The Drifters

Caught this drift on camera yesterday on Blue Nymph in the 15:05 at Doncaster. I was trading the favourite but couldnt help noticing the speed of the move in the corner of my eye. The SP according to sporting life was 7/1. I had a specualtive bet at 14.0 just before the off. I wasnt sure if the horse had been playing up and it did touch 40's In Running before going on to WIN the race. Would of been nice to hang on a bit longer before i got out.

"Fergie, sign him up... Fergie Fergie Sign him up"

Was sung sarcastically by the Man City fans after their 2-1 victory over united last night. Two goal Tevez stole the show but i thought united deserved a draw after all that late pressure. I arrived just in time for kick off and was shocked to see how much the market moved against city pushing them out to over 4.0. United's line up was strong for a Carling cup tie and this clearly had a say in the prices. I was trading the correct score market when united went ahead and managed to get some decent positions before the goal..

City's price went out to 12.5 but with 55 minutes remaining and Bellamy/Tevez looking dangerous i decided to ask for 13.0 and hope for a goal. Not a penny matched when Bellamy goes down in the box to win a penalty for the home side. I guess I've just gotta go with my instincts a bit more.

Twenty Ten

Well Its been a while since my last post, almost three months to be exact. LOTS of time off at Christmas/New year and LOTS of snow either side of the festive period has put my racing trading on hold up until a few days ago. I recall this time last year i was in Thailand for the countdown and most of January. I will definitely be on a similar trip next Jan. This weather really has reminded me that now is the time of year to be taking a holiday.

However its not all doom and gloom, with the racing off Its given me time to look into other sports and the one Ive always wanted to give a good shot at Soccer Football!

Its my Favorite sport to watch and play so to make it a second income is my main goal this year, especially with the world cup this summer. Its a whole new world of trading compared to what I'm used. The markets are very efficient and going in-play can be dangerous if your unaware of the risks. Ive had a few hard lessons over the years trying football and I'll probably have more but since December I seem to be getting somewhere.  Here's a few recent matches I traded In-Play.

I'm having success setting out possible outcomes and strategies before kick off and adapting them as the games progress. Soccer Mystic is a great tool for seeing how odds are expected to move over 90 mins. 

Ive also upgraded my Trading Cockpit for 2010.

Quite a change from the Laptop I'd been using for nearly 4 years.

It took a while to get used to but now I couldn't trade effectively without it.

New PC, "23" Monitor, Desk, Chair.

Finally I'd like to wish everyone good luck for 2010. I personally cant wait to get the ball rolling again with Horse racing and hopefully keep the momentum I've gathered with Football going into the world cup.

Educated Scalping / Hybrid style

My first two years trading were spent as an out and out scalper. Very rarely would I hang on for 4-5 ticks profit/loss. It gave me a great feel for the market and always being "in the money" kept me focused and almost in an auto-pilot mindset. I never monitored graphs or trends and would only use instinct to decide where I could get in and out with little risk.

Maybe I started to peak as scalper or the markets became more suited to another style. Either way I had to change the way I monitor a race and look at the bigger picture, not just the favorite.

Looking back at some recent videos i can see how I've developed a Hybrid style where I can scalp and make small swing trades based on the increased market information i now use. Here's one from last week. Not a massive profit but done with very little risk.

Not Just for Sport

With nearly 600k matched on the X Factor 2009 winner market after just one live show anyone with an opinion can now have a serious punt on this years batch of wannabee pop stars.


Coincidentally it was my Mum who asked me to put a bet on the X Factor for her over 4 years ago.
After searching an odds comparison site i noticed Betfair's price was the most competitive. This is where it all began for me.

Footage

I'd been wanting to make some videos of my trading for a while but since returning from holiday I'd been struggling to get back into the action and have therefore been focusing my attention on that. The markets are pretty tricky at the moment. Ive had to reduce activity slightly and not commit too much to a trade as its much harder to get out if I get it wrong.

I recorded some footage of my trading yesterday and it was interesting to watch it back. I was kicking myself at times where i could see myself hanging on too long and being too greedy. It reminded me that i still have a lot to improve on.

This video was from the 17:25 at Carlisle. I chose this one as it shows both swinging and scalping techniques on the favourite. I tried to record the full screen  but my fossil of a laptop couldn't cope and was freezing up on me so I had to reduce the recording window. I also missed the start of the action here Im a Camtasia novice.

Much Needed Break

Ciao! Ive just returned from a much needed break in Sardinia, hence the lack of posts and unanswered comments. We had an incredible trip, the people are very friendly and the food/wine was superb. I hired a convertible mini as a surprise for my girlfriend but had a head in hands moment upon arrival to see thunder clouds and rain. Luckily the weather improved and as we traveled across the island we seemed to follow the sunshine. The Island visually is absolutely stunning, my particular highlight was hiring a boat in Cala-Gonone and stopping at all the remote beaches on the Golfo Di Orosei. Here's a few snaps!

                                                         

                                                                                

Well its back to business now and hopefully i can pick up where i left off. I'm always a little cautious after a break it can be a little difficult to get the ball rolling again but with the Ascot festival starting tomorrow there should be plenty of opportunities to get back in the swing of things.