VALUBET SPORT & RACING ............

With the imminent demise of ISIRIS i have decided to trial VALUBET SPORT & RACING ( http://www.vsrcm.com/ ) to see if they can fill the void, yes i do think ISIRIS will return in March but the callbacks on the main accounts bets are just proving far too inconvenient and i need to work with user friendly services, and they dont come more userfriendly than VSR. I admit the bottom line and most important criteria with an advisory service is their profitability, and the 3 services tick this box, next for me would be convenience & ability to get on MH & OPT tick these boxes but with ISIRIS at times i can struggle on both of these, although now that i play to much reduced stakes i can get on, although i do have to be in a shop.
Back to VSR though, with this service you get a 11.30 text no need for calls, the text just gives you the selection, stake and best price available. It is too early for me to comment on the long term profitability of this service but the early advice coupled with the past results on the website look promising, the highlight so far has been the ante post advice on ZAYNAR @ 25/1 for the triumph hurdle, this was advised before the impressive winning debut run @ Newbury and he now stands @ 6.4/6.6 on the exchanges, so credit on that front to the VSR team.

With my established services of MARK HOLDER & OPTIMUM plus maybe VSR aswell combined with personal info received i fully expect to reack my £10k target............... even when you take into account my much reduced stakes, in many respects this £10k challenge is substancially more difficult than my previous £30k challenge, back in thoses days i was punting to £300/pt........... well not anymore, those days are like my 34 inch waist band ........ long gone !!!!

ISIRIS................

Probably the most exciting service that i subscribe to and the one that moves the market to the greatest extent, when you hear one of the bookies reps or the RP citing price movement due to a tipping service, 9/10 it can be attributed to ISIRIS. This does come at a cost though ............ whereby the previous 2 services advise their bets at a set time, the main account bets are given out 4/5 mins before the off and if you think you can ring up your friendly accomodating bookie for £200ew or even £100 ew............. think again !! Within a bet or 2 your account will be marked ISIRIS and restrictions will kick in such as win only, half a place or sp only !! The way to get on is via the shops but even this has its problems due to PTL limits and due to the nature of some of their bets. But taking all this into account i have been a longstanding customer of this service and some of the winning runs have been amazing, i concentrate on the main account bets rather than the stable inspired insider bets. The account bets are devised by the maverick tipster and colourful character that is Kevin Booth the majority of these bets would be in uncompetive races where the EW value is outstanding, bookmakers would have these races as "careful ew races, please refer all bets over £50ew" ............. he certainly knows his onions and is well connected.



The service went "underground" last year with no new members or RP adverts and we were told that 2008 would be his final year........... well he is taking a 2 month break from january for undisclosed reasons, perhaps a 2 month holiday , after this year he has certainly deserved that !!!! and after that he may start up again (1/10 he will )................ after this i probably wont get an invite to join !!! ............ C'est la Vie .............

LITTLE SHILLING........................

I would just like to voice my congratulations to all connections of Little Shilling after yesterdays wonderful victory................winning your own sponsored race, what a touch !! Well done to Tim, Andrew and all connected !!!

OPTIMUM RACING..........

I would not be too far off the mark if i copied and pasted what i have said about mark holder and used the text and replaced mark holder with optimum racing ............. The services differs in that where Mark specialises in hurdlers, Andrew of Optimum racing specialises purely on Chasers. Not only does Andrew run the successful advisory service he offers affordable racehorse syndicates with LITTLE SHILLING who runs in the optimum colours recently winning 5 races in the space of 15 days !!! If you want a bet every day from your service then you will be disappointed Andrew will only advise a bet when he is satisfied that there is an edge in the bet and the odds in your favour, but even when there is not a bet the message is well worth a listen, today we were advised that due to stamina concerns My Petra may be worth taking on in the 12.30 Ascot the 5/6 fav finished 2nd whilst at Haydock Doctor David was given the nod over the odds on fav Kalahari King.
Personally the service works for me, there are no call backs and all the relevant info is given at the start of the message and then further detail is offered into the reasoning behind the advice. The bottom line to any horse racing advisory service is its profitability and whilst as they say in the small print past performance is not a guide to future performance !! I have always been in profit come year end 2008 will continue this trend.
As previously stated i think SOME people who join these services, think these advisors have a magic wand in respect of results, it will be over time that you will experience a gradual increase in your betting bank, there will be losses over weeks and maybe a month but over the long term of a calender year i would confidently expect you to be in profit, again with the proviso of following the advice and staking plan. This does involve hard work but that does not involve me, that where the likes on andrew comes in !! Unlike Mark, Optimum racing is open to new members and i would have no hesitation in recommending the service www.optimumracing.co.uk.
NEXT UP........................ The world of Isiris !!!

AN INTRODUCTION TO MY SERVICES ........

The blog starts on the 1st January, but i just thought that i would highlight the advisory services i use before i start. The first service i shall mention is the one i have been a member for the longest, MARK HOLDER. I first became aware of the service through an article in the defunct Sports Advisor magazine that was fronted by Ed Chamberlain now of Sky Sports. I liked what i read and on a dull Friday sometime back in 1998 i believe, i called the number advertised for subscription details, well Mark answered the line and we chatted for about 30 minutes after which i joined and have been a member ever since. I was immediately struck by his honesty and hard work ethic, no outlandish or get quick claims, just the knowledge that when mark advises a bet you are playing with an edge and the odds in your favour. Individually the bet may or may not be successful but in the long run if you follow the staking plan and bets religiously rather than pick the ones you agree with you will make money, end of !! There will be past members who will state well i joined for 6 months and i made a loss etc etc but im talking with over 10 years experience and over a calender year a profit is very close to be guaranteed, as this has been the casesince the time i joined. Mark concentrates on hurdlers, specialising thesedays seems an understandable decision with the amount of racing on offer, but Mark has always concentrated on this niche. Last year the service also provided flat information, after a sticky start the bets advised suddenly took off and the season ended with a decent profit. James the provider of this information is to return in 2009. This service works for me, i have total respect for Mark and confidence in him and his methods, using sectional timings, but now for the BAD NEWS .......... MARK NOW OPERATES A PRIVATE SERVICE & THERE IS NO INTENTION, IN THE FORSEEABLE FUTURE, TO TAKE ON ANY NEW CLIENTS. I am obviously a member of the service, if the membership status does change i will let you know !!

NEXT UP OPTIMUM RACING ..................

THE-IRONHORSE said...
what great news, Your blog is the first blog i ever read and thats what got me into the tipping services i now use. optimum, rix, and mark holder.Can't wait and will be reading every post again.giid luck matejames
04 December 2008 21:50

Cheers James.................. full details of the services i use and staking plan to follow, cheers for the email all the best, keep in touch regards DD.

RETURN OF THE DIGGLER ..................

1st January 2009 will see my return to the world of blogging .................. im now in full time employment, and using my gambling to supplement my income. It needs to............. the credit crunch and redundancy to my better half has reached DIGGLER TOWERS !I enjoyed my first stab at the 30K CHALLENGE and the blog that covered this, it gave me extra discipline in my gambling and i made a few friends with a interest in gambling who im still in contact with today.Trying to make a living from gambling as your sole source of income is bloody difficult .......... no shit sherlock !!! i hear you say.............. I am talking about pure betting not I/R trading, my eyes aint great and im a rather clumsy chum always prone to the odd fat finger !!! so that avenue i have never explored. Gambling for a living and gambling in a effort to supplement your income are two entirely different beasts, the physcology and pressures involved cannot be underestimated. I have been down both routes and i know which path i prefer especially thesedays as i have a dayjob that encompasses and to a certain extent encourages my passion for gambling and getting a slice of the bookmakers FOBT pie !!!!So the challenge in 2009 will be to supplement my income for the year to the tune of £800/month, i feel confident so lets raise the bar a tad and go for £10,000 during 2009.THE 10K CHALLENGE ......................... Coming soon to a blog near you !!!!