| In the latest SBC Podcast I am joined by Andy Holding, the well known racing expert who tips for Oddschecker and commentates on William Hill Radio. Andy has been in love with horse racing from an early age and he has put in the hard yards to get to where he is, working in bookmaker shops, crunching numbers and building up a reliable system to beat the bookies. He is that rarest of beasts – someone in the betting media who not only talks the talk but walks the walk as he became a professional punter at the age of 30 so knows what it takes to win. Speed figures and sectional timing are central to his edge and this feeds into his betting and tipping alongside his service, Andy Holding Speed Figures (recently reviewed by us at SBC!) where clients can access a plethora of tips, data and resources to help them make their punting pay. Andy wears many hats and this means that we had plenty of topics to cover. Dealing with losing runs as a tipster, affordability checks and the names of the 4 major bookmakers who lay him a bet are on the agenda – I think there is something for everyone in this chat! You can listen to Episode 71 now via Apple / Spotify / Google / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club) An In-Depth Chat With A Hardened Bettor And TipsterIn this episode, Andy and I discuss:
You can find out more about Andy’s work on his website, www.andyholdingspeedfigures.co.uk, by following his work on Oddschecker or by following his service’s Twitter/X account, @figuresAndy . We recently reviewed Andy’s service in Issue 139 of the SBC Magazine, with detailed proofing and analysis of the tips as published by his Speed Figures service (Spoiler – they are excellent!). To read this review in full and access an exclusive discount on the cost of joining Andy’s service, you will need a SBC subscription, options for which can be found here. |
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📰 SBC Magazine Issue #139: Andy Holding, Popular Podcasts & Getting On!
In the second of our monthly SBC Magazines, we are back with another jam-packed betting bonanza in our February Issue, #139.
As a reminder, we have slightly altered how we publish magazines in 2024 as we are now compiling all of our content into one easy-to-consume piece with blogs, tipster reports, member questions and embedded links for audio and video content.
So – you can download each monthly PDF and be fully informed on what you need to know to make money betting!
Sign-up for membership today for instant access to SBC 139 and our full back catalogue!
Clocking in at 55 pages long, SBC 139 includes:
- Our in-depth review of Andy Holding Speed Figures, the private service of the famed horse racing tipster
- Additional analysis of Andy’s Oddschecker tips
- SBC’s take on Matchbook, the pretender to the ‘exchange king’ crown
- Three ways to help you get on, with a free SBC service and guides for bookmakers & brokers
- Member Questions (and our answers)
- ‘Tweets of the month’ from the betting community
In addition, we have links to some of our video and audio content for the month with SBC Podcast #70′s chat with Harry Stewart-Moore being a highlight.
Having a gambling law expert on the pod was a first and I was delighted with the reaction to this release. Harry spoke with authority, humour and wisdom; as a result, this is one of our most popular releases to date. If you haven’t listened to it yet, you can still do so here.
Sign Up For Instant Access
To gain instant access SBC Magazine #139 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.
🎧SBC Podcast #70: Betting Lawyer, Harry Stewart-Moore On Representing Big Punters & The Betting Industry
In the latest SBC Podcast I am joined by Harry Stewart-Moore, a gambling law specialist who works as Litigator Partner in the Gardner Leader Dispute Resolution team.
You may associate high powered lawyers with corporate bookmakers but Harry is different as he specialises in working for punters against these multi-million pound behemoths.
Jockeys, horse racing owners and high-rolling punters – Harry has a history of dealing with litigation in all of these fields, often representing David against Goliath.
Giving him unique insight into the workings of disputes between bookmakers and punters, with extensive experience of dealing with regulators and other industry bodies too.
You can listen to Episode 70 now via Apple / Spotify / Google / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club
An In-Depth Chat With An Experienced Industry litigator
In this episode, Harry and I discuss:
- Harry’s father’s impact on his career choice (& love of gambling!)
- Gambling and what Harry has learnt working with successful gamblers
- Cases, clients and the life of a gambling lawyer
- The increase in punter vs. bookmaker disputes and the possible reasons for this
- The most common issues that Harry deals with
- The lengths that bookmakers will go to to avoid paying liabilities
- The anatomy of a gambling dispute case
- AML & other regulatory checks and how bookmakers weaponise them
- The Gambling Commission
- The National Lottery & the Gambling Commission’s attitude towards it
- The regulatory future in the UK & the growth of the black market
- Criminal elements’ hold on certain gambling jurisdictions
- The law and how it relates to black market betting
- The White Paper and Harry’s take on ‘frictionless’ affordability checks
- How issues with law and regulation keep reappearing
- The competitive advantage that major firms have when dealing with onerous checks and regulation
- IBAS, eCogra and how dispute resolution services just aren’t working
- Bookmaker Terms and Conditions and how some are drafted to shaft punters
- How treating ‘skilled’ and casino/fixed odds betting differently could well help with regulation and dealing with problem gambling
- How to access Harry’s legal expertise!
I can’t think of a previous guest who was as unique as Harry and it was fascinating to learn about his work and some of the cases he has been involved in.
If you would like to interact with Harry, you can do so on Twitter/X by following him @HarryStewartMo1 or by using the contact details provided on this page.
For anyone looking for legal support in the gambling dispute arena he is no doubt the man to go to!
Enjoy!
🎧SBC Podcast #68: Pre-Event & In-Play Golf Edges ⛳
In the latest SBC Podcast I was joined by some returning guests who I last hosted on SBC Podcast #25 over 2 years ago.
Duncan and Neil Campbell are the sibling duo whose expertise makes up Golf Betting Club, the fantastic tipping service that has been going strong since its inception in 2020.
2 years is a long time in the golf world so I had lots of new things to talk to the Campbells about! Tours, markets and media coverage are all quite different from our last chat in 2021 so we covered lots of new ground.
Tipping ‘etiquette’, exotic markets, finding value in play and odds availability were some of the other topics that we focussed on.
With ‘GBC’ and SBC sharing a philosophy when it comes to betting, we have ‘partnered up’ for 2024. We love the way that GBC do things, think their in-play angle is a really strong USP and are delighted to welcome them to our Premium Tipster Stable.
We talk a little about that in this chat, alongside everything touched on above and so much more.
You can listen to Episode 68 now via Apple / Spotify / Google / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)
An In=Depth Chat With Hardened Golf Punters
In this episode, Duncan, Neil and I discuss:
- Duncan & Neil’s dynamic, how they balance betting & tipping with other work and managing time with such an all-consuming business
- Watching tournaments to find value and keep abreast of player performance
- Getting on, exchanges and the challenges of backing value once you have found it
- Place terms, the timing of bets and balancing value with attainability for members
- Tipsters betting on Mondays and how GBC’s approach is different with ‘Best’, ‘Tracked’ and ‘Minimum’ prices all provided for their subscribers
- Betting in-play and why the Campbells often prefer it over pre-tournament action
- Exotic markets, 3-balls and the edges available outside of the core markets
- How player profiling can help with in-play betting, especially for those players consistently disrespected by the markets
- Reflecting on performance, planned improvements and changes in the golf betting markets
- LIV, The PGA Tour, The DPWT and how the politics of golf may well offer up betting opportunities
- Statistics, popular metrics and how the Campbells have their own approaches to assessing players, especially when they play on different tours
- Pre-event vs. in play & using the first round to gauge whether a player makes the shortlist
- Variance, losing runs and dealing with this (as both tipsters and punters)
- Where to find GBC and how to access their content (much of which is free!)
- Predictions for 2024 and beyond
It is great to speak to tipsters who take so much care in how and when they release tips, with attainability at the forefront of their mind with every message they send out.
This chimes with our ethos at the SBC and with so much else on offer, I can recommend following Golf Betting Club on social media (@golfbettingclub) or visiting their website if you have an interest in the sport (and betting on it!).
You can also learn more about ‘GBC’ on their SBC page, with sign up options for SBC members (and non-members) available at the bottom of the page.
Enjoy!
🎧SBC Podcast #62: Jason Trost – CEO of Smarkets & SBK
In the latest SBC Podcast I was joined by Jason Trost – the founder and CEO of both the betting exchange, Smarkets and the bookmaker, SBK.
With so many incredibly important topics up for debate in the betting world at the moment, Jason was the perfect guest to explore concepts like affordability checks and their considerable impact on those of us that enjoy betting.
Jason also talked openly and candidly about the reality of running both Smarkets and SBK, trying to do things differently to their (admittedly bigger) competitors, exchange liquidity, commission and much more.
He also outlined how SBK has been setup to offer better odds than many of their rivals and just how it does that, plus his goal to make it appeal to punters looking for a more traditional bookmaking experience.
When it comes to affordability checks, he has some strong opinions on why gambling is being singled out when other ‘sin industries’ are not and why banks should be more involved.
He also rails against the double standards that has seen some bookmakers benefit from operating in offshore jurisdictions, where betting is not legal and the unfair financial advantage that gives them in regulated markets such as the UK.
You can listen to Episode 62 now via Apple / Spotify / Google / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)
Smarkets & SBK Links
As we discuss in the podcast, SBK is a sportsbook app that provides better odds as powered by the Smarkets Betting Exchange. It is regularly top priced on many markets and is increasingly being used by those looking to benefit from better odds. There is an offer in place currently for new SBK customers where you can bet £10 and get £30 in free bets.
Smarkets is a Betting Exchange and a realistic alternative to Betfair for many punters. New customers to Smarkets can enjoy 0% commission for their first 60 days with this offer.
🎧SBC Podcast #61 5 Stages of Profitable Betting: Your Questions Answered!
After SBC Podcast Episode #59 was so well received on the 5 Stages of Profitable Betting, I made a call for questions so that we could discuss this topic further and in this brand new podcast (Episode 61), myself, Josh and Rowan from SBC answer them!
Whether it be how to get started, bet brokers, bet tracking, using smaller bookmakers or even what sport was most profitable for each of us last year, we tackle all of that and more in this new podcast episode.
Each of you reading this email is at a different stage of your journey betting (just as each of Josh, Rowan and I have different setups) and so this podcast is there to give you more guidance and help on what you need to do wherever you are at!
You can listen to Episode 61 now via Apple / Spotify / Google / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)
An In-Depth Chat Answering Your Questions
In this episode Rowan, Josh and answer questions relating to:
- Our past year of punting – highs, lows and what is working best
- How to start out following tipsters or using +EV strategies
- Bet Brokers – logistics, limits, recommendations and accessibility in different jurisdictions
- Bankroll management at different stages of the betting journey
- Tracking bets in a varied portfolio
- How to get the best of the wide range of non-Oddschecker bookmakers
More Help? Here for Every Stage!
To accompany our podcasts, we also reference many SBC Resources that can help further available as a Smart Betting Club member.
Topics like our Bet Broker Guide, Major & Independent Bookmaker Guide, plus of course a full outline on each of the 5 Stages of Profitable Betting and the tipsters/tools to follow during each stage.
Whether this be the best tipsters with Soft Bookmakers (Stage 1 to 3) or the best with Exchange/Sharp Bookmakers (Stages 4 to 5) we can help you every step of the way of your journey.
So why not see what difference SBC can make to your betting with a subscription to our service today.
🎧SBC Podcast #60 Jon Roberts – Professional Bettor & Trader
In the latest SBC Podcast I am joined by professional football bettor and trader, Jon Roberts.
Jon balances his own work betting professionally with running the Predictology football data website and is also an innovator when it comes to embracing AI and Automation for bet selection and placement.
In this chat he explains his methodology and strategies for both football betting and trading, the leagues and markets he bets in alongside how he gets on via Bet Brokers and Exchanges.
His love of football betting also shines through via his development of the Predictology football data and betting system website, which has grown to be a very popular resource and for good reason!
Jon has many useful pointers for bettors of all backgrounds – I learnt a lot from this chat and I hope that you do too!
You can listen to Episode 60 now via Apple / Spotify / Google / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)
An in-depth chat with a global football expert
In this episode, Jon and I discuss:
- Jon’s working life and how he derives his income
- Getting into betting & trading and a famous Grand National winner!
- Data, numbers and Jon’s first foray into modelling
- ‘Flying under the radar’ and adapting to get bets down
- Jon’s process and the markets that he concentrates on
- Model-led betting vs pre-match betting vs trading
- Liquidity and betting markets for football around the world
- How dynamics differ in certain leagues
- Predictology, how it works and how it benefits subscribers
- Automation and using software to place bets without human input
- Using member feedback to improve tools
- Why Jon likes betting at odds-on!
- Placing bets in multiples and the advantages of this approach
- Cashing/trading out and why Jon does this less than most of his counterparts
- Data vs ‘The Eye Test’ and the advantages/disadvantages of both approaches
- xG and its limitations
- Bet brokers, sharp bookmakers and two services that Jon uses
- Cryptocurrencies and how they are impacting the betting landscape
- AI Football Tips and Jon’s partnership with SBC!
- Future plans
Jon is a fountain of knowledge and it was fascinating to learn about his processes and how he makes his betting pay. This chat was one of my most enjoyable to date – I hope you get as much from it as I did!
Learn More About Jon’s Work
If you would like to learn more about Jon’s work, you can visit the Predictology website or follow them on social media @PredictologyBet.
Jon has also partnered with SBC to provide a Premium Service, AI Football Tips. To read about that, please visit the service’s SBC sales page.
🎧Getting On With Sharp Bookmakers & Brokers: A Chat With Top Tipster, Skeeve
With our new 5 Stages of Profitable Betting, Bet Broker Guide and Exchange & Sharp Bookmaker Tipster resources all proving to be very popular, we have enlisted help from our community to provide further practical advice about maximising returns and accessing the very best platforms to place bets.
Earlier in August, this SBC Member article was penned, providing an introduction to using Bot Software to place personal bets or follow tipsters effectively on exchanges.
Skeeve Chat
To learn more about betting with Sharp Bookmakers, SBC, Editor Pete recently discussed this with the tipster, Skeeve, who has been making a profit for himself and his followers using the likes of Pinnacle for several years.
You can listen to this in full via the audio link below, where Pete and Skeeve talked about:
- Waiting for team news and tipping in the hour before kick-off
- Liquidity and price sensitivity
- Skeeve’s fair odds policy and how it is central to his operation
- Quoting Pinnacle prices and bettering those odds with soft bookmakers, exchanges and even in shops!
- Beating the market with both advised prices and at the closing line
- Skeeve’s record by different metrics & his own tissues’ accuracy
Betting & Tipping Via Sharp Bookmakers With Skeeve
Skeeve is an expert of lower league football, with a profitable record stretching back 17 years. A veteran of the SBC Hall of Fame, Skeeve discussed his process in detail in SBC Podcast Episode #16.
He has also written for us in the past, with this guide giving punters of all stripes some pointers about what to do (or not to do!) if you want to make betting pay.
New Service Tier & SBC Discounts
Skeeve is unashamedly setup for the bigger punters out there – those of you at perhaps Stage 4 or 5 of your betting journey. This is why most of Skeeve’s members stake quite heavily, making the 75 Euro monthly fee well worth their investment.
To make the service more affordable for a wider audience, Skeeve has now introduced a second tier at half the price, with the only difference being that tips are released slightly later.
With this service being profitable at the Pinnacle closing line there is still plenty of value to be had with this new tier.
In addition, SBC Members can get sizeable discounts with a 250 Euro saving on core packages (down from 750 Euro per season) and a 50 Euro saving on the new ‘half price tier’ available.
This means that with SBC Membership, you could save more than an the cost of annual subscription with this discount alone!
Skeeve has proven himself as the lower league football expert with over 17 years’ worth of tips. I hope that you enjoy our chat and (as his SBC HoF title indicates) his service is well worth a look too!
🎧SBC Podcast #59 (Part 1): 5 Stages of Profitable Betting
In the latest SBC Podcast I have something a little different for you.
Instead of interviewing a ‘traditional’ guest, I was joined by two of my SBC colleagues, Rowan and Josh, to discuss our new resource – The 5 Stages of Profitable Betting.
(The 5 stages takes you from beginner through to expert and all points on the ‘betting journey’ from using regular bookies to exchanges and sharp bookies/brokers)
Many betting podcasts (including ours) focus on interesting stories, guests’ opinions or in-depth discussions about services. Whilst I love making (and listening) to this content, what we have here is practical advice for bettors of all levels, with our personal experiences referenced at every stage.
We start off with advice for new bettors and progress through to (inevitable) account restrictions, using sharp bookmakers, increasing volume and so much more.
Whatever stage of betting you are at – beginner through to hardened pro – we hope that there is something inside for you!
Please be aware that there is a Part 2, where we discuss specific tipsters for each stage. To access this content, you will require a SBC Membership.
You can listen to Episode 59 (Part 1) now via Apple /Spotify / Google / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)
An in-depth chat about how to maximise your profit
In this episode Rowan, Josh and I discuss:
- Our first tipster experiences and how we started out
- Understanding how risk appetite, time, account availability and your own mentality will affect which services are best for you
- Getting to know yourself as a bettor
- Betting banks, research and setting yourself up for success
- Recording results and different ways to measure tipster services
- Drawdown analysis and why it can help put losing runs into context
- Sports markets and how they are different
- Starting out
- Bookmaker accounts – ‘dos and don’ts’
- Tipsters – what to look for and what to avoid
- Diversifying, building and more advanced betting
- Managing bookmaker accounts when restrictions bite
- The different types of betting mediums, from soft and sharp bookmakers through to exchanges and shops
- The challenges of betting in higher volumes with lower ROIs
- Adapting over time and the challenges that this presents
This was an enjoyable podcast to record and we hope that you get something from what we discussed! ‘The 5 Stages of Profitable Betting’ is introduced on this page with more detail about what is inside the site for members.
Part 2 – Discover the services we recommend
The good news is that we have also recorded a Part Two, where we go into more depth and share specific services that are suitable at each stage.
This includes some of the tipsters we have either followed in the past or do so at the moment. We talk about why we chose them, how best to use them and which stage(s) they are suitable for.
You can only listen to Part 2 as a fully paid up SBC member. Sign-up here!
🎧SBC Podcast #57 : Johnny Dineen on punting, bookmaking, media work and much more!
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!