CitizenBlogI went into this past weekend’s rugby betting feeling optimistic having won on the Currie Cup in midweek.

CitizenBlogCongratulations to the Springboks on a brilliant series victory over the British & Irish Lions. The 3rd Test was as tense and close as everyone expected and I collected on the bet highlighted in the Goodforthegame match preview which was either side to win by 7 or less at 19/20. Unfortunately for me I took a late call to back the British & Irish Lions to win the game at 16/10 as the price was just too tempting. It felt very much like the World Cup Final as I sat in a room full of Bok supporters, quietly pulling for the opposition.

CitizenBlogThe British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa has been a profitable one for me, but things went horribly wrong this past weekend.

CitizenBlogThe 1st Test between the Springboks and the British & Irish Lions wasn’t a classic, but it was certainly the tight competitive affair that we expected. My main bet was on the Lions to win the game and at 12-3 down at halftime things weren’t looking good with the Boks dominating. The Lions though found their feet and took control of the second-half, matching the Boks up front and winning the aerial battle.

CitizenBlogOne of the things I love about sports betting is that there is always a new challenge around the corner.

CitizenBlogI am writing this article before the match between South Africa “A” and the British & Irish Lions which has been described as a 4th Test by the media.

CitizenBlogFor the second successive year we had to do our Vodacom Durban July family and friends sweepstake online and although I missed the socializing we traditionally do for this great race I did at least make some money.

CitizenBlogJune has not been a good betting month so it was nice to break a 3 week losing run this past weekend.

CitizenBlogThe Tour de France has traditionally been my favourite event of the year and one that I really enjoy betting on, although I keep my stakes a lot smaller than I do on rugby. There was a time, many years ago, when I used to take annual leave to watch the mountain stages, but these days I just record the stage and stay off all social media so that I can watch it without knowing the result later that night.

CitizenBlogOne thing I have always loved about rugby betting is that it is possible to get the edge over the bookmakers if you really do your homework. Things like weather and team selections play a far bigger role than they do in most sports and it is the reason why over the years 90% of my sports bets are rugby related.

CitizenBlogWhen you are coming off a couple of successful betting weekends you feel almost obliged to continue building your bank balance.

CitizenBlogI do a fair amount of research before I bet and while this does not guarantee success in the short term, it certainly is the ticket to beating the bookmakers over time. Sometimes though I rely on my gut.

CitizenBlogLast weekend got off to a poor start when I backed the Highlanders to score 31 points or more in a match against the Western Force in Perth on Friday.

CitizenBlogIt has been great to have schoolboy rugby back and on Saturday my son played his first game of the season for his under-16 school side. Parents are unfortunately not allowed to go and watch the games (yet we can gather at a pub to watch the live streaming together) and with all of the streams on offer I am watching plenty of rugby.

CitizenBlogYou will often hear the word “Tilt” in Poker and Sports Betting and it is basically when you start making bets you wouldn’t normally take and for larger amounts of money as a result of a succession of losses or perhaps a bad beat.

CitizenBlogI am not going to talk about last weekend’s betting for too long as it was frankly a weekend to forget thanks mainly to Leinster dropping me heavily on Sunday where they not only lost to La Rochelle but failed to score the 25 points I required them to.

CitizenBlogMaking consistent profits in sports betting is not easy and the successful punters I know spend many hours looking for that little something that will give them an edge over the bookmakers.

CitizenBlogSouth African rugby was dealt another blow this past week with news that local teams would not be able to travel and play in the Rainbow Cup. I will keep my feelings on this decision and the logic behind it to myself but sadly it looks as though we will have to make do with more local derbies for the foreseeable future.

CitizenBlogIn life we can prepare for something to the most minute detail, but it is often the case of being at the right place at the right time which is the difference between success and failure.

CitizenBlogHaving enjoyed a couple of profitable weeks I was full of confidence heading into the Easter weekend and all of the rugby that came with it.

CitizenBlogI used to track each and every bet I placed, but these days I simply reconcile my betting accounts at the end of the weekend to see if I made a profit or a loss.

CitizenBlogA red card in rugby used to be few and far between, but with implementation of new rules around players safety they are becoming much more frequent.

CitizenBlogI send out a weekly newsletter, generally on a Friday morning and in it I share the Goodforthegame Best Bet for the weekend. I usually tap into the knowledge of the excellent panel that I have on the Rugby Betting Show, THE HANDICAP, which goes out on YouTube live at 21h00 every Thursday and last week was no exception.

citizenMy weekend once again revolved around Rugby betting starting on Friday morning where my Best Bet of the weekend, Force -2.5 points arrived against the Waratahs. I was unable to watch the game but was tracking the scores through one of the betting sites and there are few things more frustrating than seeing betting markets suspend and then waiting to see what if anything had happened.

CitizenBlogI wasn’t planning to get involved in the rugby on Sunday afternoon. The weekend had been good to me and I was showing a profit and the Scotland v France match had been called off due COVID-19 in the French camp.

CitizenBlogWhen you are betting on sports there are many factors that you take into account, Current form and head-to-head statistics are important and closer to the match itself, team news becomes critical. Will the Proteas field an extra spinner, has the Crusaders star fullback recovered from the knock he took last week, will the Liverpool coach be resting key players in a FA Cup match ahead of bigger games to come?

CitizenBlogAfter a successful start to 2021 my betting fortunes went belly up last weekend. Things actually began quite well as I had a bet on Italy to score 8 points or more against England and that bet arrived before half-time. Unfortunately that sparked a greedy move on my part where I then took England to score 45 points or more during the break and while the bet looked like landing in the last 10 minutes, England somehow couldn’t cross the line.

CitizenBlogI was fired up for the start of the Six Nations Rugby this past weekend, however due to the fact that I was playing in a poker game and wouldn’t be able to watch the Saturday matches I decided to keep my betting interest to a minimum.

CitizenBlogI was quite excited for this past weekend’s Currie Cup final as my form had improved over the preceding weeks and in sports betting confidence is always important.

CitizenBlogI was an angry man when the Bulls let the Lions in for a consolation try at the end of their Currie Cup semi-final. I had backed the Bulls to win by 9 points or more and that try meant the final margin was 7 and I had done my money.

CitizenBlogTo start this first column of 2021 let me wish all of our regular readers a Happy and Prosperous Year and as far as the betting goes a profitable one of course.

CitizenBlogThis past weekend’s Sports Betting started and ended in dramatic fashion.

CitizenBlogEvery Friday morning I send out a newsletter with my Best Bet for the weekend and 99% of time it is a Rugby Bet.

CitizenBlogRecent weekends have been packed with Rugby Betting but this past weekend it was my poker schools year-end tournament and due to the midnight curfew things began early. For that reason I never got too involved in the rugby and although my best bet of the weekend, Lions (+3.5) arrived against Western Province I showed a loss with Australia failing to beat the handicap against Argentina and Total Points going over 50 in the Bulls v Cheetahs game.

CitizenBlogTo most people watching the Argentina v All Blacks Test this past weekend the final All Blacks try which saw them go from 31-0 to 38-0 meant very little, to me it was the biggest moment of the weekend.

CitizenBlogBlack Friday may have originated in the USA, but as South African consumers will know it has taken off in this country in a big way.

CitizenBlogI send out a weekly e-mail with my best bet for the weekend. It is usually a Rugby Bet and often isn’t my selection, but one or more of the panel on my Thursday night Rugby Betting Show “The Handicap”.

CitizenBlogAfter a turbulent few weeks I managed to get away with the family this past weekend to a Game Reserve just outside Brits.

CitizenBlogMy good betting form continued this past weekend with my best bet of Lions to score 36 points or more against Griquas arriving with room to spare. I also collected on Sharks to score over 35 points against the Pumas and was in a powerful position heading into the Bulls v Stormers game.

CitizenBlogThose of you who read last week’s column will know I didn’t have a very good weekend and it was important that I bounced back and made some money heading into Round 3 of the Super Rugby Unlocked.