On Monday 14th January I had an enjoyable training session with Dave. After assessing what stage I was at with my trading we worked on the aspects that would help me to improve my trading skills.

I know that Bet Angel is powerful trading software, but during the training I learnt how to utilize the software better and take greater advantage of the features offered.

We worked on the correct strategies to apply to the different styles of races, and ways to enter and exit trades at the optimum times. We then worked on various tips and tricks that can be applied to help further.

It has given me the chance to take my trading to a higher level if I apply all the information I gathered during the day!

Thanks Dave

Simon

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The problem of trading....

I left a well paid position to move into full time trading and many people were aghast at the decision. The guys I had been working with knew of the potential profit I could achieve because they had talked to me at length about the methodology. There were some people who couldn't understand it, especially those who had previously worked with me.

They were amazed that I had left a lofty position to ....................what exactly was I doing? Therein lies a problem. How do you explain to people exactly what it is that you do for a living? Most conversations follow this route

"So what are you doing now?"

"Well I trade the sports markets on Betfair, mainly horse racing"

"Bet what, never heard of it"

"It's a Betting Exchange but there are no bookmakers"

"You're a gambler then?"

"No, I trade the markets, I nip in and out and then close my position"

"You mean you bet on the horses for a living"

"No, I trade them so that I win no matter which horse wins the race"

"Yeah right, of course you do...."

By the time we reach this part of the conversation I have realised it is a total waste of my brain cells and it's time to move on. Peter Webb warned me about the use of the word "betting" or "bet" when mentioning my chosen profession. He said that people would instantly call me a gambler - he wasn't wrong!

That heaps pressure on you for a while but eventually you rise above it. My wife finds it very difficult when speaking to friends and family. "So what is Dave up to these days?" She spends an eternity trying to explain but knows that 98% of people have already labelled me as a gambler. They also know that most gamblers lose so there is often a look of derision on their face. We've both given up trying now and my wife says "He's acting as a self employed consultant" They usually smile and say "Oh, I am pleased to hear that, you must be delighted?" ....if only they knew!

My close friends know that I am pretty shrewd and that I wouldn't do anything unless there was a reward. I just wish I could get that across to some of the dissenting voices but you can't get through to some people no matter what you say. Here's funny story that happened about 8 months ago..

I went to see a client with whom I had become good friends. I had discussed the possibility of moving to full time trading but he didn't really understand what I was talking about. I asked him if he had broadband and when he said "yes" I offered to show him what I meant. I took out my USB drive and loaded up Bet Angel Professional on his office PC. I looked at the next race and saw a short priced favourite. I checked the market closely and expected the price to drift. I laid the horse at 1.82 for £1000 and the used the "auto profit" function to close the trade at 1.89 for a guaranteed profit of £37.00 across the card. I guess the whole thing took about 30 seconds after which I turned to this guy and said "That's what I mean, does it make sense now?"

He stood there open mouthed - I think he was in a state of shock! I showed him the Betfair screen and explained that Green was a profit and Red was a loss. "I don't see much red!" he said " I need to work almost 4 hours to earn that amount"

"Exactly!!"

Trading is hard work. At times it can make you feel very lonely and occasionally quite stressed. People think it must be easy but trust me it isn't. It can be done and it is profitable but you must learn the correct methods and you MUST apply them yourself. There is no substitute for trading yourself - paper trading is NOT the same thing. Peter Webb told me during a meeting that I had "served my apprenticeship" and that I deserved to succeed. There were times when I nearly quit but I knew that I had to push on and try harder. There is no substitute for hard work and experience so you must be prepared to face that head on if you want to succeed. According to Peter everyone he knows that has stuck at it and "served their apprenticeship" is now making good money from trading.

You can make good money too...it just won't happen overnight!

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Angels aren't known for slaying but sometimes this particular Angel does just that!

If you look at the standard Betfair interface via Internet Explorer or Firefox then you are missing an awful lot. The refresh rate is excrutiatingly slow. You simply cannot trade efficiently because the price has long gone by the time you enter your trade and get it submitted.

On Thursday 29th NovemberI was making a small trade on Desert Star. Why? Well this horse was ridden by AP McCoy and just about all his rides are shorter in price than they should be. The bookmakers know that punters will always back a horse ridden by AP so they use that to their advantage. I simply couldn't see how this horse could win so I was planning to lay it and back it in running. I don't use huge stakes, the price whilst lower than it really should be, still means there is a risk involved.

The horses jumped off and after a short time I suddenly noticed Desert Star was available at 1000 !! I saw this as a mistake and quickly tried to place a bet. This must have been spotted by another sharp eyed trader as I got just £2.08 of the money available. Now you may be asking "why would you do that?" The answer is simple really, it is a question of risk versus reward. For £2.08 I stood the chance to make a tidy profit. I knew that all I needed was a price below 1000 for the chance to win.

About 10 seconds later prices in the 34 mark appeared and I quickly used the automatic close via the "Predicted Profit". This left me with a very nice profit across the card.

That's why you really do need Bet Angel Professional , this simply wouldn;t have been possible with other software. This wonderful software does it all for you and you just need to click the mouse once!! Why not have a trial? Just click this link Bet Angel Trial and see for yourself how this software works

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One of the best features available on Bet Angel Professional is the Bookmaking facility. When I first started out with the software I saw this in operation and I thought "What on earth is happening here?"

I simply could not get to grips with it and no matter how hard I tried I always got it wrong. There was very little help available and you really needed to get on a course with Peter Webb to get a true understanding of how to make this wonderful feature work for you. It was that or you had to try and work it out for yourself. I did the latter but I seemed to lose almost every time. It was Sod's Law personified! I would have a liability on one runner and that horse would obviously win!

Well we are here to help all you budding bookmakers! When you know what to look for and what to do then making a book is almost a license to print money. It's a bit like watching Who wants to be a Millionaire. It's very easy to sit at home screaming the answer at the TV but if you're sat opposite Chris Tarrant without a clue then it's hard. Everything is easy when you know what to do - learning it, or finding someone to teach you isn't always that easy.

Have a look at the following video and watch what I do. The purpose is to show you what to do and what not to do. It isn't a get rich quick scheme and the result is a small green amount across the card. However, it shows you the key strategies and methods required to succesfully make a book.

Bookmaking Video 1

Please bear in mind that this video is aimed solely at helping you learn to make a book on Betfair using Bet Angel Professional I can only help you if you have this software. The math required to make it work is way beyond me and this software does it all for you.

Perhaps you could take the trial version and see for yourself

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