April - Quiet

Back home from London, in need of a quiet evening. The weekend didn’t quite go to plan. With crap weather forecast, the thought of two whole days tramping around Camden venues in the rain didn’t appeal to Mrs B, so I came up with an alternative itinerary involving Sunday at Camden Market and around Brick Lane, and Saturday evening at the Half Moon in Putney to see the ‘semi-legendary’ John Otway, self-styled ‘Rock n’ Roll’s Greatest Failure’. A good show in front of a packed house of Otway fans, with highlight’s including the 57 year old Otway stage-diving off a step ladder.

So a delayed April review, and a short one, on the basis there’s not much new to say. I finished at (£16) for the month, having been in profit around £250 at one point. I succeeded in spending less time on Betfair, with a reduction in the feelings of frustration that have plagued my year. But obviously a red month meant a failure in my aim to increase my betting bank. I think I needed a break from the intensity and pressure that had built up through a difficult couple of months, and I’m left with a fairly positive state of mind at the end of the month, so some success, if not in monetary terms.

I only had four losing days in the month ( three being substantial ), two involved chasing with stakes way too high, and the other a worthy punt that didn’t come off. I ended in profit on all sports apart from horse racing. I’m going to stick with racing for a little while longer, as the losses were chases rather than fair bets. But racing remains the sport most likely to cause me to chase, simply because there’s always an opportunity to recover almost immediately after the loss. I finished last month’s review with a point about mental strength, and I suppose that’s the overriding issue above all my other tweaks and adjustments. I can grumble about a small bank, but there’s a straightforward answer. And frustration is part of betting, not an excuse for blowing away my profits. Patience and discipline remain my foe. I’ve read a few blog posts about the journey through betting, which ultimately leads to success. They suggest that you can tick off each stage of the process, and move forward to the next. My own progress has been a lumpier journey, but maybe I’m just more determined and more optimistic than those that fail once they can no longer move forward a level.

There is an alternative answer – I’m destined never to make consistent profit. So maybe it’s no bad thing that I keep a small bank.

I’d like to finish on a positive note, but my first short session of the month on Betfair ended in a loss. An avoidable one - I’m too tired to bet today, so I’ve closed Betfair and will hopefully return tomorrow with a good mindset. At least I offer an alternative to those bloggers piling in the cash at the moment.