What is your best piece of advice for profitable punting in 2012?

[fintron]

What is the best piece of advice you can give fellow PL'ers to help keep them on track to make a profit in 2012? Mine would be to develop a set of rigid staking rules and stick to them. I suppose this is where record keeping comes in, because if you have a set of data behind you, it is possible to identify areas where you do best, for example, Group races on the flat over 5-8f. You might also see that following horses below odds on failed to yield a long term profit and that the outside chances are also showing a loss. By then writing down half a dozen strict betting criteria, perhaps on a little piece of paper to keep in your wallet, you then have a constant reminder, whether betting at home, at work, in a shop or on course, of the types of bets you should and shouldn't be placing. I acknowledge that in order to beat the bookies long term you have to be constantly on your toes and prepared to adapt to changes, otherwise you get left behind, but I think many punters, myself included, can lose focus at times, including when winning, when there is a temptation to play up winnings while in the middle of a purple patch, or bending selection criteria to try halt a losing run. I once came across a slogan, 'bet with method and win' and I think the most successful punters aren't those that pick the most winners or those most adept are identifying out-of-line prices, its the ones with the best mindset, the best discliplined. My 'bit of paper in the wallet' is something I hope will help me in this respect and keep my betting in focus for 2012. Whats the best piece of advice you can share on the forum?

[Aidymac]

Re: What is your best piece of advice for profitable punting in 2012? My advice is: Never back something that Aidymac has backed.. If you do this, that is half way to your betting stardom! :)