‘Since January 2023 I’ve made just under 20k’

Name: James
Joined: January 2023
Betting on: Horse Racing & Tennis
Following: 4 tipsters

How long have you been a SBC Member?

Coming up to 2 years now.

What made you sign up?

I actually signed up to the SBC first in 2014 when you were called secret betting club. I was quite new to betting then and when I got my first magazine through the post I didn’t really understand it all so left after a month. Was always in the back of my mind to one day go back and explore it again and I did so in 2023.

Did you do any betting or following of tipsters before you joined up?

Not so much tipsters but I had done a bit of match betting in the past doing all the sign up offers so already had all the accounts open and a bit of an understanding of betting exchanges and the concept of value. When I signed back up in 2023 I could understand things better and was ready to get started!

What services do you use (both SBC & non-SBC)?

Services I’m using at the moment are Tyrell’s racing, Winnerodds tennis, a free service called Gwdihw racing and another horse racing service. I was using Hanbury Racing up until last October but swapped it over to Tyrell’s racing because they send their tips out later in the day so it’s easier to get on with bigger stakes if I want to.

How did you choose those services?

I tried a few other different services that just weren’t for me you kind of get a feel for a tipster pretty quickly and if they are going to suit you and these ones seem to with me

Do you have any favourite service(s) or memorable win(s)?

Not so much memorable wins as such but I’d say my favourite service at the moment is Tyrell’s racing their long term record is incredible and certainly the best horse racing service I’ve come across so far for the money.

Can I ask – how much you have made since you signed up with SBC?

Since January 2023 I’ve made just under 20k, I think I was very fortunate when I started because I initially started with hanbury racing with a £500 bank with a view to add more if I needed to, I ended up having a 50/1 winner on my 2nd day!! It was also a great first 5 months that enabled me to build my bank pretty quickly to start with. I ended 2023 with a 6k bank

Do you care what sports or markets you bet on or is it mainly down to what 1) you get bet on and 2) the edge it can create for you?

If there’s an edge and I can get on I don’t mind what sports I bet on to be honest. I’d say it’s more the type of services I use than the sports, one thing I have learned over the past 2 years is I don’t do well with long losing runs so I’d rather use services with lower odds and high volume and strike rate so I can cycle through the variance quicker. So probably sports like golf with fewer bets and long losing runs wouldn’t suit me

What issues have you faced since you started winning and how are you adapting to them?

Bookmaker restrictions and account closures. Also had one bookmaker demanding unredacted bank statements before I could withdraw winnings! I find it unbelievable that they are allowed to get away with this, they didn’t want this when I was depositing money and losing but as soon as I won a few quid and wanted to make a withdrawal they make you hand over all this information before they’ll pay you out, something needs to be done about it.

Which level of betting do you feel that you fall into in our 5 Stages Journey? 

I’d probably put myself at stage 3.

Read more about SBC’s 5 stages of betting and see where you fit in!

What are your plans for the future and your betting journey?

Plans for the future will be to find services that I can use either in shops or on the exchanges, I’ve still got access to some bookmaker accounts at the moment but know that won’t last forever. Bookie bashing is a service I’m probably going to start using from January I like the idea of being able to select your own value bets to get on in shops if I need to.

Do you have any tips for those looking to emulate what you have achieved?

I’d say be patient to start with and build your bank up slowly, stick to the points bank recommended and only stake what the tipster recommends. If you are new to this I’d recommend reading the SBC articles on the site on managing losing runs and betting bank management, they are really helpful there is also a ton of other useful information on there.