Rather like NEW YEAR EVE, it’s time to take stock and make the equivalent of RESOLUTIONS.
The first and MOST IMPORTANT is RECORD KEEPING. I know, it’s the most niggling part of any system or selection method. It is very necessary though. Keeping meticulous records will stand you in good stead when that LOSING RUN hits you. And it will sooner or later. The more comprehensive the records the better they will serve you in the future. You’ll find out whether certain teams contantly let you down. Or do you find yourself losing on specific types of bets. The records you keep will pay you back by helping to cut out the rubbishy bets and help keep you in the black.
One way to bankruptcy is backing all over the show. You know what I have in mind. A couple of Premiership teams coupled with a couple from the Championship and then a few from lower leagues, or even from the European leagues. Anything to make-up a bank-busting accumulator. The best answer to all this is to SPECIALISE. Be it the Premiership or the Championship or some other league. The idea of specialising is to choose something that will readily lend itself to easy scrutiny but will also help you make money. Choosing one of the LOWER LEAGUES, even outside of the four English leagues, will offer the chance to beat the bookmaker more often. The bookmaker has to price-up ALL the leagues but only has so many odds-makers on his staff. More often than not they will only give the smaller leagues nothing more than a cursory lance. Plus they are seldom UP-DATED as are the main leagues. So anyone with a good knowledge of team selection, injuries etc. will be at a distinct advantage. For the pupil of form study the lower leagues offer a good way to meet the bookmaker on slightly better terms than is usual.
Going to the betting shop means we’re open to the advertising methods employed by all and sundry who offer odds. The only thing to do is be determined to give all advertised “come-ons”a miss. The large posters and whiteboards packed with inviting offers are there for only one persons advantage. You can be assured it’s not yours. Give some of the “offers” advertised a good looking over. Where they combine two or more elements work out the true odds. Try to get a correct score double on at the prices advertised for single scores. No chance. 6/1 and 7/1 as a double should pay 55/1. You’ll be lucky to get 40/1.
Simply don’t even glance at the window displays. They’re for the mug punters. How often does the First Goal Scorer/Correct Score, invitation to bet, invitingly glaring out of the front window actually WIN? The odds may look tasty but they are not and the chance of the bet obliging? Definitely not at the odds being offered. Fagin was more of a benefactor.
Newspaper advertisements hold the same lore for some people. the answer is the same. Forget it. All ads have only one goal. To separate you from your cash. Give them a miss no matter what form they come in.
While we’re talking about betting shops, let’s remember the why we go there. I know it’s to place a bet but we should only be frequenting a shop that gives excellent customer service. Most bookmakers have been around for many many years. In that time service to customers has risen from, virtually nil, to today’s giddy heights. Almost every cashier knows the first names their regulars. They are almost always treated with the utmost respect. Free cups of tea and often cheap soft drinks and pre-packed snacks are available at very reasonable prices. If your shop doesn’t have such items on offer, it’s time to travel further afield.
Also expect to be given any help you may need with your wagers. Even a lost receipt shouldn’t prove more than a slight irritant to the cashier. If you feel you’re not getting the treatment you think you deserve, go somewhere else. You want value for your stake money.
Non-value games abound. These are the games you must give a wide berth. They are the games which are given the full attention of the oddsmakers. Make use of comparison sites. There are many on the internet. Most Premiership games and their Spanish, Italian and Germany counterparts are cut to the bone. There is hardly ever a percentage point to be made on the 1 – 2 – X forecasting. So do the obvious. Go to lower leagues or try some of the more sophisticated markets. Even try a trading strategy or two. Just don’t stick with the old routine out of some kind of miss-placed loyalty.
One of the worst mistakes anyone can make is by OVERSTAKING. It’s not the easiest of things to get right but getting it right is a must. The best staking method is, of course, level stakes. If selections don’t make a profit at level stakes I don’t want to know.
If you must use a staking method, forget the fancy named ones you’ll find on the internet. Try, instead, using 2 1/2% of your bank per selection. You’d need a very long losing run to lose your bank. When using any new selection method or staking system give it/them a PAPER TRIAL. I know it’s a pain to keep records of this kind but it will be worthwhile in the long run. Paper-trialing has saved many a punter from losing his bank.
Arbitrage crops up from time to time. From my own point of view, forget it. You need to be online bright and early to take advantage of any anomalies in the prices on offer. Or you need a good piece of software to do the job for you. The biggest turn-off though is the size of the bank you would need to operate realistically. The differences in the odds are so minute that you’d really need a bank of large proportions. There are better ways of following you fancies that via Arbitrage.
Long odds-on shots or favourites. Which are the best or worse to back? If I knew that I’d be the envy of my bank manager. It really needs a lot of studying. Stats which work for one method won’t work for another. The old standby is the best way for most punters. Head-to-Head and recent form.
ACCUMULATORS. The bookies favourite for skinning the punter. This includes all multiple bets. They are only there for one reason to empty your wallet without an anaesthetic.
I won’t be betting on English or European football until the form has settled down. Eigth to ten games into the season should give some idea where the various sides stand, form wise. By then new signings should have found their feet and gelled with their new team mates. As ever, I will confine my choices to the teams standing between the top and bottom quarters of their league tables. (In the Premiership that will means teams 6th to 15th only).
My last article ended by asking, “What part did/does the Acme Thunderer” play in football? It is the referees HUMBLE WHISTLE. Since it was decided that having to run and shout his head off to control the game,wasn’t really practicable for the referee, the ACME THUNDERER has been the instrument of choice for the job of controlling football matches and in other sports. It’s first use by referees was around 1885.
Manufactured by B.Hudson & Co.(1870’s). The company still operates today as Acme Whistles. The first whistles were manufactured from brass strips. The introduction of a “pea” into the whistle guaranteed that the signal would be heard above any normal crowd in the stadium. Today they are made from metals and plastic. Costing from around £7.00 up to £25.00.
Bet carefully and only will cash you can afford to lose. Good Luck.
