How was (is) 2012 for you?

[Kithanga]

Here’s a brief review of the up’s and down’s in my 2012 betting year. I hope others will add theirs too. I started out with the aim of focussing on non-handicap races as this is where all my previous profits have been registered. Things went well initially with healthy profits recorded in both January and February, mainly from concentrating on the Irish graded races. There’s so much to learn from watching these events as ‘heavy’ ground seems to cover anything from a little loose on top to a complete bog and I profited a few times from taking my own view of conditions based on race times. By the end of February I was doing ok on the ‘Best Bet of the Day’ competition and +29.72 points at level stakes from 40 bets in my personal betting. Confidence was high and with Cheltenham fast approaching it seemed like everything was going my way. I really should have just packed in betting for a while in early March as there were other significant demands on my time and I really wasn’t thinking straight. Not only did I make the error of soldiering on, I also increased stakes five-fold at the very time I should have withdrawn from the action completely. The result was a fairly hefty pasting. Why is it that at the very time you need just one thing to be going well in life, everything seems to go against you? Anyway, I found some sense shortly afterwards and reduced stakes back to their previous level but not before significant harm had been done. By the end of May I was +19.73 points at level stakes from 90 bets but only just ahead in £’s due to the temporary increase in stake. A re-introduction of handicap races and a more cavalier approach to betting was the order of the day for the next few months as I attempted a few different approaches. By now, I’d abandoned my original plan and was really just enjoying the action. I even tried my hand (unsuccessfully) at trading on other sports on the exchanges. At the time profit didn’t matter. It was an escape from everything else that was going on, it was fun and was at a level where it didn’t matter if I lost the lot. By the end of July I was +27.87 points at level stakes from 202 bets. I spent most of the next few months betting only sporadically but having multiple bets on the days that I was involved. I put in lots of work when I did bet but I was tired and didn’t really have an edge at all in hindsight. The events of the year had taken a toll and I really needed a break from the action. I’d completely lost focus at this time and had no strategy or plan at all. I was, in fact, unsure why I was even betting any more. By the time I placed my last bet of 2012 I’d no idea whether I was up or down. In fact, I’d crashed to -9.69 points at level stakes from 331 bets, a massive 37.56 point loss on just 129 bets since the end of summer. Somehow, I was still ahead in £’s but only due to some haphazard staking meaning a couple of bigger bets landed on decent priced winners. It could so easily have gone the other way. Looking back I’ve had many enjoyable days betting in 2012 and, for a hobby, it was inexpensive (in fact marginally profitable). On occasions it provided a brilliant escape from other stresses, but other times it contributed to them. Looking forward and using what I’ve learned from this year, I need to decide on and keep to a strategy and not let anything divert me away from that in 2013. If there are other distractions, I need to see sense and take time away. After all, enjoyable as it is, horse racing isn’t everything. Well, not quite :unsure Wishing you all a successful end to 2012 and a very profitable and enjoyable 2013

[fintron]

Re: How was (is) 2012 for you? I'll look back on this year as one of frustration. The first quarter was more or less what I expected, low key on the all-weather, a bad Cheltenham, and then results picking up immediately as the flat started. What hit me was the bad weather and a poor run of form in June when I lost around 30 pts (half my starting bank). The third quarter all about, slow, steady recovery, and Ive recovered the position and replenished the bank, and it has only been in the last quarter that Ive made significant headway. Overall, when it comes to totting up the final figures at the end of the year, I'll be looking at a 5 - 10 % year. It beats the returns I'd have got by putting my money in an ISA but has been very stressful. At times Ive wondered if it is all worth the bother, the stress and pressure that comes with it, but you can't make it pay by going in half-hearted. Racing just takes up so much time, even if you specialise, you have to turn in the hours to develop that edge don't you, hours I am no longer willing to put into the sport, no matter how good the winning runs have been. You spend all those times trying to keep focus and discipline through the losing runs, but then when you have a winning run, your immediate thought is, ****, how do I try fool the bookie into thinking im a mug and prevent my account from getting closed down. Thats the reality of the situation for many these days it seems, so 2013 is going to be a big year of change for me. I plan on being more selective and cherry picking my races more, but then, when getting involved, making sure that I am really sweet on a selection, not just a half fancy. So fewer bets, bigger stakes, and hoping that this can rekindle the enthusiasm in a sport I'm presently out of love with. Have a great Xmas everyone and best of luck for 2013