Here comes the weekend... But why do Saturday's traditionally offer such poor value for the punter? A few years ago I spawned a paranoid thought that it was set up this way as - no doubt - most of the betting on the horses goes on at the weekend. In any event both the Fancy Fillies (www.betfayre.co.uk) and - my own - Philosoper's stone system have thrown up two low-risk trades for this afternoon, one to lay and one to back. I like the automated nature of all of this.

Do you "bot"? There are a number of trading bots on the market at the moment (including of course our original Bismarx bot) and, if you do, do you find the bot helps your betting or hinders it? There's a lot a bot can do, but only if you tell it to. Come to that, how many traders/scalpers are there out there? My own view is that you need a pretty heftly bank to scap often miniscule margins off Betfair, but I know at least a handful of people who do this for a living.

When the racing stops, where do other fruitful betting opportunities lie?

I'll be looking at a number of products this weekend which have been developed to exploit opportunities in the new medium of Betfair games and "virtual" sports betting. One of these (following virtual soccer) looks particularly interesting and I will report back as soon as I've had a chance to test it out thoroughly.

On the other hand, most of the casino scalping system's I've looked at are none too clever. The idea of playing thousands of rounds of mind-numbingly tedious BlackJack or Roulette just to scoop some free casino chips does not personally appeal at all. And, knowing the random nature at least of the latter, I also suspect many of these systems could wipe you out as quickly as they could make any money. If I'm wrong, perhaps someone will let me know?

Conversely, playing sit-and-go tournaments on poker sites can yield profitable results. You don't need to be a wizard at odds either, since plenty of programs such as Texas Calculatem will do all the hard work for you. Programs such as this aren't joing to turn you into the next WSOP superstar but they can be very lucrative in low-limit S&G's. I seem to cash at least two thirds of the time, and I'm no poker expert believe me. Let me know if you use any poker programs and how you get on with them.

Well, I returned from sunny (really - it was for two whole days) Wales to face a monsoon on the M5, got shipwrecked overnight at Stratford - and then when I did make it home found that Google had decided this blog was "spam" and had temporarily disabled it. Ho hum, these things are sent to try us....

Everything's sorted out now so I'm back in the saddle again. Whilst I was away I still managed to follow both the Fabulous Fillies (www.betfayre.co.uk) and The Philosopher's Stone. Both behaved very well, proving that there is such a thing as a system you can use when away from the PC and don't have loads of time to make your selections. We had a little blip on the FF front with two horses doing the opposite of what they should have done, but this eventuality is all covered in the plan and in fact did little to raise the blood pressure.

Being a Thursday you'll find todays Bismarx selections over with Malcolm at HorseRacingSystemsUK.com. We have five today, and, as ever, expect an early result.

Fancy Fillies hit a loser yesterday in the shape of ARTLESS at the 15.00 at Ayr, but this is only to be expected. My slight concern is that today's selection is in a four-horse race, in which the market would indicate there are really only two contenders. This is the classic "coin flip" scenario which I tend to generally avoid. However, I'll keep to the instructions and we'll just see what happens this afternoon.....

The PHILOSOPHERS STONE selection profited again yesterday when ADOPTED HERO cashed at Newton Abbott. Looking at the win/lose ratio since 9th July we've got WWLWLWLWW so no nasty losing runs there, and allied with the prudent staking plan I'm using this is proving to be very profitable indeed....

No more from me on the blog until next weekend as I'm off for a break in darkest Wales. Always important to get a little time out when possible and I'm looking forward to a decent pint by an inglenook fireplace looking out over rolling hills and wheeling Red Kite's.... yes,very nice indeed.

Since last I posted with details of Nova's new racing system every one of their selections has profited. Yesterday BAFFLED at Ascot brought the money in, and today at the 14.00 at Warwick SOLIYA cashed in. Very impressive indeed. Think I'll be using this one on a regular basis. Again, those details are at:

www.betfayre.co.uk

I've had a good few bets since last Thursday, both back and lay. Watch out for something pretty exciting I'm working on right now, provisionally called THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE. It's a backing system (Jim) but not as we know it..... For an early clue as to what this is all about TICKATEAL was the moneymaker at the 1440 at Perth this afternoon, on Friday it was DECLARATION OF WAR at the 1400 at Newmarket who gave cause for celebration. Any guesses as to what links these horses or bet type? More of this as I continue to plough through stats and really put this one through its paces.....

Just goes to show. The market looked queasy and the Betfair charts were going the wrong way, so all my form analysis of MONT ETOILE in the morning came to nowt. The lesson is never get wedded to a selection, no matter how strong he (or she) may appear at forecast prices....

And speaking of females (was I? just looking for a link, really). Are they as predictable as the male of the species? (oh dear, what can of worms have I opened now......).

"This is it! This is definitely the crock of gold at the end of the rainbow. It is the system I have been looking for all my life!

What an amazing piece of trend research which has produced the most consistent and constant system I have ever tested.

I fully endorse this system as the most consistent and worry-free system ever.

Discover the secret by reading the book, put your stake on in the morning and leave it. No worries, no stress, it wins consistently and steadily.

Best way I have discovered to make a good living from so little time."

(S.Edwards, Lancaster.)

The above testmonial refers to the sytem I've been checking out for the last few weeks from Nova publications, and I can report it performs like a corker.

I made a decent profit in a couple of weeks, you might do too. Check it out at:

www.betfayre.co.uk

(yes that's with a "y", "this product is not licensed by nor endorsed by", yadda yadda......)

Btw I haven't been posting to Malcolm at HorseRacingSystems for a few weeks due to technical hitches. But now, I've not just broadband, but wireless bb no less! Is there no end to the marvels of new technology?...... (rhetorical question)........

A possible punt at Newmarket

I've been looking through the cards today to see if there's anything I fancy (other than the usual Bismarx that is, of which there are a comfortable five today. I'll let the bot take care of those).
One race or another invariably stands out for various reasons, very often subliminal. The race I'm looking at today is the 3.45 at Newmarket, which is a Group 2 contest for fillies and mares running over 1m 4f. Ladies can be unpredictable and there's not a lot of market support this morning for the f/cast fave MONT ETOILE although ten tipsters go with her. She run a good race last time out in Class 1 company and 1 mile seemed too short for her to get into her stride. The going was GF last time out, wheras Newmarket is currently Good, which means a tad more yielding. So this is by no means a foregone conclusion and I'll wait to look at the market before the off. If encouraging a place on Betfair offers an 80% ROI - not bad value considering. Let's see what happens....

Soapbox moment.....

Well, I had an email from someone today claiming no racing systems ever work as he's tried them all and they're all cr*p. Certainly something of a generalisation, I'm sure you'll agree, but it make me put my thinking cap on. I review a plethora of systems every week and I know some really are "the business" and some, frankly, aren't worth the paper (electronic or otherwise) they're written on. So, why the negativity from this guy?

I'm reminded of a story I read by "positive thinking" guru Randy Gage. It was something to do with selling deck chairs on The Titanic. If you gave some folk a bar of gold they'd complain it was too heavy. Some people can't help themselves, even when they are given the tools to do so.

I'm convinced this is a mind issue, not a money issue. For goodness sakes, what if one of these systems actually started to work? What if I could break out of the rut (no excuses now) and work towards giving up a job I loathe, what would I do then? What would I tell the wife, the kids, the bank manager, my parents? What would happen if my comfort zone got busted?

If I sound harsh, I can afford too. Poor health and poor circumstances (I'm not blaming either) forced me to break out of my mould about five years ago. And, although it can be a rollercoaster sometimes, I know I wouldn't have it any other way....

I had two nice winners today, but would I be whinging on if they lost? Not really, because I see this as a sequence, part of a strategy, taking the rough with the smooth.... It's not for all, and its more about discipline and focus than adrenaline (despite the media hype).

Get this: no-one, not the bookies, not the government, not the guy selling you a system really cares if you win or lose. In this game, it's up to you. The tools are there and the opportunities vastly superior to those that were around in my uncle's day...

So, rather than bash a bookie (or a system publisher) ask yourself if you can make it work.

Only you can know the answer to that question.

Here comes the weekend, not that that makes much difference to me. Saturday promises to be the usual cavalcade of betting and computer repair work. You'd have thought Broadband would have made my life easier, but it's taken so much fiddling about with I have even less hair now than I did to start off with....

No matter. I told you about a new system developed by my pals at Nova Publications, Dennis and Hazel. He's a maths genius (like me - only kidding) and she rides horses for a living, so they make an ideal team. During the last week this system performed spectacularly. Too early to say we've found the philosophers stone but it does look very exciting indeed. Watch out for more on this one soon....

Speaking of systems I've sold the rights to our "10 minute system" which you can now find for sale on Ebay. Not sure what they're calling it but, hint, do a search for "betfair basher" or similar and you'll find it on there for a (current) pathetic 49p!!

Time for me to have a look at the afternoons windswept (and sodden) race cards....

More from yours truly later.....

Wednesday 4th July

Just a quickie today....

Is there any truth in the adage that a racing system that can't profit to level stakes won't work at all? I'm personally doubtful about this, but of course, in this business, everything depends on your tolerance of risk and your desire for reward. Some staking plans are plainly suicidal. Others involve a degree of risk but clearly do work in the long term. So, my question is when does a staking plan become nothing more than "chasing losers"? I think the answer to this question contains the true secret of gambling (investing?) success. More on these musings at a later date...

Btw, I haven't been posting so many of my days selections as I've been hard at work on the new "Private Box" service which is getting ready to launch. More info on this too, soon.....

Monday 2nd July

No, I haven't died and gone to horsey heaven (yet). Well, I said it might be an "occasional" blog and for good reason. Not having a phone line for a week has given me a mountain of work to catch up on and hasn't exactly swelled the coffers either. Sleeves now rolled up it's time to get stuck in once again (point of fact not only is the phone line on, so is Broadband. At last! I don't know how I ever managed without it before....)

I know I've been banging on about EVO but there really are just 14 more days to get into this groundfloor opp, so it's well worth signing up at www.theprospector.com if you haven't already.

I'm looking at an intriguing new racing system this week which looks very promising, and I'll tell you more about it here soon (very easy to implement and the results in testing look nothing short of spectacular)....

Meanwhile I'm still backing (and dutching) horses galore using John Duncan's Cherry Picker system (www.betdaw.co.uk) to profitable effect. It's nice to know there a few really solid products doing the rounds which really do live up to the hype after all. More soon......

Somebody throw me a line

Help! No phone line for 3 days and, according to BT, it won't be fixed until Friday! Don't suppose all this heavy rain has helped things. More as soon as I can join the connected world again.....

Laybetting.info for sale

I nearly fell of me chair when Leapfish.com told me the domain bismarx.dot is worth $19000 (not that I'm selling). It's suprising how valuable good sports domin names can be. I am, however, looking to shift 2bets4.uk.co.uk and laybetting.info - both very tasty domains with good traffic potential, so if anyone is interested just drop me a line at admin@bismarx.co.uk.

Saturday 23rd June

Well, I'm back from the bright lights of a (quite) big city and somewhat refreshed, though still suffering the odd twinges from my mystery ("pantalons brun"?) virus. I decided not to trade today. In my experience the start of Royal Ascot plays havoc with the racing results. Not entirely sure why, but I tend to leave well alone just the same during the start of the festival.
Instead I took a gentle drive around some of the sleepy villages around our new abode. Very nice too, though I must say age must be creeping up on me when I find myself thinking of taking up bell-ringing or carpet bowls.... Too many years featuring too much adrenalin are fast catching up with me I fear.....
EVO continues to go ballistic. I can't believe the website got an Alexa rating in just one week. I think this promises to be something really big, but of course we have to wait until July 15 to get all the inside info. Meanwhile, the details are freely available at www.theprospector.co.uk.
In a desperate attempt to find out if anyone is actually reading this blog I'm giving away a copy of the 10 Minute System to the first (non-obscene and vaguely constructive) post from someone who is not me! So, here's an opportunity for budding scribes to provide such (much needed) feedback on the BizzoBlog.....

Wednesday 20th June

Not much trading today I'm afraid as "cardboard city syndrome" got so bad I was off to the doc for a blood test. In an espisode straight out of "One Foot in the Grave" they pulled up the wrong medical records in which I was (a) twenty years older than I actually am and (b) had a nasty cyst of some kind which was, apparently, causing me all kinds of problems. Luckily they got it all sorted and I await the right results this Friday (btw did you know you could reduce your cholesterol by about 4 points by eating nothing but oily fish? I know 'cos I did it a few years ago. Strangely, I have not been as popular with the ladies since.....). OMG I'm starting to sound like Clive Keeling....
Instead, in an effort to take bed rest/generally dick about I've been trying out "virtual horseracing" on Digi Turf. I bought 4 newbie horses and one of them, LandsEnd, shows potential. If I can figure out the training system I may put him for a Maiden in a few days. If only you could lay "virtual" horses!
I've put some great systems on Ebay for 99p (must check my temperature again....), you may want to have a look at: www.stores.ebay.co.uk/thebankvault.
Probably won't be posting tomorrow as off to the bright lights of a big city, so I'll be back online on Friday (blood test willing). Oh, if you order anything meanwhile my customer service team (that's the wife) will still be on hand. The virtual world never sleeps.....

Tuesday 19th June

And more lost days... but this time I can't blame the Absinthe. I've been struck down with a mystery virus and I wonder if you can catch something off a shed load of cardboard boxes (since I'm still living in cardboard city?). Either that or could these be the first symptoms of the dreaded "brown trousers" (aka "bottle loss") syndrome which is known to affect the seasoned layer? In any event I will be back in the saddle today getting stuck into some juicy Bismarck's and - yes - maybe a back bet or two as well.
I've just heard that the EVO website got an Alexa rating after just two days of going live. Pretty impressive stuff. It looks like this one could be a biggie. So be sure to join me and register for free now (before July 15) at www.theprospector.co.uk. More later......

Saturday 16th June

I seem to have lost a day somewhere (just finished installing the mini bar and "experimenting" with some devilish Austrian Absinthe may have had something to do with it.... yes it's true what Wormwood does to the brains....). Not to worry. Yesterday the first Bismarck dult lost (Jackanoo 14.00 Market Rasen) so no fear of what Matt at Trainer Track Trends 2007 calls the dreaded "day of the pantalons brun". The MMM Fave was a n/r so it was up to a couple of straight back bits to help line the coffers (18.30 Chepstow, 17.15 Market Rasen). I'm starting to like Paddy Power's "insure bet" option whereby you get paid for 1st and money back on 2nd or 3rd. Works a treat on certain races.
MMM selection today Spring City (16.45 Sandown) failed to find first and I also had an insurance wager on oppo Black Rock who went on to win. Results are not yet posted for the other two bets today at Hexham and Sandown.
High drama this afternoon when the neighbour's cat went AWOL. The wife ("light of my life" (c) Jim Branning) was sent scurrying into the woods but luckily the traumatised moggy returned intact. More excitement and my palpitating heart may not survive much longer. This is what it is like living the life of a high roller.......

The Cherry Picker & Fixed Odds Trader

Quite a bit to get through today. It's no secret that Vince Stanzione has made millions spreadbetting stocks, shares and forex. In fact he's currently ranked Number 1 trader on the Bet on Markets website. So I was intrigued to see that he has launched his own fixed odds advisory service. Surely anyone following just a fraction of his own trades should do pretty well?
Never one to believe anything until I've seen the full proof I'm signing up for a months trial to see how the service does, and I'll let you know about it right here.

Next up, I've been asked about John Duncan's "Cherry Picker" new horseracing system (as in, "is it any cop?"). My early results with this are very good but I'll be following it closely before writing any more. Meanwhile, you can find out more about it at:

www.betdaw.co.uk

Evo is coming

Opportunities come and go, but timing is often the crucial factor.

You know I'm a big fan of the Virtual World Direct online business? Well, the chaps behind this compelling enterprise are launching something rather unique (and potentially very profitable). Will it be the best thing ever since sliced bread? Who knows.... But it's totally free to pre-register and the current website gets pulled down on 14 July. So time is ticking.

Seems to me there's nothing but an almighty upside to this one, especially as registration is free. So check it out when you get a minute.


>>> www.theprospector.co.uk <<<


Oh, and I might see you on July 15 :-)

Thursday 14th June

Another late post (so much to do do little time to do it in!). First Bismarck of the day was a clear Midas Maiden selection (www.MidasMaidens.com) so Sir George (2.20 Yarmouth) got the nod from yours truly not to win his contest and he came in second. A nice start. We got a resounding five out of six lays today all at odds under 2.7 (don't forget Matt at Trainer Track Stats 2007 is independently testing the Bank Vault Report right now, so you don't have to take my word for it!).
The apple that toppled the cart today was Treat at the 3.50 at Newbury. There was no way this horse wasn't going to place, but in the event he couldn't even find third. Just goes to show I get totally off-the-wall results some days. Some salvation was found in placing bothe Forest Silver (6.35 Fontwell) and Tavala (7.35 Fontwell) - and both did the business.
P.s. turns out Marlon Dingle is still in the land of the living, though a bit mangled. Now if only he can keep his gob shut long enough when the rozzer's start snooping he may just get away with it....then again........

Wednesday 13th June

I didn't get a chance to update Wednesday's entry yesterday so a few brief words this morning will have to suffice. Three Bismarck's out of four was a good result. The 16.10 Maiden at Nottingham looked to be a clear toss-up between Thinking Positive and Sign of the Cross, so there was clear value to be found in laying the former who did duly lose. The only other race of interest for me was the 19.30 at Leopardstown. Having only just learned (doh!) that some online bookies will give you a place price (i.e. pay out if the horse finishes 1st, 2nd or 3rd) I was happy to take a shot at the clear Favourite Modeeroch at meagre odds of 8/15. Some people won't back at these kinds of odds, but it doesn't bother me. In any event the bet paid out and that was me done for the day. P.s. will someone please tell me if Marlon Dingle snuffed it as a result of getting shot in a dodgy Yorkshire bookies shop (Emmerdale) as my Sky decoder's gone on the blink?