The purpose of this weekly blog has been to track my financial progress through keeping a record of my fixed odds sport betting and to share my experiences along the way. Problem is that I am so involved with spread betting at the moment that I am finding having a standard bet something of an anti-climax. 

In spread betting the more right you are the more you win and conversely the more wrong you are the more you lose. 

In a rugby game for example the fixed odds handicap in the first test between the Boks and the B&I Lions may be set at 7.5 points with the visitors getting a start. Lets assume you like the Boks and put R500 on the -7.5 at odds of 9/10. 

The Springboks start strongly and by half time they are 20 points clear and with a quarter of the game to go you can stop watching as they now lead by 23 points two full scores clear of the 8 point win you need to make your handicap bet. You watch till the end but hardly flinch as the Lions score a consolation try with 3 minutes to go, your R450 was in the bag some time back.

Now let’s assume that instead of taking the -7.5 you decided to back the Boks with the spread betting firms who were offering a quote of 6-9 before kick off. 

You go high at 9 for R100 a point and at half time you sit R1100 up (20 points lead minus the 9 points you went high or bought at) and the new quote is 27-29 Boks over. You can close out at the new low of 27 for an 18 unit or R1800 profit but you get greedy and hang in there. Far from losing interest in the match you are on the edge of the seat and you curse when you hear the commentator say that the final Lions try meant nothing, it has just cost you an additional R700 profit. 

Whether you are winning or losing it is very seldom that you can ever relax in spread betting and I think that and the adrenaline rush that goes with it is what I love so much. 

What that has meant is that most of my rugby bets have been spreads related with only the occasional fixed odds bet making into my portfolio and this week I have nothing to report on the rugby front (although it was a great week on the spreads which I track in the Discussion Forum). 

I did though have some fixed odds action as my great golf run came to an end and I gave back 10 units in the Memorial Tournament with none of my selections contending over the last couple of rounds. 

I got 3.5 units back in last nights Sri Lanka v Australia Twenty20 game though having taken Sri Lanka at 17/10 upfront and then trading to a position where I was winning on both sides. It was my first betting venture into the tournament and it was good to get a win under the belt early.

A small loss of 6.5 units on the week and happy to see my man Jenson Button chalk up another win in the Formula 1 on the weekend, he is now 1/12 for the title. 

BETTING SUMMARY

Balance after week 21: +55.48 units
Week 22 result: -6.5 units
Running balance: +48.98 units

Pending Bets

F1: 2 units Button for the title at an average of 53/1

The Discussion Forum on Goodforthegame is really picking up momentum and if you have not checked it out then I would suggest you do so. Some of the advice in the Twenty20 cricket for example is superb and often entertaining and on occasion someone comes out with a post identifying great betting value as MrJones did in the U20 rugby in this thread, pity I was working and missed it but some of the guys did get on.  

It is also a great place to post any betting related questions.

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