Open All Hours!

Right then. As regular readers will know, weekend evenings (Friday/Saturday/Sunday) are not the times for in-depth ruminations and musings from this particular blogger. Nope, time seems to be voraciously eaten up with either placing bets or recording results. Food, nah! Family, nah! Blogging, nah! Oddsportal, tick. Spreadsheet, tick.

So, tonight's offering is just a little housekeeping.

I was asked last night in the 'Comments' section whether my P&L figures included deductions for the fees I pay the various services used. It suddenly ocurred to me that I hadn't mentioned this part of the accounting process on the blog at all. So, in the interests of transparency, I thought I'd better put forward my thoughts on this matter.

My monthly fees come in at a little under £250. But, and here's the thing, that amount can vary as the make-up of the portfolio varies. If I drop one service, then it's replacement might be cheaper or it might be more expensive to subscribe to. If so, then of course my monthly expenditure on subscription payments changes. So, instead of including the deductions for fees on a monthly basis, I will post up the balance on 31st December (before I get merry!). In the meantime, if you simply deduct £250 from each month's returns, you're not going to be very far away from the figures on my spreadsheet.

I'm pleased that this oversight was brought to my attention. It is very easy to get carried away - especially when a profit is being made - and consequently to think you are doing better than you actually are. I know I fell into this trap when I first started. If I may draw an analogy, it's a bit like running a grocery shop, totting up how much is in the till at the end of the day and saying that's how much you've made, forgetting the amount you had to fork out in the cash and carry to get the stuff you've sold in the first place. Looking at it like this, no-one wants to be the Granville of betting, do they!

Finally, and at risk of sounding like a wannabe Oscar-winning speech maker, I'd like to say thanks to everyone who has posted comments through the last week, and thanks to those who also run blogs and have put up links to this site. Naturally I have reciprocated, although some of them (well, all actually) are so much more slickly presented I'm beginning to develop a bit of an inferiority complex.


Today's Action

Well, well, well. Who'd of thought? Another profitable day, the fourth this week. Being pernickety I have to say that I wish this was building on previously accrued profits this month as opposed to a rescue act that could be ranked alongside Dunkirk for sheer improbability! Still, I'd rather be nosing ahead than listing badly and letting in more water than I can bale out, which would have accurately described the situation this time last week. Must say though, going into what will undoubtedly be another frantic weekend, I can't help but feel a touch vulnerable. A sacrifice at the altar of the gambling gods may be the way to go tonight. Some poor goat's gonna get it!

'Star of the Day' today was PJA NH which found a nice winner (Russian Flag - Sandown - 15/2) and a placed horse from three selections. A 'nose' behind PJA was On The Nose, who amongst their four tips also picked Russian Flag (managed to get 8s though at the time this came through). Northern Monkey Punter managed to break their recent lean spell with their one offering proving to be a winner (Loyalty - Wolverhampton - 9/2) and fingers crossed this can be the catalyst for a return to winning form. The only loss-makers today were ProBandit and Chasemaster.

Northern Monkey Punter: Staked 0.5pts, +2.25pts.
PJA NH: Staked 2.75pts, +3.438pts.
On The Nose: Staked 2.75pts, +3.05pts.
Chasemaster: Staked 0.75pts, -0.75pts.
ProBandit: Staked 0.5pts, -0.5pts.
Financial profit on the racing of £109.75.

Friday 25th February: Staked £175, +£109.75.
Week to date: Staked £1,780.50, +£712.14.
Month to date: Staked £14,212, +£498.87, roi 3.51%.

Back tomorrow with details of what will be another busy Saturday, I'm sure. Adios.