So, Form Lab Lite.
Look, whenever any service goes through a not-so-good patch, which they all will do at some point or other, it is very hard not to start feeling negative towards it. It's daft. Stupid. But inevitable. Especially when relatively new to the service and there's not been sufficient time to see how it ebbs and flows, how it presses on in the midst of a losing run, how it stays consistent in it's approach which any successful service must be.
And so it is for me right now with Form Lab Lite. Taking a step back though, looking at the past twelve months' results dispassionately, then things still look fairly decent. The official figures (and as I've only been a member for a short while, I have to rely on these) running from August 2011 to July 2012 show the roi is running at 3.78% (low, I grant you) but the ROC is a fairly healthy 74.5%. Cash profitability, ie. bottom line money-in-the-bank figures are decent, which let's face it, is the most important thing.
Sure, the last couple of months or so have seen water being trodden with no real positive forward momentum being attained. But that aside, there is a lot to like about FLL. Relatively high turnover, especially during the summer months is a real positive and the reason I explored the service in the first place. It is unusual not to get a price at or very close to the one recommended in the Daily Report, the part of the service I utilise. Clear write-ups on the stats leading to the selections, leaving one in no doubt as to why we are backing what we are backing.
The only potential issue for myself when I cast an eye to the future, is whether or not when I up stakes I'll be able to get on all the bets. On occasion, the only bookies with the relevant market are those that you would recognise as being 'High Street' (although the number of bets for which this is the case is very much the minority). At my current staking levels, it's not a problem, but with higher stakes? It's a question mark, that's all. It may be fine, but regardless, I'm not at that stage yet so for now at least, I can carry happily on as I am.
To answer the chap who commented under Friday's blog post about the service, I can confirm that the same team of analysts are providing the 'Daily Report' recommendations as was in place a year ago.
The last thing to note about FLL is that it does offer a lot more than a simple tipping service. Even on the Lite version, there are 'Game Notes' for all fixtures covering in excess of 45 leagues, 'Match Data' for upcoming games, a variety of ranking tables and key indicators and a 'Pre-Match Query' function that allows the user to perform their own analysis. Put another way, the 'Daily Reports' are just a small part of the overall service. Perhaps when I'm doing this full time (*cough*), I'll have the opportunity to explore how I can utilise what Form Lab Lite has to offer properly.
Tuesday's Betting
A pretty quiet day, ending in a very small loss.
Sportyy minimised the loss by gaining a more heavily staked winner from two bets.
No luck for Northern Monkey (0/1), On The Nose (0/1), and The Market Examiner (0/1).
Month to date figures...
Racing
Northern Monkey: Staked 33.25pts, -8.118pts, roi -24.41%
On The Nose: Staked 33.25pts, +7.8pts, roi 23.45%
The Sportsman Racing: Staked 3pts, +0.526pts, roi 17.53%
Winning Racing Tips: Staked 6.6pts, -1.483pts, roi -22.48%
The Market Examiner: Staked 24pts, -17.8pts, roi -74.16%
Total roi -2.75%
Sports
Football Elite: Staked 1pt, +/- (+/-£), roi 0%, ROC 0%
Summer Of Football: Staked 21pts, +10.573pts, roi 50.34%, ROC 52.86%
Skeeve (Asians): Staked 7pts, +1.6pts, roi 22.85%
Skeeve (Doubles): Staked 5pts, -5pts, roi -100%
Skeeve (Shortlist): Staked 2pts, -0.2pts, roi -10%
Skeeve Total: Staked 14pts, -3.6pts, roi -25.71%, ROC -4.5%
The Sportsman: Staked 0.5pts, +0.133pts, roi 26.73%, ROC 2.21%
Form Lab Lite: Staked 20pts, -4.675pts, roi -23.37%, ROC -9.35%
Sportyy: Staked 30.5pts, +15.428pts, roi 50.58%, ROC 19.28%
Service X: Staked 184.2pts, +38.698pts, roi 21%, ROC 38.69%
Total roi 20.42%
Grand Total roi 13.64%
I'm afraid FFL has lost out in my portfolio, primarily due to mac issues, but certainly others. As someone that lives on Apple machines, FFL has had to have a vps to run it. While this is not the end of the world, especially with pseudo accounts, it is an extra level of hassle, topped off by always having to restart the software to see updates. Is it just me that doesn't know when the tips are going to appear?
ReplyDeleteI suppose the other reasons are no longer using pro form professional so less need for a pc and not finding myself utilising what I believe is the real strength of the service, the data enough.
Finally, like you, I took on FFL to fill the summer void at the same time as Summer of Football and I don't think any service could have lived up to it, both in terms of results, but more importantly, ease of use and feel.
Hi Matthew.
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting one re. not knowing when the tips will appear. Personally I don't have an issue with it as I have an understanding wife who wants to ensure we are doing everything we can to make profits from our gambling, so the first thing she does when she gets home from work in the afternoon (she works in a school) is load up the software and put the bets on. Therefore it works for me, and if anything the unpredictable nature of the timings of bet release does mean that there's no mad rush for prices as all subscribers try to get on at the same time, causing the market to crash. Were my personal circumstances different though, I can see it might be an issue.
Not utilising the service is something that frustrates me a little. There's so much data there that is, I can't help feeling, going to waste. I don't know (and I don't want to put words into their mouths), but I imagine this is a source of frustration for the FLL team. There is a tendency for the service to be judged solely on the results of the recommendations in the 'Daily Reports', where in reality, it has a lot more to offer.
re. comparisons with SOF...not sure any service can hold a candle over the last couple of months or so. The run they've been on is phenomenal.