The three Rs...Reviews. Reports. Results.

Where were we?


Shane asked about the extent to which the Secret Betting Club plays in my decision making when it comes to deciding which tipping services to subscribe to. Well, if you look at my portfolio you can see that there is only one, Service X, which is not or has not been monitored by, and/or recommended by the SBC. I mentioned yesterday that I started putting money down on The Football Analyst selections from Day 1, which of course was way before any mention of the service was made elsewhere, but they were exceptional circumstances. It is fair to say that the SBC have been tremendously influential in the way I have shaped the portfolio.

It is not now the case of simply reading a favourable review in one of the SBC newsletters and then jumping in with both Size 10s. As I alluded to yesterday, that perhaps does summarise my "strategy" in the early days, hence the mistakes made. I was a bit like a Neurosurgeon trying to remove an aneurysm using a hammer and chisel.

There have been certain things that the SBC have done that I've not fully supported (at which point I post my point of view in their forum which is a bit of a cheek, although so far they have put up with my irrascibility with an enviable patience), but one thing about the service that is irrefutable is that the standard of their service reports are extremely high. There is obviously a huge amount of work that goes into their production and by reading a report they produce, I can now be almost 100% certain whether or not that service would be right for me. Sometimes the tone of the report is very positive towards the service being reviewed, but within two paragraphs I can tell that it wouldn't ait well in my portfolio. But is that not the purpose of a subjective review? Is it not it's purpose to allow the reader to make an easy, informed decision as to whether the service should be followed or not?

My portfolio now is built. I'm happy with it, and I can't envisage any major changes anytime in the near future. Naturally if a service within it loses the number of points deposited in the "bank" for it, then it must be removed and replaced. But other than that, I'm hoping for some real stability now. Sure, one or two of the services may be dropped in the autumn, ie. those that are an exercise in increasing turnover over the summer months. I've not made any final decision on these yet other than now seeing Summer Of Football as a permanent portfolio member. But with the exception of one or two services, my portfolio is as I hope it will continue to be for months to come.

But what happens if a service does run through it's bank, or which raises it's fees to a level I don't want to pay, perhaps? Well, that's where the SBC comes into it's own again. I have first heard about many a service via the SBC newsletter; a strong review means I take a mental note that it would indeed fit well into the portfolio, it's just that I don't need to add it at that moment. In other words, I'm building a series of "reserve" services that I can slot into the portfolio if the need arises, or if I want to expand. A prime example of this is Sportyy. I had been watching the tennis tipster's results for many months, starting from the time I first read about it in the SBC newsletter. Consequently, when in late Spring I wanted a service to introduce some more intensive summer betting turnover, it was only natural for me to try this service first. The way I see it, reading the SBC reviews can keep you a step ahead of the game. There are always options.

Sometimes though, it is nice just to see bottom line results for services that are perhaps a little lower on the radar. Racingproofing.com , and Sports-tipsters.co.uk are sites on which we can find the performance being tracked of some very familiar names, but some unfamiliar too. I also look occasionally at the ProGambler site, Blogabet, and . All are useful for identifying potential future additions to the portfolio. Perhaps I'm a bit of an anorak, but I do find the occasional trawl through such sites enjoyable.

So, to answer Shane's question, the SBC do play a very large part in my thinking when it comes to selecting which services to follow. I can't help thinking that if I'd paid more heed to other advice they provide - about practicalities, cost, stress placed on bookmaker accounts etc - I would have avoided many of the mistakes I initially made. Still, you live and learn, eh?

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Tuesday's Betting

Thankyou, Scott, aka The Sportsman Racing. One very nice winner (Kyllachy Storm - Bath - 7/2) contributed most to a fine day indeed. I was fortunate in that I'd placed my bet with Hills, an account which remarkably still provides me with the Best Odds Guarantee. Always nice when this is the case and the bet you've struck drifts in price yet still wins.

Dead even for On The Nose who found one winner from four bets (Highland Duke - Bath - 3/1). No luck for The Market Examiner (0/3) though.

One right in two from Sportyy (Bogomolov to bt Nieminen - 11/8) for a tiny profit.

A winning evening for Service X with two from two, although I was only able to get half the desired stake on one bet at an acceptable price. Still, it all adds to the coffers.


Month to date figures...

Racing
Northern Monkey: Staked 24pts, -8.918pts, roi -37.15%
On The Nose: Staked 23.75pts, -6.025pts, roi -25.36%
The Sportsman Racing: Staked 2pts, +1.057pts, roi 52.88%
Winning Racing Tips: Staked 3.7pts, -1.741pts, roi -47.07%
The Market Examiner: Staked 17pts, -10.8pts, roi -63.52%
Total roi -22.27%

Sports
Summer Of Football: Staked 13pts, +6.204pts, roi 47.72%, ROC 31.02%
The Sportsman: Staked 0.3pts, -0.013pts, roi -4.33%, ROC -0.21%
Form Lab Lite: Staked 14.5pts, -1.145pts, roi -7.89%, ROC -2.29%
Sportyy: Staked 17.5pts, +6.272pts, roi 35.84%, ROC 7.84%
Service X: Staked 123.2pts, +8.567pts, roi 6.95%, ROC 8.56%
Total roi 15.48%

Grand Total roi 3.42%




I have a dilemma. I've recently got into Stephen King. Always had him down as the author of bollocks horror stories, but I picked up Carrie when on holiday at a second hand book stall for pennies and really enjoyed it. Anyway, I'm now onto The Shining, which is great, but scary. Got me hooked. But, as of tomorrow, Helen is taking the kids down to her Mothers for a few days (that's real life horror story!) leaving me all on my lonesome. In an old house. With creaky floorboards.

Let's face it, people will have died in my bedroom. It's inevitable in a house of this age. And The Shining is creepy.

I need to get a grip of myself. I'm a grown man.

Where's my teddy?