December Diary of a Sports Spread Bettor

[Data Miner]

Thursday 21 December 2006

Yesterday's 2 wins from 2 added another 39.3 points to December's pot, +71.01 brought forward for today's racing.

Just the one trade, selling Ludlow distances for 3pts @ 34

Happy Spreading

 

[Data Miner]

Friday 22 December 2006

1 win from 1 yesterday and another 14.25 points to December's pot.
+ 85.26 brought forward for today's racing.

Couldn't post earlier, my connection was down. Better late than never . . .

Just the one trade today, selling Hereford SPs for 3pts @ 56

From the 7 race card SPs are currently (2:20pm) showing 22 from 4 races, so thus far, things going in my favour

Happy Spreading

 

[Data Miner]

Friday 22 December 2006 (Part II)

Second part of the day's trading.
Friday evening football throws up two opportunities, both of which are buying away teams;

Buy Scunthorpe & Torquay mini-performances

Happy Spreading

 

[Data Miner]

Saturday 23 December 2006

Posting Early for Christmas

Yesterday brought 2 wins & 1 loss for an overall day's gain of +45.03 and was the sixth consecutive winning day.

Christmas brings with it family commitments, and the extra pressures can sometimes mean a lack of concentration. For one of last night's football spreads I didn't take the best price, I could have traded at one point better than I did ~ which when spreading, win or lose puts a dent in the overall position. At my 3 point bet level last night, that single point on the spreads meant I ended the day +45.03 whereas it could (should) have been +48.03

Doesn't sound like much in the great scheme of things, but every penny counts and those little bits can accumulate over time into a substantial sum.

Anyway, +130.28 to bring forward to today.

It is my seasonal duties which unfortunately mean I am unable to even look at today's racing cards. But Saturday's football programme has already been analysed and the spreads placed. So, if I'm going to make it a seventh consecutive winning day, it's all down to the soccer.

Again, looks like I'm taking on half of the day's programme with my mini-performance trades;

BUY Aston Villa
SELL Manchester United
BUY Newcastle
BUY Reading
BUY Burnley
BUY Ipswich
BUY Hull
BUY Luton
BUY Plymouth
SELL West Brom
BUY QPR
BUY Southend
BUY Cheltenham
SELL Bristol City
BUY Chesterfield
BUY Leyton Orient
SELL Walsall
BUY Accrington
BUY Lincoln

Nothing after this lot until a VERY busy Boxing Day, so

HAVE A HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

. . . hope I will be reporting my seventh straight winning day

Happy Spreading

 

[Data Miner]

Tuesday 26 December 2006

No successes to report as hoped, the six straight winning day streak cam to an abrupt end. A disappointing return then from Saturday's English league fixtures dragged my December +130.28 down to a minus 34.79 to bring forward. Once again I dip below the water line. Is it said it's three times below and thereafter you sink without trace?
Good job I'm spread trading then, rather than swimming (or drowning?).

Today is as full as they get with eight domestic race meetings and a full programme of league football. The sort of day where the sheer number of investments can (and often do) return several hundreds of points up or down. Here's going for several hundred on the up side . . .

On the racing front my money is on;
Market Rasen;
Sell distances and SPs
(all that racing and only two trades?)


League football I've BOUGHT the mini-performances of;
Sheffield Utd
Portsmouth
Burnley
Ipswich
Derby
Bradford
Brentford
Yeovil
Barnet
Swindon
Torquay

. . . and SOLD
MK Dons mini-performance.



Happy Spreading

 

[Data Miner]

Wednesday 27 December 2006

2 from 2 on the racing was obliterated by the football losses.
My obituary of this poor month thus far should read - Why bother with the bloody football?

Month to date racing +343.79 pts
Month to date football -467.48 pts

Making a December loss of -123.70 to bring forward for a couple of racing spreads today . . .

Chepstow I'm selling both distances & SPs


Happy Spreading

 

[Data Miner]

Thursday 28 December 2006

2 small losses from 2 on the racing yesterday hitting me for just -11.70

December loss of -135.40 to bring forward for a couple of racing spreads today . . .

Catterick, I'm selling both distances & favourites


Happy Spreading

 

[Data Miner]

Friday 29 December 2006

2 wins from 2 on the racing yesterday for a 50 point gain, now a loss of -85.29 to bring forward for a couple of racing spreads today . . .

Newbury & Taunton selling distances at both.



Happy Spreading

 

[Data Miner]

Saturday 30 December 2006

2 racing reversals yesterday for a 34.5 point loss. minus 119.8 brought forward

Saturday once again and the league football makes for a full day's trading with spreads everywhere . . .

Racing:
HAYD sell distances
MUSS sell distances and SPs

Football mini-perfs:
21 trades on 19 matches . . . and no sells whatsoever, all buys

Everton
Tottenham
Liverpool
Barnsley
Cardiff
Derby
Burnley
Preston
Blackpool
Bradford
Brentford
Chesterfield
Yeovil
Oldham
Swansea
Bury
Chester
Shrewsbury
Hereford
Lincoln
Torquay



Happy Spreading

 

[Data Miner]

Sunday 31 December

A winning day on yesterday's football was negated (and some!) by the horseracing returns.

No trading opportunities today, so yesterday turned out to be the last day of this December reporting period (no chance of regaining even a little of the lost ground on the final day)

So, end of month statement reads:
minus 177.53 points. Nothing to write home about, is it?

Any lessons to learn?
Well, I've be looking at my football spreads, without which I'd have made this month's target with some to spare.
Next month (from tomorrow in fact) I'll be reducing the number of footy trades. Rather than employing my current blanket approach of playing everything where I differ from the quote on offer, I'm going to concentrate on those situations where I have the biggest edge - quality rather than quantity. Historically such a tactic shows a better return per 1 point bet, but a lower overall gain. Hopefully the move will inject more stability . . . but, it's a funny old game.

Also, looking around the Trade2Win forums it appears this thread would be more suitable in the Trading Journals section of the Trader's Forums

Anyone wishing to follow my January sports-trading fortunes will need to look on there instead.

Until tomorrow, Happy Spreading (although in different Trade2Win forum)