Wednesday, 5 December 2012

REVIEW: SkyBlueKangaroo and Paul Whelan

I thought I'd gotten away unnoticed with my experimental facial hair project earlier this year. Clearly I was wrong.
 
Keith Eckstein is the man behind the entertaining, and equally educational horse racing blog 'The Horse Racing Scholar'. Playing a latter-day Eamon Andrews he's recently posted a piece about Yours Truly and my blog at SkyBlueKangaroo.com
 
 
I'd love to know where he found THIS picture....
 
 
Keith wants to interview me as well, so watch this space. Meantime, I'm off to get a shave!

Friday, 30 November 2012

What are Heuristics & Why Bettors Should Understand Them?

How many times have you done this? You've convinced yourself (and maybe others) that you've used extensive form analysis to make a logical selection in the big race. But in reality, you've gone with a gut instinct.
 
We employ these 'rules of thumb', or heuristics as their known by head quacks, in all areas of our lives. But I stumbled across this intriguing article on the Pinnacle Sports website which looks at how heuristics play their part in betting.
 
 
I'm sharing this piece of content with you today, because for me, a firm grasp of betting psychology is essential for success.
 
 
I particularly warmed to the section on 'escalation of committment' or 'throwing good money after bad'. How many times have we all continued to sink money into a betting system which we know, deep down, isn't working?
 
The gambler’s fallacy is closely related to the Hot Hand Fallacy, which is the belief in streaks of good/bad luck. Where someone experience what seems like an atypical sequence of events, they infer some special significance i.e. I am on a hot streak, or my luck is out.
 
Not too long ago I posted an article called Life Is A Roller Coaster which touches on unlucky losing runs.
 
Remember, my blog at SkyBlueKangaroo is written just for you. If you're looking to improve your betting success that is.

Thursday, 29 November 2012

PAWS (Personal All-Weather Selections) - Final Review

Today I've got news on a betting service that's received favourable reviews from various quarters recently.
 
I'm highlighting the review posted over at the CashMaster Blog
 
 
I haven't posted any betting system or tipster service reviews for a while, so I thought it was timely to get up-to-speed again with what's currently being touted.
 
 
(Did you see what I did there?)
 
Back to business, and this service did produce a profitable return over a 90-day period, and interestingly they've calculated a figure for Return On Time invested. There's quirky!
 
The bets arrive by email usually between 10 and 11 am. Placing bets takes around 5 mins. I placed bets on BOG bookies. The prices advised by PAWS were nearly always available.
 
For more betting system reviews drop by my blog at SkyBlueKangaroo.com
 

Wednesday, 28 November 2012

David Pipe - Trainer In Focus

David Pipe had some extremely big shoes to fill when he took over the training licence at Pond House. His father is fifteen times champion trainer Martin Pipe. Enough said.
 
Stephen over at Betting Expert has penned an enthralling piece on David Pipe, well worth a read.
 
 
The Pipe stable has been enjoying a welcome run of form recently, so this article is 'hot contents' at the moment.
 
 
Stephen's article discusses stable star Grands Crus, and presents some interesting statistics on the yard's performance over the last 5 years.
 
In his early days Martin Pipe had a reputation as something of a gambling stable before he came to dominate the sport like noone before, and the Pond House operation under David is certainly a yard to follow when the cash is down.
 
Remember, my horse racing and betting systems blog is written to help you make your betting pay. Take a few moments to browse through some of the articles and tutorials.

Tuesday, 27 November 2012

Are You An Investor, Or A Gambler?

Do you have what it takes to be a successful punter? I'm talking long term, not just between now and Christmas.
 
Betfair accredited trainer Jonathan Burgess writes at his blog False Favourites and recently he asked that very question in a post you can read at this link.
 
 
I wanted to share this with you today, as the discussion about two emails from two customers really struck a chord with me.
 
 
Jonathan examines why some punters make a long term profit, whilst others struggle. He suggests it boils down to an ability to follow instructions. Do you agree?
 
....if you had to cross shark infested water, it would make sense to follow someone one who has already done it successfully wouldn’t it?
 
What I think the piece demonstrates above all, is that we all have different betting personalities.
 
Don't forget, my blog at SkyBlueKangaroo.com is dedicated to helping you make your betting pay. Hop on over to read about horse racing systems that work and to browse the growing collection of betting articles and tutorials.
 

Friday, 23 November 2012

Betting Profits Throughout The Winter All-Weather Season

Speed ratings have proven to be one of my most potent strategies for highlighting winners, and I've found they work best right now, during the winter season. Furthermore, I've found I can achieve better profits when I focus solely on racing at the all-weather tracks, largely because of the consistency afforded by standard Going conditions.
 
Lee Greenhill over at Horse Spy has written a superb piece on the use of speed figures with all-weather racing.
 
 
Lee has taken the time to differentiate turf form ffrom all-weather form, and I can persoanlly vouch for the value of doing this.
 
 
The post discusses in detail how to calculate speed figures, and also takes a look at how weight affects your ratings.
 
Once I’ve determined that a horse’s performance can be classed as underestimated or overestimated against the same class of animal, I have a slight edge on the market with my opinion of how future races will pan out.
 
Be sure to check out an article on speed ratings at my blog ... arguably the only betting system that really matters
 
Don't forget, my blog at SkyBlueKangaroo.com is dedicated to helping you make your betting pay. Hop on over to read about the horse racing systems that work and to browse the library of betting articles and tutorials.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, 15 August 2012

10 Tips For Professional Punting

If you're a punter who aspires to move beyond placing casual bets to become a part-time or even full-time professional, then you'll need to read today's article.
 
It's been posted by Stephen over at BettingExpert and gives you 10 tips to make your betting pay.
 
 
If you're halfway serious about moving your betting activities to the next level, these 10 tips will be invaluable.
 
 
The theory with betting is often far easier to write about than it is to execute in practice. But ...
 
At some point in time all people who bet have to ask themselves the question: Is this merely an expensive hobby for "fun" or something I can make enough money from to live off?
 
Don't forget, my blog SkyBlueKangaroo is dedicated to helping you make your betting pay and I hope you'll also find some valuable advice there too, to help you improve your betting success.
 
 

Wednesday, 8 August 2012

5 Tips For Dealing With Bookies Restrictions

We shouldn't gloss over the issue of bookmakers restricting the accounts of winning punters. It's easy to say the problem doesn't exist, but it does.
 
I found this article posted recently by Paul Ruffy at Betting Profits Bulletin which gives some valuable advice on avoiding account closures and restrictions.
 
 
Paul starts his article by explaining a little about his own betting advisory service. But forgive the self-promotion (by the way, Paul's service has received many a positive comment by the Secret Betting Club), and read on and you'll soon get to the advice in question.
 
 
Even for the punter that is just starting out and betting in the £5 to £25 range its important to take steps to safeguard accounts the best you can, from an early stage.
 
But how many tips services can actually say that the main reason people stop subscribing is because bookmakers no longer want their subscribers business?
 
Have you had your accounts restricted in the past, or closed completely?
 
 
 
 

Monday, 6 August 2012

Essential Guide To All-Weather Racing

Jonathan Burgess explains the differences between the four all-weather tracks here in the UK.
 
 
The most apparent difference is in the two surfaces, Polytrack and Fibresand.
 
 
Jonathan also examines the course layouts and how this can affect the horse's performance, as well as draw bias.
 
On the all-weather courses, it is very important that horses are able to hold their position. It’s much harder to win from off the pace.
 
If you haven't heard about my book Patterns In The Sand it's a guide to speed ratings on all-weather tracks in the UK.
 

Thursday, 2 August 2012

Betting System: The Outsider of Three

"Always back the outsider in a three horse race."
 
How many times have you heard that old maxim?
 
Well, is it good advice?
 
Gavin Priestley at Nag-Nag-Nag has looked into this simple betting system to see if we can profit from three-runner races.
 
 
 
Since 2003 there have been 597 three runner races in Great Britain.
 
So let’s try and break down these 598 race winners to see if we can spot any patterns or trends and more importantly, see if the outsider of three is indeed worth backing.
 
For more betting systems check out the betting system reviews section at SkyBlueKangaroo

Tuesday, 31 July 2012

Betting strategy: How genius from the past can help us to profit from betting in the future

Unless you're still using the tried and trusted 'stick-a-pin-in-the-racecard' strategy, most likely you rely upon past information (form) to help you decide your bets.
 
I've found this in depth article at the Betfair site by TimeForm's Head of R&D Simon Rowlands which looks at Bayes Theorem.
 
 
 
It's a complex and involved article which probes betting theory, and the significance of recent form versus older form.
 
If Turing were around in this day and age, he might just point out that he or she who best understands and applies the principles of Bayesian inference- whether knowingly or otherwise- is well placed to rule the betting world.
 
What's the most complicated handicapping strategy you've come across? Did it help you win more?
 

Monday, 30 July 2012

What Everyone Ought To Know About Losing Runs

I was extremely excited recently to be invited by Calum Madell to guest post at TheYoungRaceGoer
 
The article I posted has caused quite a stir already...
 
 
 
Do you find your fortunes swinging from good to bad, and back again, on a regular basis? Or do you find it relatively easy to cope with the entirely random nature of the profit curve? Share your experiences below.

Tuesday, 24 July 2012

Willie Amos Yard Visit – Imperial Racing Club Day Out

If you've ever considered racehorse ownership then hopefully today's post will give you something of an insight.
 
It's a piece by Ben Aitken who runs the magnificent Narrow The Field website. He was invited along to trainer Willie Amos's yard by the guys behind the Imperial Racing Club.
 
 
 
Ben took the opportunity to ask the guys at Imperial Racing some questions about racehorse ownership through their club.Very interesting reading.

Friday, 20 July 2012

I followed that horse off a cliff

Following a somewhat controversial article I posted recently at the SkyBlueKangaroo Blog the following question raised itself - Can the odds on a given event change, as a consequence of previous results?
 
So I went off to do some research and I found an article over at HighClassEquine which examines the topic...
 
 
 
A study has shown that immediately after placing a bet punters are often more confident of their horse winning, compared to just before the bet.
 
It's the same with people chasing losses. Consciously or unconsciously - mainly the latter - you have made a comittment to yourself to make money that day - most certainly not to lose!
 
How does your mood affect your betting?
 
 

Thursday, 19 July 2012

7-4 to Lay, 9-4 to Play : The importance of pricing up

When should we sit up and pay attention to a price movement, and when should we resist the urge to follow the crowd?
 
Stephen over at BettingExpert explains why it's important to have a personal view on the prices available in the betting market.
 
 
The herd mentality has become prevalent, particularly in spread betting.
 
 
With the domination of Betfair over prices, the over-betting of favourites is becoming more and more common, especially when traders anticipate price movements in the downward direction.
There have been thousands of superb judges of form who have failed to successfully bet for a living and the main reason is a failing to translate these opinions into accurate prices.
 
I've written a guide to pricing up a race and spotting valuye, and it's yours to download free when you join my newsletter
 
 
 

Tuesday, 17 July 2012

What Everyone Ought To Know About Losing Runs

We all anticipate the thrill of backing a winning horse. But there's the flipside - those losing runs. How should we manage them?
 
I've just posted an article at EzineArticles which describes three strategies you can use to minimise the emotional effect of losing periods.
 
 
EzineArticles - Expert Authors Sharing Their Best Original Articles
 
If you enjoyed that piece, and I hope you did, I also wrote more on the topic of losing runs a while back on SkyBlueKangaroo:
 
 
Can you share any tips on how you take losing runs in your stride? Leave a comment below.
 
 

Monday, 16 July 2012

How To Get The Most From Your Strike Rate In Horse Racing

Which is better? A strike rate of 60%, or a strike rate of 30%?
 
Think about it ... before you answer.
 
Of course, "It depends..."
 
Lee Greenhill who writes at HorseSpy has penned an article which delves deeper into the 'strike rate' statistic to see how we can make the most use of it.
 
 
It's a controversial article, and Lee starts off by saying he actually despises the term 'strike rate' when used in betting.
 
Horse Racing Strike Rate for an edge
 
Strike rates can be used to measure your success in betting, but they are also often manipulated by tipsters to promote their services.
 
I would hazard a guess that not many gamblers keep stats this detailed. Professionals will certainly keep stats like this because it shows which races are profitable to them – and these are the races to really take advantage of.
 
Keeping records should form an important part of your daily betting regime, as outlined in the series of nine betting lessons featured at SkyBlueKangaroo.
 

Friday, 13 July 2012

Each-Way a Pleasure? The vital edge that punters have over the layers

Each way betting is often misunderstood and used the wrong way by punters, or simply seen as a lack of confidence in selections actually winning. However, when applied sensibly and logically, betting each-way can be a massive weapon with which to beat the bookmakers regularly and make steady profits.
 
Stephen is the Racing Editor over at BettingExpert and he's just posted this helpful article on each-way betting:
 
 
Many pro punters have reported their biggest wins have come with each-way multiples. They've been banking on landing the place accumulator, only to see each horse actually win.
 
The key with each way betting is to play in uncompetitive races where very few runners can be given a realistic chance of reaching the frame.
 
Do you play the each-way and place markets regularly? What's been your biggest success?
 
 

Wednesday, 11 July 2012

Understanding Horse Racing Classes

I got an email from a new HorseRacingTrends member the other day, asking about the different grades and classes of racing in the UK. HorseRacingTrends focuses on the top end of the scale, the Group races on the Flat and the Graded National Hunt races during the jumps season.
 
So I thought it would be a good idea to look for an article that explains the various race classes ... I found one, and here it is - it's by Michael Wilding over at Race Advisor.
 
 
GoodwoodMaestroWinningatGoodwood
 
There are 7 classes in all, but some of these are sub-divided further.
 
 

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

Preparation: The Key to Being Successful at Horse Racing

New at SkyBlueKangaroo this week is a brilliant guest article from Lee Greenhill who writes at Horse Spy.
 
In this post Lee runs through the fundamentals of how he plans his daily racing analysis.
 
 
 

Monday, 9 July 2012

Which Horses Offer the Best Value Based on the Morning Line

It's not ground-breaking news when I tell you there's often value to be found in early prices -- Morning Line prices. But you may want to know where to find these elusive value bets when you log in to Betfair in the morning.
 
Bill Peterson has penned an interesting article which discusses a process to uncover horses under-estimated by the betting market, and so hopefully secure some value bets.
 
 
 
Bill also discusses the 'sweet spot' in the betting market, where the value can often be found.
 
The reason is that the public bets the favorites and they are less sophisticated gamblers and also do not accurately judge a horse's merits as well as more experienced handicappers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7060505
 
There's more articles on the topic of value betting at my blog:
 
 
 
 
 

Friday, 6 July 2012

We Buy Beting Systems Because We Are Lazy

Yesterday I received some exciting news! Lee Greenhill over at Horse Spy dropped me an email to let me know he'd published an article of mine on his web site.
 
It's all about why we buy betting systems, and which one's in particular we should look out for.
 
 
Mr Lazy
 
Thanks Lee, and I hope your readers enjoy the article.

Thursday, 5 July 2012

FINAL REVIEW: DreamLays

Writing on the Cashmaster betting systems review blog, Michael has posted his final review of the DreamLays subscription service.
 
 
DreamLays is a subscription service advising horses to lay to lose their race, and at prices less than 2/1
 
During the review period results were recorded to BSP, so they would be not only consistent with, but identical to DreamLays and Racing Index.
 
Under four points profit over two months is not brilliant, but it has to be taken in context and many services appear to be struggling at the moment.
 
Click here for more betting systems reviews
 
 

Wednesday, 4 July 2012

Finding Good Horse Racing Bets With Simple Math and Practice

Is there a magical mathematical equation that contains the key to making profits from betting on horseracing?
 
Bill Peterson at the Gambling Willie blog suggests that maybe there is.
 
 
Mathematician Betting
 
Bill says, "It isn't that difficult to figure out if a horse is a good bet and that's the key to making a profit."
 
That simple equation, probability compared to the odds, is how you know if a horse is a good bet.
 
For another detailed look at what it takes to gain an edge over the betting market, read this article on value betting at my blog SkyBlueKangaroo:
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, 3 July 2012

Horses to note from Royal Ascot...

As the dust settles on the Royal Ascot meeting (granted, there's not a whole lot of dust anywhere at the moment, given the amount of rain that's falling), Gavin Priestley from Nag3 has whipped out his notebook of horses to follow...
 
 
A big field takes the bend in the Ascot Stakes on a glorious day one
 
Any horses you would add to Gavin's list?

Monday, 2 July 2012

The Penalty Kick Betting System

The Euro2012 football championships concluded yesterday, with a win for the Spanish team. So to continue the football theme...
 
To what degree does giving a horse a penalty weight to carry effect its performance? Today's post attempts to answer that question, and gives you a couple of betting systems which take advantage of horses carrying a penalty.
 
It's a guest post by Dave Renham of Punter Profits, and it can be found ovr at GeeGeez.
 
 
 
Dave suggests there are many profitable opportunities to follow penalty carriers.
 
...although they are forced to the carry extra weight of the penalty, trainers often try to take advantage of the horse being in form before being reassessed by the handicapper.
 
I've also written a piece about the effect of weight on a horse's performance.
 
Do you factor in any additional weight to be carried by a horse, when you're assessing its chances in a race?
 

Friday, 29 June 2012

What Is Value?

We're constantly told to "look for the value" in our betting if we want to make a profit. But what is value?
 
Michael Wilding from Race Advisor has written a series of articles which attempts to answer that very question.
 
 
Michael determines 'value' as:
 
The moment when the general betting public incorrectly assess the probability of a horse winning the race.
 
Back at my SkyBlueKangaroo blog I discuss value betting on a regular basis. How much attention do you pay to getting value into your bets? Is it important to you? Or do you simply focus on finding the winner? After all, its generally the winner that pays out.

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

Best Odds Guaranteed – How much money is it worth?

Best Odds Guaranteed. It sounds good but what does it really mean for us punters? And what will Best Odds Guaranteed do for you in practice?
 
Paul Ruffy from the excellent Betting Profits Bulltin blog answers these questions in an article he posted recently:
 
 
 
The idea is that you can take a price with a bookmaker and not have to worry if the price shortens or lengthens, as you'll always be granted the better odds.
 
... you can take price without having to think if its likely to be a drifter or a steamer, since if it drifts to a bigger Starting Price, you’ll get paid that bigger price.
 
To achieve long term profits from betting, you need to be securing the best odds you can, and Best Odds Guaranteed is certainly one way to help you achieve this.
 
For more advice on value betting, you'll learn more here:
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, 26 June 2012

Betting Theory: Calculated Bets

Have you ever dreamed of owning a piece of software that could accurately predict the outcome of any horse race? Do you think it possible someone could program your computer to scan the day's race cards and advise you which bets to place? (I had that very same dream back in 1995 and this is the embarrassing story about it.)
 
Over at Slipperyttoad you might want to watch the video they've posted. The video is by Steven Skiena the author of “Calculated Bets” (Computers, Gambling, and Mathematical Modeling to Win) in which he outlines his approach to create a mathematical model that was used to earn substantial profits betting on the game of Jai Alai.
 
 
The Toad says he's found a number of useful techniques buried deep in the book that are applicable to mathematical modelling and betting on horse racing.
 
 
 

Friday, 22 June 2012

Second string, but not second best!

Yesterday we saw a jubilant Frankie Dettori aboard Colour Vision nose past his fellow Godolphin jockey Mickael Barzalona to win the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. Watching Frankie's reaction immediately after the finish, you could sense a number of demons were sent packing off down Ascot High Street. Now there's been a certain amount of conjecture about the status of Frankie in the Godolphin camp - is he the #1 jockey?
 
On that topic, Tony Keenan has posted a great article over at GeeGeez.
 
 
Frankie Dettori, still number one?
 
 
In the article Tony examines the typical market reaction to the choice of the stable jockey, when faced with options for a particular race.
 
Punters who neglect a second string just because the stable jockey has chosen the horse are ascribing sage-like qualities to racing professionals that time and again have been shown to be unmerited.
 
Here's the link to another Frankie article I posted a few weeks back:
 
 
 

Thursday, 21 June 2012

Frankel: Queen Anne winner is Timeform's highest-rated horse in history on 147

As Frankel claims the accolade of 'best Flat horse ever', here's an insight into the race ratings organisation Timeform. They have awarded his performance on Tuesday in the Queen Anne Stakes a mark of 147. What does that mean exactly...?
 
 
 
Timeform was founded in 1948 by Phil Bull with the goal of defining dispassionately the performances of horses.
 
Frankel's stunning Queen Anne Stakes win is emphatically one in which the heart and head can provide the same answer: "Yes. Oh, yes indeed!"
 
Which ratings service do you rely upon, or do you create your own ratings?
 
 
 

Wednesday, 20 June 2012

Four Legs Eleven

Sir Henry Cecil's amazing Frankel has been given a provisional Timeform rating of 147 following his routing of a top class field in yesterday's Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. This mark puts him at the top of the All Time Flat list.
 
Frankel 147
Sea Bird 145
Brigadier Gerard, Tudor Minstrel 144
Abernant, Ribot, Windy City 142
Mill Reef 141
Dancing Brave, Dubai Millennium, Sea The Stars, Shergar, Vaguely Noble 140
 
Frankel romps away (Reuters)
 
His victory by 11 lengths also took the wonder horse to 11 successive wins. The Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, and the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood look to be his next targets, and it would be a brave man who bets against him finishing the year still unbeaten.
 
Timeform's Flat editor, David Johnson, said:
 
To give some perspective on just how phenomenal this effort was, in provisionally rating Frankel 147, we still have Excelebration, the runner-up, running more than a stone below his previous best [133]. A point worth emphasising is the consistency with which Frankel has produced such performances. This is the fifth time that he has produced a 140+ rating.
 
For more horse racing and betting articles visit my blog at SkyBlueKangaroo.com
 

Tuesday, 19 June 2012

Royal Ascot 2012 style guide

Today is the first day of this year's Royal Ascot meeting. Are you going? If so, you may want to watch this video released by the Telegraph's fashion department:
 
 
Kneesy does it: Ascot ladies must wear dresses of 'modest length' in the Royal Enclosure as shown by a model in the style guide (below)
 
Tell us if you're planning a day at Royal Ascot this year? Any tips?

Friday, 15 June 2012

How To Narrow the Field For Big Races

There's nothing quite like picking the winner from a big field handicap like the Royal Hunt Cup or the Wokingham. You will usually be rewarded with a fat double-figure price, and it'll be steak and champagne for dinner!
 
But where on earth do you start when it comes to solving the puzzle of a big field of runners? Michael Wilding at Race Advisor posted a really useful article recently, which goes some way to pointing us all in the right direction.
 
 
 
I like to use several techniques when it comes to the big races, and my favourite is using trends analysis. Michael uses several factors, including the betting market, acting on the going, and figures showing running to form.
 
Once you have used this technique on a few races, you will find that it takes just a few minutes to narrow down a big field to 7 or less potential runners.
 
How do you go about making a shortlist of runners? Share your thoughts below. 

Thursday, 14 June 2012

The Punting Confessional: it’s good to talk!

How often do you discuss your thoughts on the day's racing with other people?
 
Betting is often a lonely pursuit, and gamblers are frequently seen by society at large as sorry addicts with nothing else to occupy their lives.
 
Tony Keenan has written an in-depth piece over at GeeGeez which discusses the importance of communication as part of your daily betting regime.
 
 
Telephone
The idea of working with fellow punters may at first be quiet daunting, but the benefits can be a far more polished (and hopefully profitable) approach, with the combination of different skill-sets.
 
When working with another punter, it is probably a good idea to deal with someone who has a somewhat different skill set; you probably don’t want to be polar opposites or you’ll never agree on anything but it is a good idea to have alternative views on things.
 
Here's the link to the full article:
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, 13 June 2012

REVIEW: Full Time Betting Income

Graham Laurie over at the grand-daddy of all betting system review blogs Cashmaster has recently posted his review of Full Time Betting Income.
 
 
Graham's been following this plan since around this time last year, so it's a very comprehensive overview.
 
What Full Time Betting Income does is treat betting like a long term business whereby you do not expect to make any profit for a few years.
 
See what Graham ultimately thinks of Full Time Betting Income, and whether he recommends it worth the investment of your cash.
 

Tuesday, 12 June 2012

Successful Punters Understand the Dynamics of the Betting Market

This is a really insightful piece by Jonathan Burgess who writes a guest post at the blog this week.
 
In this article Jonathan explains how three key statistics can effect the betting market.
 
 
scalping
 
Jonathan says it's wise to focus on three primary evolving statistics - namely horse odds, trainer statistics, and favourite statistics.
 
If you wish to become a successful punter it’s important that you fully understand the basic dynamics of how the betting market evolves.
 
Here's that link again to read the full article:
 
 
 

Monday, 11 June 2012

Odds 'n' sods

To help fill the gap between the Derby meeting and Royal Ascot, here's a controversial little piece from PG's Tips about the apparent lack of Flat jockey talent.
 
 
Willie Carson | I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here 2011 | Pictures | Photos | New | Celebrity News
 
Read what ex-jockey, BBC racing pundit, and I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here contestant Willie Carson has been saying...
 
There are hardly any world class jockeys riding in Britian today
 
Have your say: Do you agree with WC? Which jockeys do you think deserve more credit than they currently receive?
 
 

Friday, 1 June 2012

All about the jockey – Paul Hannagan

A superb write up on jockey Paul Hanagan by guest contributor at Racing Advisor The Jag.
 
 
Picture
 

Thursday, 31 May 2012

Successful Betting Series: A Correct Mindset

Having a bet can make an event more exciting and worth watching. Which is fine if you're betting for entertainment value. However, if your objective is to make your betting pay, then you need to understand the importance of mental and emotional management.
 
Paul Ruffy over at Betting Profits Bulletin has just posted a really valuable article on the mindset of betting.
 
 
 
I'm a firm believer that once you've gotten betting psychology nailed down, then you're already halfway towards making a profit from betting.
 
The other tactic I use when perhaps I’m on a series of losers or barren spell is to take a look at the overall picture. That’s why I always create a graph of the running profit/loss for all the parts of my portfolio plus anything I’m paper trading. It gives a visual guide as to how important the actual upturn/downturn is and how relevant it is.
 
 
 

Wednesday, 30 May 2012

Patterns In The Sand: a guide to speed ratings for all weather horse racing

I'd like to share with you my new book Patterns In The Sand: a guide to speed ratings for all weather horse racing.
 
 
Patterns In The Sand
 
My aim when compiling the book was not only to teach how to compile your own speed figures, but also to show you how you can take those figures and apply them profitably in your betting.
 
I want to show you how to read those “patterns in the sand”.
 
 
 

Tuesday, 29 May 2012

FINAL REVIEW: Value At The Races

Lucian at Lay The Odds has just posted a summary of his findings for the Value At The Races service. It's not good news.
 
 
Value at the Races
 
Value At The Races is a tipping service for horse racing, coming from the Winning Information Network.
 
Read about some of my favourite betting systems at SkyBlueKangaroo.
 
 
 
 

Is Dettori past it?

With no rides this year in either the Derby or the Oaks, and taking until late May this year to reach ten winners, one could be forgiven for asking - have we seen the best of Frankie Dettori?
 
Ian writes at Geegeez this week, asking those very questions in a great piece.
 
 
 
Dettori's agent Ray Cochrane says it isn't for want of trying:
 
Rides in the Derby are very thin on the ground and we’re scratching our heads a bit.
 
Here's the link to the article again...
 
 
 

Monday, 28 May 2012

Top Ten Horse Racing Websites

When it comes to your horse racing and betting education SkyBlueKangaroo is all about pointing you in the right direction. So here's a selection of the best horse racing web sites according to Michael Wilding of Race Advisor
 
 
 
Michael admits this list was compiled some while ago, so perhaps need updating or augmenting. Let's help him out. If you were putting together your own Top 10 list, which other sites would you include?
 
 
 

Friday, 25 May 2012

The Wondrous Beauty of Compounding

Quite a few emails recently, asking for advice on staking plans. So here's an interesting piece from Kieran Ward who edits the brilliant Make Your Betting Pay blog, and it's all about 'compounding':
 
 
 
For more betting articles on money management why not slide on over to SkyBlueKangaroo?
 

Thursday, 24 May 2012

Interview with professional punter Marcel Mavronicholas

Pretty much all of us have at some point entertained the idea of earning our living by betting. This week Stephen over at Betting Expert talks with someone who does just that... Marcel Mavronicholas.
 
 
Cheltenhams-betting-ring-001
 
Marcel reveals the bet which gave him his biggest ever win, and also has a pop at bookmakers.
 
All I am saying is don't give the concession and advertise it unless you will do what you say.
 
What's stopping you being a pro-punter? What is your biggest challenge when it comes to making your betting pay? Share your comments below.
 
 

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

[Video] Laying Short Priced Favourites

Laying short priced favourites can be an exciting and lucrative betting strategy. Accredited Betfair trainer Jonathan Burgess has posted one of the excellent Betfair introductory videos over at his False Favourites blog.
 
 

False Favourites

For more information on betting against horses I've also penned an 'introduction' at SkyBlueKangaroo:

Winning betting strategies: Laying Horses To Lose

 

Tuesday, 22 May 2012

How to develop an intuitive sense for value

Trying to explain the concept of value betting to a betting newcomer is often an exercise in futility. Your newbie betting friend will only accept a bet is a good one if the horse actually wins, and he collects cash from the bookmaker.
 
Andrew at Betting Expert has posted a comprehensive article on how to develop your own 'sixth sense' when it comes to spotting value.
 
 
Sole Power wins Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes York 20.08.2010
 
In his article Andrew gives a 6-step plan for developing an eye for value.
 
You don't need to be a maths wiz to be successful betting value long-term. But you do need to understand probability. After all, this is the business. Betting odds represent the probability of a particular outcome and I see far too often people betting in point-blank black and white terms.
 
For more articles on value betting visit my horse racing and betting systems blog at SkyBlueKangaroo.com
 

Monday, 21 May 2012

Horse Betting Systems and the Acres of Diamonds Story

A comment left by a reader called Carl on one of my recent posts at SkyBlueKangaroo reminded me of an article I wrote a couple of years ago and posted on EzineArticles.
 
 

Acres of Diamonds

 

If you're not familiar with the Acres Of Diamonds story, it's about missed opportunities right on your very own doorstep.

It is only natural to want to be making money from your betting. But the area where many punters struggle, is with discipline and self-control. Most punters are too greedy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3314260

 

Friday, 18 May 2012

How to improve your profits by 135% when using horseracing tipsters

There's not many of us who haven't considered using tipsters to help us make a profit from betting. I know I certainly have. In fact, as an indirect result of following one particular tipster service, betting on horse racing became an integral part of my life. But that's another story.
 
Michael Wilding at Race Advisor has written an insightful article which attempts to answer the question "Will tips work for you?"
 
 
TIPTEXT
 
A lot of us want to make money from betting on horse racing but we don't have the time to invest in adequate form study, and so on. So tipsters would seem a viable solution. But to which tipsters should we pledge allegiance, and how do we know which one's are likely to give us a clear return on our investment?
 
It is not uncommon to only consider how much profit a tipster has been making recently, and how much money you can make. But, if you take a little bit longer then not only will you determine whether the tipster is correct for you, but also you will be on the track to make long-term profits from them!
 
What's your opinion on tipsters? Share your experiences, good and bad, by leaving a comment below.