inevitably become a key feature of betting analysis too.

Stanley and his team were at the forefront of using statistics to bet on golf, with their cutting-edge site being established over 20 years ago. Since inception, Tour-Tips have innovated to find new metrics to assess golfers, with their databases covering 14 tours from across the world.

Their methodology is working. Tour-Tips’ tips, which are provided each week, have yielded over £64,000 profit for those staking at £20 per point and an SBC report from 2021 highlighted an exceptional record on the PGA Tour, alongside a remarkably consistent overall performance.

We talk about this methodology, the golf betting landscape and so much more in a chat that I am sure has something for everyone!

You can listen to Episode 56 now via / / / and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

An in-depth chat with a golf data expert

In this episode, Stanley and I discuss:

  • Tour-Tips.com, why the site was built and how their resources provide an edge
  • Stanley’s mysterious partners!
  • The metrics that are underestimated (and overestimated) in the golf betting markets
  • Why data for prediction (& betting) is different from data for retrospective analysis of performance
  • Providing analysis and data for fourteen tours
  • Weather, tee times and other variables that need consideration before placing golf bets
  • The relative strength of different tours
  • Stanley’s preferences for betting on different tours
  • LIV Golf and how it differs from ‘traditional’ circuits such as the PGA & DPWT
  • Working with external data companies and bookmakers
  • The future of golf betting and how data & technology may well change markets
  • Tour-Tips.com’s tipping record and why Stanley is careful to wait for liquidity before releasing selections

Stanley was an interesting and informative guest and whether you are a golf betting novice or a hardened pro, I am sure that you will learn something from this expert of the field.

Learn More

To learn more about Tour Tips, you can visit , which hosts their databases, analytics and free tips.

Options for registration are also available for you to view, with some enhanced features (including Betfair Odds Tracking and In-Play tools) available for paying subscribers.

SBC members can read a detailed report about Tour Tips’ performance in SBC 126, which is available for download in the magazine back catalogue page. This service’s excellent record and longevity make it an SBC favourite and we continue to track and report back on performance in our regular Tipster Profit Reports.

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Three Top Tipsters Available For FREE As A Perk Of SBC Membership

Posted on by Josh P

Did you know you can follow a group of profitable tipsters as a perk of SBC membership?

If not, today I wanted to highlight just three of them, each of whom have been very profitable in different markets and across a variety of bookmakers and exchanges.

Read on for more on each and if they appeal to you – you can learn more about the Free Tipsters we offer and sign-up for an SBC Membership here to gain access to them.

Profitable Betfair SP Racing Tipster

First up is Achievable Value, a service that is perfect for anyone looking for a ‘bet and forget’ racing tipster to add to their portfolio.

All selections are recorded against the Betfair Starting Price (with 2% deductions applied to every winner), meaning that it takes just a few minutes each day to place bets without any concern about shopping for the best price or worrying about account restrictions when you win.

Since tips went ‘live’ for SBC Members in March, 213 bets have produced 20.9 points profit – all at the sharpest betting line in racing. This is in line with the service’s SBC proofing period (detailed in the table below) and is actually below historical returns.

Profitable at Pinnacle: A Basketball Tipster

Next, we have Demetrio Giotti, a European basketball expert who has been with us at the SBC since 2016. His profit & loss graph has been going in one direction since (as you can see below) as his 685 bets have yielded 211 points profit at a ROI of 16%.

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One of the most appealing things about Demetrio’s service is how he records his prices. Pinnacle Sports is used for odds quotation and as this is one of the world’s sharpest bookmakers, you are most likely to be able to easily match these prices.

Profitable Horse Racing Tipster with Fair Bookie Odds

Last but not least we have Pricewise With PCB, which curates Tom Segal’s famous column with alternative staking and insight from Paul Chandler-Burns.

This selectivity makes following the column more practical than the core service, as Paul reads between the lines to identify the bets that are ‘strong fancies’ for followers to get on, whilst discounting those that may be put up as ‘token bets’ on the quieter days.

This has worked. A 23% ROI at SP in 2020 has been followed by over 2 years of consistent profits as you can see in the graph and table below:

Learn More & Sign Up

To view an in-depth, bet-by-bet record for each of these services, please visit our SBC Free Tipster Results Sheet, which is updated on a regular basis.

If you would like more detail about how each of them work, then please visit their SBC pages using the relevant links:

On these pages, you will find instructions about how to follow each service as a paid Smart Betting Club member.​

 

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🎧SBC Podcast #55: 🐴 Andrew Mount – Racing author, broadcaster, tipster, ex pro-punter/odds compiler & massive Scoop 6 winner

Posted on by Josh P

In the latest SBC Podcast I am joined by Andrew Mount, the well-respected horse racing punter, author and tipster who currently produces content for various outlets, including gg.co.uk and Sportslens.

Andrew has a wealth of experience in the industry – bookmaking, odds compilation, pro-punting, writing, journalism and tipping – he’s done it all! Including hitting the jackpot several times on the Tote Scoop 6 and making a small fortune.

It is impossible to listen to Andrew and not learn something along the way. This chat covered so many areas of interest and I thoroughly enjoyed it – I’m sure that you will too!

You can listen to Episode 55 now via Apple / Spotify / Google / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

An in-depth chat with one of the leading horse racing voices

In this episode, Andrew and I discuss:

  • Andrew’s introduction to gambling on horses and how he learnt about the intricacies of the sport.
  • The rocky road that led to his work in the industry.
  • Prolific writing and authoring his ground-breaking Trend Horses books
  • Odds compilation, working for bookmakers and a scary job interview with Paddy Power!
  • How clerking on course taught Andrew to look at betting differently.
  • Betfair’s revolutionary effect on the industry and how Andrew made in-running betting pay.
  • Systems betting and how tracking software can reduce a punter’s workload considerably.
  • How high volume betting can be beneficial for getting money down.
  • Winning the Scoop6 on multiple occasions.
  • How the Tote’s new management are reviving the pari-mutuel system with some ground-breaking innovations.
  • Adapting to the industry landscape to get bets down.
  • Worries about the future of the horse racing industry (and gambling as a whole)
  • Andrew’s profitable record and how the markets react to his selections.

Andrew was a fascinating guest and we could have talked for hours as he has so much to share!

You can find out more about his work by reading his regular columns on both gg.co.uk and Sportlens. Andrew is also active on social media at @TrendHorses.

Finally – an SBC review of Andrew and his GG.co.uk Tipping Column is now in the works!

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SBC Podcast #53🎧 Anthony Kaminskas of AK Bets on his new online bookmaking website and doing things differently

Posted on by Peter Ling

Following my fascinating chat with David Lovell of DragonBet last week, the latest Smart Betting Club Podcast sees another ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’ join me for an interview.

Anthony Kaminskas has done it all. Cashiering in bookmaker shops, trading at the sharp end for Paddy Power and pro-punting with specialisms in multiple sports.

His bookmaking venture, AK Bets, started life in the form of pitches across Irish racecourses and Anthony stood out from the crowd immediately by introducing his own way of doing things.

Now, he has expanded into the online betting market with AKBets.bet and he has big plans to shake that market up too…

You can listen to Episode 53 now via Apple / Spotify / Google / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

Note: The YouTube link is a full video feed featuring Anthony in his AKBets office as he chats to me!

AN IN-DEPTH CHAT WITH AK

In this episode, Anthony and I discuss:

  • The challenges of launching an independent bookmaker online.
  • The process of building the site, ‘White Labelling’ and the struggles that AK faces day-to-day as he tries to prioritise different plans that he has for the site
  • Anthony’s motivations and where he feels that he can out-do the industry’s ‘big boys’.
  • Criticisms that he has faced on social media for outsourcing certain website functions.
  • Plans for pricing at AK Bets and how this is a work in progress.
  • How AK Bets sacrifices concessions such as BOG in order to stand bets and trade with customers fairly.
  • Customers who aren’t welcome at AK Bets and behaviours that will result in restrictions or account closures.
  • How ‘smart money’ is more than welcome – even if it costs the business money.
  • How personal service and honest conversations with customers (both good & bad) are at the centre of how AK Bets will operate.
  • Casino products and why they are hosted on the site.
  • Anthony’s plans for the future.

Anthony was a brilliant guest and his outlook can provide something of value for anyone looking to profit from their betting.

If you would like to learn more about AK Bets, or if you want to open account with this independent firm, then you can do so by visiting www.akbets.bet.

INDEPENDENT BOOKMAKERS WHO WILL STAND YOU A BET

Our last two SBC Podcast guests both run independent bookmakers and here at the SBC we have been doing lots of work to profile firms like DragonBet and AK Bets, detailing what they can offer smart bettors.

A profile of both of these firms (and other likeminded bookmakers) is available on our regularly updated Independent Bookmaker page, providing a comprehensive summary of the different options available with these lesser known firms.

(Note – a more detailed dossier on all bookmakers is available to SBC members)

IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE…

As ever if you enjoy this and other episodes, please do consider leaving a 5* review via your podcast directory.

By doing so it helps ensure we can produce more free podcasts in future. As a reminder, all SBC podcast episodes are bookie and advert free with the central goal of helping educate, inform and empower punters.