My Star Sports ‘Betting People’ Video Interview

The big news this week is my appearance in the Betting People series of video interviews as published by the bookmaker, Star Sports.

You can watch them all 4 of the 15 minute video interviews via this link: https://www.starsportsbet.co.uk/bettingpeople-peter-ling/

Amongst a wide variety of topics I discuss:

  • How SBC works and the reality of following modern day tipsters
  • The need to focus long-term when making important betting decisions
  • The sport that is the most profitable to bet on currently
  • My own betting and the need to tailor tipster services to fit your circumstances and preferences.
  • How I use runners and get bets on
  • The power of connecting and building relationships with other bettors
  • Some of the simple mathematical concepts that are vitally important to success
  • What I find to be the biggest fundamental difference between a winning and losing punter
  • Why free tipsters need to be treated cautiously as per the motivations and reasons why they are free
  • Why the actual ‘winning’ side of betting has become the easy part these days.
  • How to get started and choose the right tipsters for you
  • Plans for SBC moving forward

For those of you keen to learn more on the world of tipsters and SBC’s goal of helping people with their betting, these video interviews are a great place to get started.

Sign-up for a Smart Betting Club membership today

 

An Interview With Golf Tipster, Ben Coley

Ben Coley is a golf tipster on fire with a 1-2 finish in the Portugal Masters at 18/1 and 70/1 on Sunday taking the profits from his tips this year alone up to 466 points at a ridiculously high 75% Return on Investment.

Best of all – Ben supplies all of these tips for free via his weekly Sporting Life columns and so I am delighted to share today an exclusive interview with him on his long-term golf betting success. Perfectly timed for those of you thinking of following him in during this weeks US Open and beyond.

If you enjoy this interview, you can read a full review of Ben’s tipping performance dating back to 2017, including our guidance on how best to follow his tips each week in the new Golf Betting Special Report now available to Smart Betting Club members.

Access to this golf report and our detailed reviews of the 2 other profitable golf tipsters inside it (read more on review#1 and review #2), can be gained the instant you join the Smart Betting Club

Ben Coley Interview

SBC: Hi Ben, thanks for agreeing to this interview! You are a very well-known name on the golf betting circuit these days, yet can you begin by outlining what attracted to you to betting on golf?

Ben: A love of golf, primarily. I started playing from a very young age and was handy for a while and it was always my favourite sport to watch on TV. The betting side was of course just as important; as the son of a betting shop manager I grew up settling football coupons at the dinner table on a Saturday night and I got a job at the head office of an independent firm when I was 16, again through the old man. It very much runs in the family.

SBC: Most people know about you from your Sporting Life tipping columns on golf betting, which continue to be very popular. How did this come about and when did you start writing and tipping for them?

Ben: I’ve been very, very lucky, and worked hard. After studying journalism at university (‘studying’ used loosely), I went back to work at the same place I’d been at since I was 16 and could easily have settled in for the long haul. Instead I took a chance on a low-paid radio job in Leeds and moved there at 23, and I’m still here at 34. The radio gig was in the same building as Sporting Life, who were under the same umbrella at the time, as was the digital side of Sky Sports. That’s how I met my first editor and Dave Tindall, who was working for Sky and Golf365 but writing betting previews for the Life, too. I’d been an avid reader of his for a long time and he was good enough to give me a chance.

I think it was my second or third preview when Bubba Watson somehow won a mad renewal of the Travelers at 50/1 and from that moment I became a regular contributor. I moved across to work full-time for Sporting Life not long after, and since 2015 I’ve been deputy editor there. I say that only to confirm that my job isn’t just golf tipping, thank heavens.

I think it was my second or third preview when Bubba Watson somehow won a mad renewal of the Travelers at 50/1 and from that moment I became a regular contributor

SBC: What is your normal column schedule for Sporting Life and what time and day can readers expect to find them published each week?

Ben: I begin writing my first preview at around 3pm every Monday and typically publish around 7pm, much of the research having been done the previous week. It varies as to whether I begin with the PGA or European Tour but generally the former now as for obvious reasons they reach a broader audience. Whichever preview comes next, that would usually be out by Tuesday lunchtime but sometimes other things get in the way. Mainly Zoom at the moment.

SBC: You preview and tip in both the PGA and European Tour events. Do you have any preference as per which tour offers the best value betting opportunities?

Ben: 100% the European Tour. I would say my best-known winners have still been the PGA Tour (Russell Henley at 300/1 in the Honda or Andrew Landry at 200/1 in Texas) but year after year it seems the standard increases and it’s very difficult to get the market leaders beat. Then you’ve got to establish whether it will be JT’s week, or Rory’s, or DeChambeau’s, or Rahm’s, and it’s difficult – especially when you’ve a general tendency to take on board more risk for a bigger price.

That’s why DJ winning the Travelers at 30/1 this year was so satisfying and why Koepka letting slip the St Jude at 33/1 was so infuriating. The European Tour is weaker, I would say those setting the odds know a little less about it, and there’s greater variety in terms of courses and conditions. All those things present opportunity, the one caveat being that players are far less reliable as a rule and Sundays can be fairly brutal if you are watching.

SBC: Onto the main reason for our interview – the excellent long-term profits you have achieved. Sporting Life have your record for the past 5 years at over 1000 points profit since 2016. Do you have any idea on other key metrics such as your Return on Investment, number of bets or the average amount staked per month or year?

Ben: Most months I stake 60-70 points, and on average it’d be around 750 per year on outright markets, meaning around 800 when you add major specials. Number of bets would be around five and a half per tournament on average, as I typically vary between five and six, sometimes seven or eight but occasionally only two or three. ROI-wise I hit between a 20 and 25% from 2015 onwards but I do appreciate it can be hard to get on at the advised prices sometimes, so all numbers have that asterisk for all that I’m proud of my record.

ROI-wise I hit between a 20 and 25% from 2015 onwards but I do appreciate it can be hard to get on at the advised prices sometimes

SBC: Furthermore – Sporting Life don’t list a record for you prior to 2016 but do highlight you were tipping between 2010 and 2015 and some of the winners you backed. Do you have any figures on overall profits, ROI etc… that you can share?

Ben: I’m afraid I don’t and it’s best I don’t get into the why – might swear and/or get in trouble. Suffice to say those records, both individually and for the entire site dating back as far as 2003, have been lost. I have some numbers but without any means of proving them I have to rely on 2016 onward, which I do think gives a fair indication of what to expect. Hopefully, 2020 will be my best year yet and I won’t have to bemoan the fact that 2012 and 2014 have been expunged.

SBC: Back to present day and you have been in superb form throughout this truncated golfing year with more than 450 points in the bag for 2020 already, yet in 2019 you lost 145 points. Do you feel this is ‘par for the course’ (pun intended) when golf betting and how patient do people need to be when golf betting and following your tips?

Ben: Yes, absolutely. I’ve probably improved in a couple of aspects, especially when it comes to the understanding and application of statistics. The PGA Tour has evolved rapidly in terms of breadth and quality of data and as a tipster you have to adjust, in the same way that a racing expert might now be incorporating sectionals and stride data.

It can throw you off, and I think that happened in 2019 as the European Tour also brought new numbers to the table – but the main difference between the two years can be described as rub of the green. I had a 100/1 play-off loser in December who ought to have won, and had he done so it basically takes care of everything; four or five tips won the week after I’d selected them, no end of close calls, and some potential season-changers just had difficult Sundays. Selections at 125/1, 66/1, 25/1 all leading with nine to play and not winning makes the world of difference and in 2020 things have just gone the other way. I’ve had 250/1 and 150/1 winners which went down the last, a 50/1 play-off winner who ought to have been beaten in regulation, and a couple of others who fell over the line somewhat.

Sami Valimaki winning in Oman at 250s was outrageous in the way the cards fell and last year I’d probably have been on Brandon Stone, who had been on my shortlist for the event and had his pocket picked on the very last hole. That’s golf betting in a nutshell.

Selections at 125/1, 66/1, 25/1 all leading with nine to play and not winning makes the world of difference and in 2020 things have just gone the other way

SBC: I can certainly relate to that as I am sure many readers can given how all-or-nothing betting on golf can be at times.

Given the above, I am interested to know how you cope with the frustrations that golf betting can bring. What advice do you have for punters following you in on dealing with the inevitable losing runs?

Ben: I take to twitter, basically. Otherwise I’ve been doing it long enough that I can generally get over things quickly, after a tweet storm or a WhatsApp or two, and a sleep. I would also say that golf is a bit different to most other sports for those reasons – even the strongest favourite on the PGA Tour now might have a 15% chance of actually winning.

I write long, detailed previews, and fortunately numbers remained strong when the tips weren’t going well. That means I can sit down the next Monday and type knowing it’s not for nothing, whatever happens. Relatedly I think in general, there aren’t many people who follow every point and every selection. They read the analysis, read someone else’s, combine it with their own ideas, and might take one or two of mine. And at risk of sounding glib, if ever there was a time to remember this job is a bit daft – like, its very existence sometimes seems amazing to me – it is now. So what if things don’t go well for a while. I know what I’m doing, I’m trying my best every single week, and I feel lucky to have a loyal readership who understand the nature of the sport.

There’s some pressure, but not stress, and I think that’s an important distinction. Plus it helps that my wife really couldn’t care less and my son is far too young to. It’s hard to justify dwelling on things for too long.

I’m trying my best every single week, and I feel lucky to have a loyal readership who understand the nature of the sport.

SBC: Some good advice there – it sounds like you have a good mindset and setup on how to cope with the stress and strains of golf betting, especially when as a tipster you have a lot of people following you in each week.

Given the fluctuations across a standard 4 day golf event, do you ever trade on your tips in-play? For example if you back a golfer at 100/1 before the tournament starts and he is leading going into day 4. Would you lay him at a short price and lock in profit or simply let it ride out?

Ben: I used to, but trading was never really my forte. Enhanced each-way terms in golf also mean it’s less important, at least at a recreational level, and I pride myself on a record which can’t legislate for that. I put up Justin Thomas at Muirfield Village this summer and he led by three with three left, went 1.04, and didn’t win. I know some of my followers got out in front, some backed him each-way, but my win-only recommendation goes down as a loser. Silly as it may sound to your readers – serious, dare I say semi-professional punters – the things I value most in my job are the quality of my work and the record it helps produce. What I win or lose is secondary and always has been. I get paid to do it and that’s my priority.

SBC: A good staking plan is important whatever you bet on – can you outline how yours work and how you judge how much to risk on any given player or tournament in total?

Ben: I’m going to sound like a politician but there are many people with much brighter things to say about bankroll management and there’s nothing much I can bring to that table. I started off following the template Dave Tindall set for the website a long time ago and while the total investment has nudged up a little, a reflection of playing for seven or eight rather than five or six places, not much has changed. I tend to go win-only at shorter than 16/1, two points each-way from around 16 to 33, one from 40 to 200 and maybe a half from there, but it does vary according to confidence levels and each-way terms. I know some traders will tell you every price is bang on these days but I think that’s a total nonsense and if there’s a player I like at 250/1 who I think should be closer to 100s, I’ll go the full point, and so on. Sorry, this is a bit of a non-answer.

SBC: Finally, given your popularity in golf betting circles, what advice do you have for those worried about the odds on the golfers you identify being forced downwards by the bookmakers? I ask this as I note at times the odds do come under pressure!

Ben: I get asked this a lot and appreciate it can be difficult, although bookmakers do tend to be a little short-termist with it – six months ago most of my tips held in the market but now they shorten immediately. It’s a shame they can do so without laying a bet but I understand that side of the industry and the job they have to do. In terms of advice, have as many accounts as you can, be prepared to walk into a betting shop, and also keep an eye on the exchanges on a Wednesday.

Once things have died down you’ll often see my selections drift out again and while not reflected on the high street as it were, if you are an exchange punter you’ll often get a considerably bigger price

Once things have died down you’ll often see my selections drift out again and while not reflected on the high street as it were, if you are an exchange punter you’ll often get a considerably bigger price, particularly if they overreact to the weather forecast which does happen a fair bit.

Read More With An SBC Membership

You can read the full feature on Ben Coley’s free tips including our guidance on how best to follow him in each week in the new SBC Golf Betting Special Report.

Inside this report you can also read about:

1. The golf tipster with a track record of profit dating back 7 years with a 30.65% ROI from 2143 bets. Easy to follow on Betfair and with a 33% discount available to SBC members only.

2. The new Hall of Fame rated golf strategy/system with a 35.04% ROI in real life profits over the past year. Will appeal to everyone from the big staking professional to the small staking newcomer.

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Interview with the punter making 5 figure profits annually with tipsters

Today I want to share with you my interview with one long-term SBC member, Dave, on how he runs a successful tipster portfolio – one that now makes him a five figure profit each year.

Having exchanged several emails with Dave over the years, I approached him to ask if he would be willing to reveal more on how he does it and to share some of the secrets behind his success. The idea being to provide some real-life inspiration and guidance as to how he is making money betting using tipsters.

Thankfully, Dave was only too happy to help answer my questions, including details on a few of the key tipsters he follows and how he juggles the practicalities of running a winning portfolio.

I have published Dave’s interview in full below for you to enjoy. Note – Dave is not his real name as I have changed this in order to protect his identity from prying bookmakers!

For those of you keen to emulate Dave, you can now take advantage of our lowest EVER Smart Betting Club membership prices to see how we can help your betting.

INTERVIEW WITH A WINNING PUNTER

SBC: Hi ‘Dave’, thanks for agreeing to be interviewed. I appreciate you wish to keep your exact identity a secret, yet first, I wondered if you could reveal a little bit about when you started betting and what first attracted you to it?

Dave: I have always loved sport and have a passion for numbers and statistics. I guess it started way back with the Littlewoods pools coupon and trying to put my knowledge to good use – It never did though!

With the internet age and betting explosion that followed, I was drawn into betting online and have never looked back since!

SBC: In terms of using tipsters, why did you start using them rather than placing bets off your own steam?

I had never really thought about using tipsters before, but when I investigated it further, it seemed logical to find out a bit more information about them to try to increase my profits.

That was back in 2014, when I first joined the Smart Betting Club (or Secret Betting Club as it was then) and since then I have developed a keen strategy for making profits using tipsters

SBC: Can you remember the name of the first tipping service you joined and your experience with them?

I had used the Timeform ratings for a number of years, but the first service I used was back in March 2014, just before the Cheltenham Festival. It was called Betting Emporium and run by a couple of guys I knew from the poker scene.

They tipped Lord Windermere to win the Gold cup at 40-1 and Tiger Roll to win on the same day, which won at 10-1. I guess from that moment on, it seemed like a good idea to investigate the idea of tipsters further!

SBC: That sounds a really nice way to start to your tipster journey and I imagine the guys you mention are Neil Channing and Joe Beevers, two punters who I’ve long looked up to myself. We proof the Betting Emporium here at SBC and have been impressed with the quality of service on offer. Before I ask you more about the tipsters you use, can you outline the sports you bet on and why?

The main sport I follow from a betting perspective is Horse Racing. With bookmaker restrictions I have tried to diversify my portfolio, but nothing has really stood the test of time for me.

So, my portfolio is around 90% Horse Racing, with Football/Golf and NFL making up the final 10%

SBC: Mostly horse racing – very interesting. How many tipsters do you follow, or have you followed in the past as part of your ‘portfolio’?

I totted up how many tipsters I have used in the last 5 years for this interview and was amazed to see it stood at 181 in total!

In terms of those I actively follow, I have a dozen now that I subscribe to, although a few of them I am just watching at the moment. The truth then is that I am placing bets with my own money from the bets advised by only 8 to 10 tipsters currently.

Interestingly 5 of these tipsters I have followed since 2014 with the others added more recently. All bar two in the portfolio are tipsters that the Smart Betting Club recommend.

SBC: Wow that’s a lot of tipsters! How many of the 181 have you watched but then decided to give a miss? Can you also outline how long you ‘watch’ a tipster for?

Most of those I have subscribed to as part of that group of 181, I will give a miss. This is because I prefer to simply watch a tipster for up to 6 months in order to see if they will deliver for me and how I like to bet.

Of those I have watched and walked away from – a lot of the time their results were not profitable in terms of how I would like to follow them. They might well be profitable for others – but they don’t fit into how and when I like to bet (or indeed can bet) so it’s a very important part of my analysis.

SBC: And what about the 5 tipsters you have followed since 2014 – any you care to reveal?

The longest serving tipster in my portfolio is Kieran Ward’s Morning Value Service – which I know you rate very highly at SBC.

SBC: Do you have any preference for the type of tipster you like to follow and what is it you look for when evaluating them?

The most important factor is that I like to know when the tips are coming out, so I can make myself available to bet. I also prefer tipsters that supply information later in the day, as it is much better for account longevity from a racing betting perspective.

I also keep my own record to monitor the odds a tipster quotes and those I can take. For example, I don’t place any racing bets before 10am, so any tipster issuing bets before this time might not work for me – especially if their tips see significant support before I can get on.

SBC: The 10am start point makes sense as betting before that time on racing is known to cause problems. Can I ask what you do when the odds move on an advised bet from a tipster in your active portfolio? Do you take the lower 10am price?

I don’t like betting too early in the day and never overnight. So, the answer is it depends. Some tipsters are so heavily backed initially that the value goes right away and you are more likely to be flagged by a bookmaker. Many of these will drift out later in the day. So, my criteria are different based on the tipster.

SBC: If you miss an early price, do you ever look to get a bet on closer to the race starting either just before the off or in-play?

If I have the chance, I will have a check up on those selections I didn’t get matched on during the day. You can often beat those early missed prices close to the off, but if you can’t, then you must be disciplined and let it go (not easy! – especially when they win!)

SBC: Indeed – and that goes to the heart of making sure you obtain a value price on any bet you strike. Digging into the profits you have made, which tipster(s) have made you the greatest Return on Investment?

In terms of ROI, then there are a few that stand out, all of whom I discovered through yourselves.

One racing tipster that I have been with for years is the Value Bettor, with whom I have a lifetime 20% ROI and who continues to impress. You can read the full SBC review of this service free via this link – Editor.

Another which I added just under a year ago is The Betting Man which is also at 20% ROI. This service was reviewed in SBC Issue 108, click here to read more – Editor

One longer-term service is previously mentioned The Morning Value Service, which was the star of my portfolio for 3-4 years, however that has gone off the boil slightly during the last 15 months.

SBC: How about Return on Capital (ROC) and bank growth? Have any tipsters hit lower ROI’s but made a greater turnover for you?

They are many services that operate on smaller ROI but with larger volume. These are all about value propositions and are great for increasing your ROC. However most of these are difficult to follow because the prices go quickly and are the sort of selections that can get your accounts restricted fast. The minimum bet guarantee by some bookmakers will become useful for following these services, however you need to accept that the ROI % will be very much reduced from historic records.

An example of this type of service is the racing service you recently reviewed in SBC 109. Based on my six month trial with them and my 10am starting point, my ROI would have been less than 1%. Someone else following them with full accounts and no restriction worries might do very well, but they do not suit when and how I bet.

SBC: How often do you review your tipster portfolio and add in new services?

I conduct a review every month where I look at 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 month performance to help put results into context. Since my early days, my portfolio has become a lot more stable and I have only added in 1 new tipster since 2018. The others I have added I am paper trading.

SBC: One of the questions many punters have is down to staking and when to increase. How has your staking changed over the years, if at all?

My total staking hasn’t changed too dramatically over the last four years but getting the right balance and staking of each tipster takes time to get right. Thankfully my profitability has increased each year so clearly that is working to some degree.

SBC: In terms of the practicality of following so many tipsters – how does that work for you on a day to day basis?

The reality is that most of the services I use are low volume, so it is not too bad from a time perspective. Saturdays and festivals are always a little bit busier but most normal weekdays are relatively easy from a time/work perspective.

SBC: That’s good to know it’s entirely manageable, but what do you do when you take a holiday or want a week off? Do you switch off entirely or continue to bet when ‘away’?

There is a 3-4 day break normally at Christmas!

Seriously it is important to take a break from anything you do, and this is no exception, so I do try to switch off entirely, although I can’t say that I always achieve this.

SBC: Another issue for many punters is losing runs and how to deal with bad runs of form when your tipsters can’t seem to find a winner. How do you handle them?

It’s definitely not easy!

The first time something bad happens, i.e. you have a big losing week or a losing month, it is pretty hard to take, and you have to rationalise to yourself what you are doing.

When losing, you go through a range of emotions, but ultimately, I trust in what I am doing and have the long term results to prove it, so I always reflect on that. That is where my records where I can see performance stringing back 24 months help.

SBC: Obviously as a winning punter, most people wonder how you get your bets on. Do you use bookmakers or exchanges or a mixture of both?

This is the most difficult part these days – getting the bets on.

I try to spread mine out as much as I can, and I have a detailed spreadsheet that includes every bookmaker I am aware of!

That would be my tip – open as many accounts as you can and spread your bets out amongst them.

SBC: Are there certain firms you use more than others to place your bets?

I will place a bet wherever I can, but most firms have shut me down. Thankfully many new ones pop up all the time and I am getting better at ensuring those I do open, remain so.

SBC: Do you have any tips that you care to share on how you keep them open?

Well, as per my last point, I don’t think there is a bookmaker I haven’t used, although keeping your accounts open is definitely an art form.

There is lots of advice on this via SBC, such as betting later in the day and spreading out bets as much as possible, which really do help. Read more on the restrictions help we provide members via this link – Editor

Ultimately, you don’t realise how important your accounts are until you can’t use them, so don’t ignore this problem until it impacts you.

SBC: Finally, what advice would you have for those keen to repeat your success and run a tipster portfolio?

Be disciplined, be truthful and use the information that is out there. The SBC has a plethora of information available so there is no better place to start!

I would also recommend reading Rowan’s Bet Diary Pro on the realities of following a tipster portfolio. We have different portfolios (albeit with some similarities) but the idea is the same and many of the things that impact us all such as handling losing runs are discussed on there.

<<INTERVIEW ENDS>>

A huge thank-you goes to ‘Dave’ for giving his time and expertise so readily as part of this interview.

Get The Full SBC Membership Package For Just £2.15 Per Week

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From as little as £27.99 + VAT per quarter, you can get started immediately and access the ENTIRE Smart Betting Club service including all our SBC Magazines, Tipster Profit Reports, Best Tipster Guides, Pro Betting Guides & more.

£27.99 per quarter works out at just £2.15 per week.

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All told, it’s our best ever SBC membership deal and with this amazing money back guarantee offer you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

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Best Regards

Peter Ling

Smart Betting Club Owner and Founder

The tipster blogger ‘Making Punting Pay’ on how he made over 7k in 2019 betting.

Yesterday saw the release of a very special SBC Report from a guest author – the tipster blogger, Making Punting Pay on how he made a £7,346.57 clear profit betting in 2019.

Exclusively available to SBC members only, this report details his journey to profit on a month-by-month basis, including the 6 tipsters he follows, the lessons learnt along the way and his advice to those looking to copy his approach.

Although to access the full 17-page report a Smart Betting Club membership is required (Get instant access), I wanted to share with you all an interview with the man himself to give you some insight into his approach.

SBC: Thanks for agreeing to the interview – first of all, can you explain why you decided to start following tipsters and more to the point – why you decided to write a blog about it?

MPP: For years I was your standard punter, firing on daft accumulators while watching the scores on a Saturday or throwing on a random lucky 15 at the racing, with no success whatsoever….a donation to the bookies every week.

I then became aware of the SBC about five years ago which was when I realised it was possible to turn myself into a profitable punter by following tipsters. I started blogging in the hope it would force me into being more disciplined with outside eyes looking on, while also giving me the platform to share my experiences with others who may be doing the same thing. These types of blogs have been incredibly useful to me in the past, so hopefully one or two others find mine of use.

Onto your 2019 performance and how about some headline figures to begin with. Exactly how much did you make in 2019 before and after any costs?

The final total was £10,886.57 profit although after you deduct the subscriptions (£3,540) the final figure was £7,346.57.

How many hours a week do you think it took to run your ‘portfolio’ and would you say it was worth the time and effort you put into it?

I’ve actually managed to reduce this considerably in the past few months as a result of account restrictions forcing me onto the exchange. It’s hard to put an exact figure on it but i’d estimate I used to spend about 8 hours a week with that time mainly taken up by shopping around trying to secure the best price as soon as bets were released. Now with little accounts left, i’m forced to use the exchange close to the off which has freed up a lot of time. I’d estimate i’m down to about 3 or 4 hours per week now so definitely worth the effort.

Onto your portfolio itself – how did you choose the tipsters to follow?

In 2019 I had six tipsters – three racing, two golf and one football. The SBC tipster profit reports and magazines are my first port of call to identify potential tipsters and ensure they suit my personal circumstances. I then narrow the list down by conducting my own analysis to double check the ones that will suit me best which also usually highlights areas where I can tailor each service to either increase ROI or ROC or simplify the way I follow a service i.e. potential for placing bets later in the day.

Digging into your results last year – Who was your best performing tipster in 2019?

Best performing was a service whom I refer to as Racing Service 3 (the tipster in question likes to stay out of the limelight) who generated a profit of £9,216.77 at 10.1% ROI and 92.2% ROC. The Value Bettor is also worth a mention since he’s only in action 5 months of the year and managed to produce a profit of £5,674.07 at 22.7% ROI.

What was your biggest win or success story?

My biggest win was back in April when I had £100 on a 33/1 winner, but i’d say the biggest success story was the number of times I managed to recover from substantial four figure drawdowns.

Of course we should never forget the downside of betting either and the losing runs we all go through at times. What was the biggest issue you faced and what was the worst bad beat or bad luck story of the year?

The biggest issue I faced was the volatility of the portfolio. I felt as though I was always on either a huge drawdown, or on a big winning run, there seemed to be no middle ground.

Back luck wise was probably back in March when I was only able to place half my usual stake on 28/1 and 33/1 winners due to the odds disappearing as I was splitting my stakes across a number of books. If I managed to get the full stake down then i’d have been £3000 richer.

What would you say to anyone wanting to copy you and what they should be prepared for?

It may seem like a get rich quick scheme but it’s far from it. It isn’t as easy as just picking a tipster and placing the bets, as if you don’t have a disciplined approach then you will be up against it. Even the best of tipsters go on losing runs so you need sufficient betting banks and the mentality to absorb the losses. Would you keep placing bets if you had lost 50% or more of your bank?

In 2019 I endured four losing runs of more than £5000 but kept at it, refusing to reduce stakes in the knowledge that the tide would turn. I’d guess not a lot of people would be willing to see out the dark days, which is why so few make this work. The pressure you feel under when you have no idea where the next winner will come from is pretty intense. Those who don’t know how to lose, will have no chance of winning in the long term.

Finally – how can people read more from you (besides your 2019 report!?)

I make regular updates on the blog at http://makingpuntingpay.blogspot.com where you can subscribe to receive updates via email. I’m also on Twitter @MakePuntingPay

My thanks to Making Punting Pay for answering these questions and if you want to read more from him then the specially commissioned 2019 report is now available to all Smart Betting Club members. You can sign-up instantly via for as little as 26p per day.

I should say here as well – the person behind the Making Punting Pay blog is an SBC member but aside from that he has no affiliation with us. He writes his blog off his own steam with no influence from anyone connected to SBC so his blog is a fantastic independent resource I recommend you check out!

 

Peter Ling

Smart Betting Club Owner and Founder

 

 

 

9 years following tipsters averaging 12k a year profit. One SBC members’ real life betting journey

For those of you after some inspiration on how to make a profit betting, today I want to share my recent chat with one very long running SBC member on exactly how he continues to make his betting following tipsters a real success.

Step forward Jim – a Smart Betting Club member since 2012 no less and with whom I spoke to earlier this week to get the lowdown on his latest betting experiences and results figures.

To set the scene – back in 2016, I first interviewed Jim on his betting results and how he won £20,000 in 2015, the first year that he took it all seriously. You can read this original interview here.

Now 4 years later, Jim was good enough to agree to answer a few of my questions on his performance since then (during which time he has been an SBC member naturally!) including how he now averages around £12,000 profit per year…

SBC: You first joined SBC back in 2012, so you are coming up to nearly 9 years of membership now! What is it about SBC that continues to appeal to you?

Jim: I have been a member of SBC since 2012 – a long time.

At first, I just played around with different tipsters to try and find the right one for me. The first one I chose gave out tips the night before and still is very good, yet I don’t use him anymore as I got banned very quickly by the bookies for following him in. SBC warned against this as being a red flag for this service and they were right. I thought that suffering from a bookmaker restriction was a status symbol at first, but I quickly realised it’s a no no now.

SBC: Back in 2016, in our original chat, you explained how 2015 was a vintage year for you making over £20,000. How has your betting fared since then?

Jim: That’s right as it was only in 2015 that I began to take it seriously and I made 20 grand in total that year. In the years since, I have still made a good profit on average of around £12,000 per year.

In 2019 I was down £6000 up to June after a poor first 6 months, but it all turned around in the second half of the year and I ended up £12,000 in profit in total. Shows the value of being patient, but then having done this seriously since 2015 I know how to ride the ups and downs along the way.

SBC: In terms of the tipsters you use – have you been following any since 2012?

Jim: Well the first thing to say is that I only follow racing tipsters, which is both good and bad. Good because they make a fantastic ROI but bad in that it increases issues at my profit levels with bookmaker restriction issues.

Service wise, I have been with 2 of the same tipsters since 2012. They don’t just give tips out and say get on with it. They genuinely care about their members and making sure you can make a profit following their advice.

SBC: What about the tipsters you follow currently?

Jim: I only use 4 tipsters now and I’m happy with how things are going. I could follow more but I want to have a life outside of them and my day job. I would also rather up my stakes in these 4 tipsters I trust rather than join anyone new.

Three of them are SBC recommended tipsters and the other one I just came across through a fellow SBC member who is very switched on. My outlay in a year is now about £200k in terms of stakes and I try to make 10% ROI. 200k might sound a lot but I’ve built it up over the years, so it’s well within my comfort zone.

SBC: What are your betting plans for the future? Do you think you will still be doing this in 2030?

Jim: In the future I want to be able to make a good profit just by using the exchanges although that isn’t always possible right now. At my staking and profit level, getting on is tricky sometimes as I don’t use a VPN and I’m hopeless at the tech stuff. So, I use a mixture of phones and place a bunch of bets in shops too as this works for me (I work in a big city centre so have ready access).

SBC: What would you say to anyone considering a SBC membership but unsure as to whether to take the plunge?

Jim: If you take the plunge to join SBC it can change your life but just remember it’s a lot of hard work and effort, especially at my staking range.

I would also say it’s essential to keep a spreadsheet of all your bets so you really know where you stand. Some months you think you are losing because you have had a few bad days in a row but when you look back you realise you’re doing ok and vice versa. It’s only because you have the spreadsheet, do you actually know where you stand.

 

My thanks go out to Jim for taking the time to answer my questions.

So, whilst I have promised Jim I won’t reveal the exact names of those tipsters he follows, he does make clear in this chat that 3 of them are those we at SBC currently recommend and have done for some-time.

Indeed, it appears that Jim has also been following them for several years now too – showing the value of finding a professional, well-run tipster service (or 3!) that can make a difference to your betting.

Of course, betting can be a bit of a rollercoaster at times as his 2019 ride alludes to, but with the right strategy, record-keeping and a bit of patience, his story is a fantastic bit of inspiration for those of you looking to do the same in 2020 and beyond.

Read More Real-Life SBC Member Experiences

If the chat with Jim has whet your appetite for more on the SBC difference – you can read further real-life betting experiences from other members using the links below:

MPP – A £25 Hourly Wage betting – an interview with the punter/blogger making it pay!

D.G. – The reality of following 8 tipsters and the SBC difference

Dave – An interview with the punter up 5 figure profits annually using tipsters

So why not join the Smart Betting Club today and see the difference we can make to your betting with tipsters!

 

 

Football betting guru shares his secrets in exclusive SBC interview (& save 20% on membership)

The latest How I Make Money Betting‘ SBC interview has just been released and features an in-depth discussion with expert football tipster, Ian Broadrick.

Best known by his nickname ‘Brodders’, Ian has been making a profit football betting for several years and in this exclusive interview, he discusses the secrets behind his success and how you can look to replicate it.

Ian is a true, bonafide football punting expert who for several years has worked alongside punting giants like Neil Channing and Joe Beevers at the Betting Emporium.

You can read this interview now with a Platinum ‘Pro Punter’ SBC membership.

HIMMB Ian B Cover

20% Discounted SBC Membership Now Available (Limited Time)

To celebrate the release of Ian’s interview, you can also save an extra 20% on the cost of a Platinum ‘Pro-Punter’ SBC membership between now and Midnight this Sunday the 10th June 2018.

This extra 20% is on top of the already discounted 2018 membership prices, so its an extraordinary deal!

Simply select the Platinum membership option and use this coupon code ” WORLDCUP ” during the checkout process and a further 20% will be deducted off the cost of joining.

This extra 20% discount will allow you to join us at SBC for a full year for as little as £79.19. That’s just £6.60 per month – slightly more than the cost of just 2 copies of the Racing Post!

If interested, do hurry as this extra 20% discount WILL expire at Midnight on Sunday.

Click here to subscribe NOW!

More Expert Interviews With Your SBC Membership

Alongside this latest interview with Ian Broadrick, you can also pick up several other ‘How I Make Money Betting’ interviews with a Platinum Pro-Punter SBC membership.

All designed with the central goal of providing inspiration and guidance to you from the experts who are making their betting pay.

Including our interview with Andrew, AKA ‘The Value Bettor’ – one of the very finest horse racing brains out there (as judged by the phenomenal returns he has made tipping over the years),

In our interview with Andrew, we delve into his setup to provide valuable insight into one of the most respected and profitable racing experts – including how he identifies value betting opportunities, the resources he uses, race-reading, the psychology of a winner and much more besides.

how-i-make-money-bettingThe How We Make Money Betting Legacy Report

You can also enjoy a special ‘Legacy’ How We Make Money Betting issue, featuring SBC’sinterviews with 6 other gambling experts.

Featuring discussions with a wide-range of betting experts and punters who are successful across a variety of sports, it provides fascinating insight into the world of pro-punting including:

  • The UK’s top racing tipster on just how he has beaten the bookies since 2003;
  • The bookie insider on his journey to success betting on horse racing;
  • The award winning racing expert on his love of the sport and how he picks out value bets
  • The long-term professional on his love of bookie loopholes and niche angles’

How To Read These Interviews Right Away

The How I Make Money Betting Series of interviews are available for immediate download with a Platinum ‘Pro Punter’ SBC membership.

More ‘How I Make Money Betting’ interviews with other professional punting experts are also planned for release throughout the next 12 months and as long as you have a Platinum ‘Pro Punter’ membership, you will be able to access all of this content.

As well as gaining access to the full Best Tipster Guide, a Platinum Smart Betting Club membership also grants you full access to our complete ‘Professional Punter’ package including:

  • 1 Year of SBC Magazines;
  • 1 Year of Tipster Profit Reports;
  • Complete access to the Best Tipster Guide (2016, 2017 & 2018 versions)
  • 1 Year of Bet Diary Pro Access;
  • Access to our 12-year Back Catalogue;
  • Access To The SBC Tipping Forum;
  • Gold Tipster Discounts & Trials;
  • Platinum Tipster Discounts & Trials;
  • Our Best Systems & Guides;
  • Full 90-Day Refund Guarantee!

All told – it’s quite the package with a huge amount of expertise and information available to you and all from a genuinely independent source.

Use Your 20% Discount Code

If interested in joining, make sure you use the extra 20% discount code on the cost of a Platinum ‘Pro-Punter’ SBC membership

This extra 20% is on top of the already discounted 2018 membership prices.To save 20%, simply select the Platinum membership option and use this coupon code ” WORLDCUP ” during the checkout process and a further 20% will be deducted off the cost

If interested, do hurry as this extra 20% offer WILL expire at Midnight on Sunday.

Click here to subscribe NOW!

Best Regards,

Peter Ling
Smart Betting Club Editor

Pete_HeadShot_SMall

Learn from the experts – The ‘How I Make Money Betting’ interviews

Today I am pleased to unveil the first in a series of SBC interviews with winning punters, cunningly titled the ‘How I Make Money Betting series.

Kick-started today with the publication of our interview with Andrew, AKA ‘The Value Bettor’ – one of the very finest horse racing brains out there (as judged by the phenomenal returns he has made tipping over the years), the goal with these interviews is to provide inspiration and guidance to you from the experts who are making their betting pay.

After all, profitable betting can be a tough and sometimes lonely profession, so the more insight we get, the better our chances of making it pay.

In this special interview, we delved into Andrew’s background and setup to provide valuable insight into one of the most respected and profitable racing experts – including how he identifies value betting opportunities, the resources he uses, race-reading, the psychology of a winner and much more besides.

Perfectly timed if you are looking for some inspiration to find a winner at Aintree this week or even just on racing in general as much of his insight applies across the board betting-wise.

The How We Make Money Betting Legacy Report

Alongside Andrew’s interview, I have also put together a special ‘Legacy’ How We Make Money Betting issue, featuring my interviews with 6 other gambling experts as previously published by us at SBC.

Featuring discussions with a wide-range of betting experts and punters who are successful across a variety of sports, it provides fascinating insight into the world of pro-punting including:

  • The UK’s top racing tipster on just how he has beaten the bookies since 2003;
  • The bookie insider on his journey to success betting on horse racing;
  • The award winning racing expert on his love of the sport and how he picks out value bets
  • The long-term professional on his love of bookie loopholes and niche angles’

How To Read These Interviews Right Away

The How I Make Money Betting Series of interviews (both Andrew’s and the Legacy report) are available for immediate download with a Platinum ‘Pro Punter’ SBC membership.

More ‘How I Make Money Betting’ interviews with other professional punting experts are also planned for release throughout the year and as long as you have a Platinum membership, you will be able to access all of this content.

As well as gaining access to the full Best Tipster Guide, a Platinum Smart Betting Club membership also grants you full access to our complete ‘Professional Punter’ package including:

  • 1 Year of SBC Magazines;
  • 1 Year of Tipster Profit Reports;
  • Complete access to the Best Tipster Guide (2016, 2017 & 2018 versions)
  • 1 Year of Bet Diary Pro Access;
  • Access to our 12-year Back Catalogue;
  • Access To The SBC Tipping Forum;
  • Gold Tipster Discounts & Trials;
  • Platinum Tipster Discounts & Trials;
  • Our Best Systems & Guides;
  • Full 90-Day Refund Guarantee!

All told – it’s quite the package with a huge amount of expertise and information available to you and all from a genuinely independent source.

Click here to get started right away.

See you on the inside

Best Regards,

Peter Ling
Smart Betting Club Editor

Pete_HeadShot_SMall

Looking For Good Free Tips? Try These 8 Free Tipsters For Size!

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As part of an extra special investigation into free tipsters, today we have released a unique report focusing on 8 profitable betting tipsters who currently share their tips online for free.

This one-off report features our interviews with each of the 8 tipsters, who they are, what they do, how you can follow them and just how much profit they have made over the years.

Sign-up now to gain instant access to this latest report (and our entire back catalogue of tipster reviews, systems & betting guides) or read on for more details…

SBC_Microscope_V2

Inside This Special Report You Can Enjoy…

Interviews With 8 Free Tipsters Including:

• The 1-lay-a-day football expert with a profitable record dating back to 2012.

• The Irish racing guru up 25% ROI last flat season and with a very profitable Ante-Post portfolio to boot.

• The rugby expert up to the tune of 31.98 points so far in 2016.

Plus 5 other free tipsters with profitable records betting on Football, Golf, Racing, Cricket, Tennis, Politics, Reality TV & many more markets.

Revealing The Very Best Tipsters For You

This special report has been put together as part of our ongoing quest to find the very best betting tipsters – both those that charge and those that offer their advice for free.

Perhaps best of all – each of the 8 expert tipsters featured within this report are as yet not widely known by the vast majority of punters so it’s a great opportunity to get in ahead of the crowd and start to benefit from their advice. They are part of a new breed of professional, practical and most of all profitable tipsters that punters are following these days.

So if you are interested in finding out more about these 8 free tipsters, make sure you check out this special report available now to all SBC members. Sign-up now for instant Smart Betting Club access.

Smart Betting Club

Exclusive interview with Gold Award winning racing tipster

SBC’s ‘Top Rated Racing Tipster for 2015’ reveals all.

If your sink needs unblocking, you send for a plumber.  Need legal advice?  Find a lawyer.  Want to know how to make money on the horses?  Then find an expert who does just that, and who better to ask than the winner of the SBC’s ‘Top Racing Tipster of 2015’ award?!? (as voted for by SBC members).

That’s exactly what we did in the latest SBC Betting Magazine – Issue 93, as it features an exclusive interview with the man behind SBC members top-rated racing tipster service on the secrets behind his success.

We asked him how he goes about finding his selections, how he keeps track of horses that have caught his eye as winners-in-waiting, how he deals with bookmaker restrictions, and much, much more besides…including how he juggles running a tipster service with a full-time role working as a racing journalist.

Here are just a few of the valuable insights our expert gave us in this fascinating interview, which you can read in full in SBC93

Our expert on…how he develops a shortlist of value bets:

“There is so much racing over the summer that you have to quickly find ways of chopping down the number of races you study and also the number of horses you consider to be betting propositions in each race.

I usually look for races that are classified as class 4 and upwards (races can vary from 1 to 7 – best to worst – in the UK) and bet mainly in handicap races, in which the favourites have less chance of winning.

In theory, in a handicap race all runners are weighted to have an identical chance of winning, but, based on my knowledge of past races I have watched, I try and find horses that might have run better than their bare form last time out.

This happens when horses have raced under unfavourable conditions last time – for example, did a mud-loving horse run on unsuitably fast ground last time? Did a horse finished well beaten but actually run well from a poor draw at a track with a notorious bias.

The horses handicap mark (which determines the weight they will carry) might have been dropped, even though they’ve actually run well against unfavourable circumstances.

When looking at a race I now split the field into three groups:

1) Those that might not want to win (other race targets in mind, big drifters on the exchanges)
2) Those that have the ability to win but have some form doubts over them (the ground or trainer form etc)
3) Those that look like they have conditions to suit and should be making every effort to win

I am only interesting in backing horses that fall into category three, so I make a value assessment on who is most overpriced of the shortlisted runners in this group, or I back several in a race, sometimes both are effectively main bets, other times, one will be a main bet and the other one will be a saver selection that I have backed merely as insurance to cover the stake on a main bet.”

SBC 93 Magazine

Our expert on…why a betting notebook is vital (and how he tracks horses to follow):

“Firstly, I make sure I buy a hard-backed notebook at the start of every season. It gets a good battering over the course of the year and I’ll get through a couple per season. I write down the list of runners and the race conditions for the race I am betting in. This is what takes a lot of the time – more so than watching replays (because I’ve watched most of the races live previously).

I note down race variables such as distance, class and going, and then other non-obvious things such as trainer form. Being able to check back when certain runners have run well when the yard is out of form, is useful at a later point and something the majority of punters won’t bother to check (for example I think Limato can be forgiven his latest defeat as the Henry Candy yard was badly out of form at the time. He runs at Royal Ascot next week).

I also note whether the ground looked to be riding as it was officially described. Course clerks have a habit of giving inaccurate descriptions to ensure as many runners as possible turn up to race, but if there is mud flying about then it is worth recording that the ground was soft, as the going may officially go on record as something less extreme – and the majority of punters will refer to that official description in future.

After each race I go back to the notes and make a brief line on the race and circle any runners I want to remember for future reference.

However, as I cannot bring my notebook everywhere with me, I need an online method of keeping tabs on runners so, so I also use the horse tracker facility on Irish Racing’s website. There are countless others out there, though I like that one as it allows brief notes to be saved online. You get an e-mail whenever your horses have declared to run.

Most of the time, though, I have seen the declarations for races at work, and providing the horse is running in the UK, I will be aware of it even before any tracker e-mails arrive. Given declarations are made 48 hours before a flat race, and my Press Association work begins as soon as the declarations come in, I’ve generally had two days to see the declarations for any notebooked runners.

The potential problem is when trainers go abroad – I almost missed Muthmir (my sprinter to follow this season) at Chantilly the other day, for example, and it was only when I saw a rival of his being well backed on Oddschecker that I realised there was 1) A Group race taking place in France that Sunday and 2) Muthmir was running in it.”

Our expert on…why being realistic with what you can win is key:

“These days I don’t request big liabilities. I have got used to knowing my restrictions with each firm and just play within the set limits. I spread the stakes about plenty but don’t try and take the mickey.

Gambling isn’t my primary income – my full-time job is – so I don’t need to stake to the levels a professional gambler would need to in order to turn over an amount sufficient to live off.

Last year the service generated about 75 pts profit from 750 pts staked, so if I stake, say, close to £100 per point, a good year like 2014 still creates a nice little side pot (tax free) to top up my main earnings.

Several years ago I held aspirations of becoming a professional punter at some point, but then I started a family and my whole outlook on gambling has changed with new responsibilities, even before the account closures and restrictions started and placed a time burden on top of things in terms of getting bets on.

I am comfortable just using betting as a means of trying to boost my savings now, working within the constraints, rather than trying to progress things back up a notch and overcome the barriers like sourcing fresh accounts and spending more time getting bigger stakes on.”

Read More In SBC 93

I’m sure you agree there are some incredibly valuable pieces of information in these few sample paragraphs, but elsewhere in the interview there is a whole host of great insights into the punting world, including:

  • The essential tools of the trade our expert uses to source the best value bets.
  • How to cope with the pressure of losing runs and how he always turns things around.
  • What are the most common mistakes aspiring punters should be aware of.
  • How to stay under the radar and keep those valuable bookie accounts open.
  • How to think like a bookmaker, and play them at their own game.


Wage war on the bookmakers – The Bookie Apocalypse!

In addition to this interview, the latest SBC Magazine also contains independent reviews of two more horse racing services to go to war with.

Our first tipster review examines the service with 484% bank growth in 15 months whilst the second review looks at the proven flat expert with 23.3% ROI from over 1000 bets. The latter also comes with a special offer for SBC members of 6 months free if you sign-up with him for 12!

Sign up for your SBC membership now and gain instant access to SBC 93 plus a whole lot more!

Make Money Betting - Join the Smart Betting Club today

SBC Latest Mag – Interview With Racing FM

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Earlier this month we released the latest Smart Betting Club Magazine, Issue 90 and SBC Editor, Peter, spoke with Dean from RacingFM to detail exactly what was inside.

If you missed this broadcast, you can listen again using the audio player below.

Find out more about SBC 90

Find out more about Racing FM