If I had to pick a word that best describes my 2012 betting form I would go with “leaking”. I have had a go at a variety of different sports and although there has been the odd highlight my portfolio has gradually been shedding value as I leak money to the bookmakers.

The good news is that while it has been a poor start it is nothing one big spreads win on Super Rugby can’t rectify but it has nonetheless been frustrating as I was hoping to go into the tournament with momentum.

Frustrated is exactly how I felt in the early hours of Sunday morning. I had actually picked a host of winners in the Premier League on the Saturday evening but had given it all back with one ill advised buy of England try scorer shirt numbers in the Six Nations.

When the France v Ireland game was cancelled I started betting on the Las Vegas 7’s and after a couple of small wins I upped my stake only to go 0/5 to find myself well down for the weekend.

At this point it was more like a spinning of the roulette wheel than an educated sports punt and tired and grumpy I fired a big bet that there would be 33 points or more in the Australia v USA match. If the bet won I would be back square for the day and if it lost, oh well I would worry about that in the morning.

I did not even try to kid myself that this was anything but a hit and hope bet and one which as a man who professes sports betting to be a skill, I had no place in taking.

It was somewhere around 01h00 when the game kicked off with things starting well and by half time it looked as though I would “get out of it” as we punters say. There had been 26 points and all I needed was one converted try to collect. I am sure you know how this is going to end?

The teams somehow played out a 0-0 draw in the 2^nd half (I had never witnessed a scoreless half of 7’s) and as I skulked off to bed I could hear the punting gods chuckling as they whispered “never chase your losses”. Maybe this time I will listen!

This article was written for the CitiGaming supplement of the Citizen Newspaper and was first published on the 17th of February 2012.

Brent Graham is a blogger on www.goodforthegame.co.za and to get on his free weekly e-mail list just send a message to brent@goodforthegame.co.za titled “Best Bets”.