This site covers the majority of football leagues and provides relevant statistics such as the teams home and away form, scoring and defence records, last five games played and current league position. The site also gives its opinion on the outcome of each fixture along with proposed bet size and is usually fairly accurate. There is a voting facility available that enables users to cast their opinion on a particular match and this helps in identifying the likely winner.

http://www.windrawwin.com

Odds Comparison

This website compares odds from different bookmakers and betting exchanges enabling you to take the best price available. There are other useful features including a ‘steamers’ page that identifies any sudden shortening in the odds for a particular horse or event. Another useful tool identifies any potential value in the betting by comparing the statistical odds with the actual odds given.

http://www.valuechecker.co.uk

Odds Convertor

This tool will convert between fractional odds, decimal odds and money lines. You simply enter the odds you wish to convert and press the “Convert Odds” button. There is also the ability to enter your bet amount which will tell you how much your bet will pay out based on the odds given.

http://www.sportility.net/oddsconverter/

Live Football Scores

This website provides live football scores for nearly every league in the world. The scores update faster than any other site I’ve seen and there is a ‘beep’ sound effect to alert you when a goal has been scored. There are no annoying pop-ups or flashy banner advertisements either. One of the best features is the ability to create your own page with specific games which makes it easier to monitor your bets especially accumulators.

http://www.flashscores.co.uk

Live Football Streams

There are literally hundreds of websites offering football streams and the majority of them will charge you a membership fee to gain access to what is already freely available on the Internet. This website is one of the best sites available and provides streams for nearly every football game including games from European leagues such as La Liga and Serie A. The majority of the feeds are high quality with no buffering and there is also a chat facility available to enable you to talk to other viewers during the game.

http://www.justin.tv

Arbitrage Stakes Calculator

This tool has proven invaluable for me and is one of the most important tools a trader can have. You start by entering the odds you backed a selection at and your stake and then you type in the current odds available to lay the same selection, click the “Calculate Lay Stake” and the tool will display the amount you need to lay in order to equalise a profit whatever the outcome.

http://www.chromaweb.com/bets/calculator/index.php

Dutching Calculator

‘Dutching’ refers to spreading the risk across a number of outcomes by backing more than one selection in an event. This calculator will tell you how much to stake on each selection to return an equal profit no matter which one wins. ‘Dutching’ can be a useful strategy in horse racing when you fancy more than one horse or in the correct score market in football games.

http://www.oddschecker.com/betting-tools/dutching-calculator.html

Each-Way Calculator

This tool is used to calculate your win return and each-way return on horse racing markets. You enter your stake, selections odds and each-way odds and select the outcome of the race from the drop down and click “Calculate”. Although the majority of online bookmakers and betting exchanges have this built-in it’s a nice tool to have at hand.

http://www.bettinggenius.com/betting-calculators/each-way-single-calculator/

By now you’re probably wondering who I am and what this website is all about. Well, I’m Dave and I’m 24 years old. I currently live in South West London and live a very comftable life. I graduated in 2006 in Business Computing and have run a number of successful websites in the past. I wasn’t always a successful gambler through, often losing on short priced favourites or being stung by goalless draws or last minute winners. Like many of you, I wasted hundreds of pounds on eBooks guaranteeing “winning systems” which failed to deliver on anything they promised. I guess you could say I was your typical “mug” punter, the type that most bookies would welcome into their shop time and time again. I often wondered whether anyone made money in the long run.

All that changed in 2004 when a friend of mine introduced me to Betfair which was a completely new concept in betting and it really opened my eyes. I quickly developed new skills and techniques which enabled me to gain a significant edge over other punters. I was able to ‘green up’ for profit before horse races even began and trade out of losing positions when things went against me. Last year I made over £24,000 tax free by betting on football matches and horse racing on Betfair and so can you.

This website was originally intended to be used as a personal blog to help me become a more disciplined gambler and to keep a record of all my bets. I decided I wanted to help other people make money. I want to be able to share my knowledge and information with others. You can expect daily blog posts covering a wide range of sports from football to cage fighting. There will be in-depth video tutorials explaining exactly how to place bets, lay horses, green up and lots more. There will be exclusive interviews with other successful gamblers and traders, reviews on betting systems and other tipping services, free tips and much more.

Of course, I also offer my own tipping service which you can subscribe to for £49.95/month. For this you will receive a daily e-mail from me with my personal betting selections for that day and have access to an exclusive member’s only section on the forum.

Feel free to subscribe to my newsletter by entering your name and e-mail in the boxes on the right hand side of the page and join my RSS feed to keep up to date with all the latest blog posts.

I’ve learnt a few lessons though, the first and foremost is to never bet on cup games or friendlies ever again. Although every manager should take cup competitions seriously it seems to me as though many don’t. Fixtures played over two legs are hard to predict with teams playing for draws or fielding their second string side when a few goals up from the first leg.

Everything started to go wrong on Tuesday when Francis Jeffers was sent off for my fancied team Sheffield Wednesday in their carling cup tie with Port Vale. Wednesday were clearly the better side for the best part of 45 minutes but fell apart after going down to ten men. Vale went on to win the game 2-0 and I lost £250. I put the loss down to uncontrollable circumstances; Wednesday would have won the game if Jeffers had not been dismissed.

On Wednesday I tipped Wigan and West Brom to win their respective cup games, Wigan favourites for their trip to Blackpool never turned up and were 3-0 down before half time. West Brom looked a shoe in at home to second division Rotherham and I thought it would be plain sailing when Craig Beattie put West Brom ahead after 10 minutes but Rotherham found a route to goal and equalised to make it 1-1 before half time. Graeme Dorrans put West Brom 2-1 up shortly after the break but Rotherham pegged them back once more and the game ended in a draw.

Thursday was one of the worst nights I’ve had for a long time with an overall loss of £1,630.75. Only one of my six tips came in. Aston Villa cost me dearly after they failed to qualify for the next stage of the Europa league. Villa have been a real nightmare from a betting perspective this season, losing at home to Wigan, beating Liverpool at Anfield and then crashing out of their only real chance of silverware to a side they should have easily beat.

The downward spiral continued into Friday when the one game I tipped for Over 2.5 goals ended 0-0.  The UEFA Super Cup between Barcelona and Shaktar was probably one of dullest 90 minutes of football I’ve had the displeasure of watching this season.  Barcelona had their first team out and with an attacking line up of Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahamovic and Thierry Henry you would expect a goal or two. Infact, the game went into extra time and it wasn’t until the 115^th minute that the deadline was finally broken. For me it meant a loss of £500. In my other bet of the night I picked Millwall to beat Brighton in their league one meeting, Millwall took the lead early on but conceded in the 70^th minute in a match which ended 1-1.

On Saturday I backed Manchester City and Arsenal. City beat Blackburn 2-0 and Arsenal thrashed Everton 6-1 netting me a profit of £841.25, not bad for a few hours work.

On Sunday I advised two bets on Manchester United and Over 2.5 goals in the Tottenham game. United beat Birmingham 1-0 and Tottenham won 2-1 returning a tidy sum of £357.75.

On Monday I picked over 2.5 goals in the Norwegian fixture between Viking and Molde which ended 2-1. My other selection Besiktas beat Antalyaspor 2-0 making £305.71 profit for the day.

My first defeat came on Tuesday when I tipped Wigan to beat Wolves. Wigan failed to deliver the football they produced against Aston Villa and lost the game 1-0. Still, it was a profitable night with Arsenal beating Celtic and Chelsea coming back from behind to beat Sunderland 3-1 returning £265.16 profit.

Wednesday night saw a big upset when Burnley beat Manchester United 1-0. I’m sure there were a lot of ‘Tipsters’ who would have told you this was a home banker but it was always a fixture to avoid for me, especially after United’s less than convincing performance against Birmingham. Instead, I backed Tottenham who I fancied at Hull and they certainly obliged thrashing them 5-1 for a profit of £477.00.

Thursday saw my first losing day with a £70 loss after AS Roma blew a 3-1 lead to draw 3-3 and Aston Villa lost 1-0 after conceding a goal inside the first minute. Valencia did me proud winning 3-0 and FC Basel beat FK Baku 3-1 to bring in the overs in my other bets.

My misery continued into Friday with a £250 loss on Gold Express in the 15:50 at Sandown. The first horse I’ve ever tipped and it finished last out of 15 runners. In my other bet Rosenborg beat Fredrikstad to return £190 ending the day with an overall loss of £60.

This £1,000 gadget enables players to cheat at Roulette. The gadget consists of three parts, a clicker, a small computer and an earpiece. The clicker is used to record the speed of the rotor and ball and is small enough to be concealed in a pen, watch or shoe. The device is clicked as the two entities pass reference points to determine the deceleration speeds. This data is sent to a small computer which calculates which number the ball will land on using an algorithm and transmits this information to the earpiece. In 2004 a team using this device won £1.3 million pounds from the Ritz casino in London but were later arrested after the casino became suspicious as to how they had won nearly all their bets. The team were searched and a hidden earpiece and mobile phone concealing a small computer were found. The case went to court but they were acquitted and allowed to keep their money as the judge had ruled that they had not interfered with the game and there is currently no law that prohibits the use of such equipment in the UK and many parts of the world. There are lots of similar systems for sale but the best one I’ve seen can be purchased at http://www.predictroulette.com.

Blackjack Pro is a pocket sized device from http://www.blackjackcounter.com that allows players to discreetly and accurately count cards. To effectively count cards you need to keep track of every card that is dealt and keeping this count in your head requires a high level of concentration and skill. Blackjack Pro solves this problem by doing the work for you. Every time a card is dealt you press either the left or right button depending on the value of the card. Blackjack Pro relays this information to you through a series of silent vibrations in your pocket. Card counting isn’t illegal but if you are caught doing it you may well be asked to leave. Blackjack Pro costs $109.95 and is available to ship worldwide for an additional fee of $25.50.

Fruit machine refill keys are perfectly legal to own and are supplied with all new fruit machines. The keys are legal as they don’t alter the game or force them to pay out. Refill keys simply operate a switch that activates the relevant information displays. These displays show the machines current stats like the hopper balance, last win and error reports. By inserting the key you will instantly have the advantage of knowing exactly how much money is in the machine and how much it’s just paid out. It doesn’t matter how good you are at playing fruit machines if the money isn’t there to win. Whilst not illegal to use one of the problems is the sounding of the machines alarm when the key is inserted which could get you into trouble with the manager of the arcade. Refill keys are easy to obtain and can be bought for as little as a few pounds from eBay.

PKR Gen is a software package provided by http://www.pkrgen.com designed to provide reverse RNG card decoding for online poker which allows players to view the community cards that have been dealt before the flop is displayed. This software is legal to use and works in a variety of online poker rooms including fulltilt poker and poker stars. Essentially the software gathers data from the poker rooms and uses this information to predict future outcomes, although the website does not specifically state how. The process of reversing the RNG is done on the fly and takes less than three seconds enabling players to make informed decisions as to whether to fold or not. Another nifty feature is player tracking which stores data on every player you play against including their win/loss percentage and winnings which enables you to evaluate their playing style and much more. Prices start at $99.99 for a 6-month license going up to $299.99 for a lifetime license.

Birmingham shot stopper Joe Hart could be the bargain buy this season at just 4 million. Birmingham had the best defensive record in the Championship last season conceding only 37 goals. You should only need one keeper for the season as injuries and suspensions are rare, therefore it makes sense to buy the cheapest back-up goalie you can otherwise good money will be tied up in a player that will never be used.

Defenders will earn you 6pts on a clean sheet so it doesn’t make much of a difference if you buy a cheap player or an expensive one as long as they are first team regulars. Ashley Cole is the cheapest defender for Chelsea who is guaranteed to start. Cole ended last season on 141 points second only to the more expensive Jose Bosingwa. Cole is the type of player who likes to get forward and should get a few assists along the way.

Liverpool’s Alvaro Arbeloa and Manchester Utd’s Patrice Evra will start every game for their clubs and at 6.5 million are the cheapest defensive options available. Gary Neville could be worth monitoring as at 5.5 million he would be an absolute steal but Sir Alex may choose to play Rafael at right back instead and both players may be at risk of being substituted before the end of the game.

Last season Fulham’s Brede Hangeland put in a terrific first season performance and finished as the fifth highest scoring defender in the league notching up a massive 19 bonus points for his terrific individual performances for Fulham. Hangeland looks value for money at 5.5 million.

Club captain Tim Cahill finished as Everton’s top goal scorer with 8 league goals in 2008/2009, playing as a make shift striker during the clubs much publicised injury crisis. Cahill is phenomenal in the air and scores many of his goals from set pieces. Cahill often collects all the bonus points for his strong individual performances on the pitch.

Aston Villa’s Pacey left winger Ashley Young made an impact when he moved from Watford in 2007 becoming the first player to win the FA Premiership Player of the Month award three times in the same season in 2008. Young scored 8 goals and created 7 last term playing in a deadly three pronged attack with Gabriel Agbonlahor and John Carew. Alternatively Stewart Downing could be a cheaper solution at 7.5 million. Downing was first choice penalty and free kick taker at Middlesbrough and with the departure of Gareth Barry looks set to fill in at Villa Park.

Arsenal’s Andrei Arshavin joined the gunners last season and scored 6 goals in just 12 appearances for the club averaging a goal every other game. Arshavin netted 4 times in the 4-4 thriller against Liverpool proving he can perform against the big clubs. With Adebayor leaving to join City and no obvious replacements Arshavin could find himself playing in more of an attacking position alongside Van Persie but will still be scored as if he were a midfield player. Arshavin doesn’t come cheap at 11 million but is still a more affordable option to Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard.

Wayne Rooney looks set to be the main man at Old Trafford this season with the departure of goal machine Cristiano Ronaldo and fellow striker Carlos Tevez. Antonio Valencia had a good spell at Wigan but he is certainly no 30 goal a season player and has to adapt to the team first. Berbatov has yet to really prove himself to the fans and even though Michael Owen has scored twice in pre-season he probably won’t start every game and will act as more of an impact substitute.

Roque Santa Cruz must be wondering why he signed for Mark Hughes outfit with the arrival of Emmanuel Adebayor from Arsenal last week. Hughes will no doubt opt for Adebayor and Tevez in attack with Brazilian Ace Robinho in just behind. Tevez has consistently proven himself at this level with great seasons at West Ham and Man Utd and will relish the opportunity given to him by Hughes. Tevez will score goals, create assists and get bonus points for his die hard work ethic. Tevez is also the cheaper option at 8.5 million.

Kevin Phillips has proven he can score goals in the Premiership by winning the golden boot in the 1999/2000 season. Phillips scored 38 goals in 71 appearances at West Brom before joining newly promoted Birmingham last year where he netted 14 goals in 36 outings. Phillips certainly looks underpriced at 5 million when you consider what his record indicates.

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake scored 25 goals last season for Wolves in the Championship and successfully defended his golden boot for the second year running. Blake yet to prove himself in the top tier of English football may struggle to get nearly as many but at 5.5 million he is certainly worth including even as a substitute.

Of course it may not be possible to include all your favourite players into your dream team. This year more than ever player values seem to have soared. No longer can you have the likes of Gerrard and Lampard in the midfield unless you wish to sacrifice your entire defence or attack.

If you’re interested in joining the official bigdavestar.com fantasy football league and be in with a chance of winning £250 then please visit http://fantasy.premierleague.com and register your team. To join the league you will need to enter the following code 116666-91199.

There are many advantages to using a betting exchange over a traditional bookmaker. First, because there is no bookmaker, there is no bookie’s commission to be paid, which is usually included in their odds. Although small fees are incurred on your net winnings the margins are much better for you. Typically the odds offered on a betting exchange will be 20% better than in a high street bookmaker.

On betting exchanges players are in complete control of the prices. It is possible to get better odds than are currently available; you can place an order in the market for a better price. For example if a horse is available at 2/1 but you only want to back it at 3/1 then you can specify those odds for your chosen stake. That order will stay in the market until it is either filled, you cancel or change it or the event starts.

Sometimes it can be difficult to pick the winner of a horse race but a lot easier to pick a loser. This is known as ‘laying’. Unlike a traditional horse racing bet where you ‘back’ a horse to win, on a betting exchange you can ‘lay’ a horse which means you’re betting for it to lose. You effectively become a bookmaker and bookmakers, as we all know, make their money from losers especially a losing favourite.

Another feature of a betting exchange is ‘in-play’ trading which enables punters to place bets during a sports fixture, although not all events will be available ‘in-play’ usually just the televised events. The ability to trade ‘in-play’ means it is possible to ‘lock in’ a profit in a variety of ways. For example, imagine having a £10 bet on a horse at 10/1. If the horse’s odds shorten to 2/1 during the race, you would then have the opportunity to lay that horse to create a win-win situation.

Whilst there are many betting exchanges out there, many of them suffer from a lack of liquidity or volume in the market which means your bets are often left unmatched or the prices you request unfulfilled.

Betfair is the largest online betting exchange in the world with over 25 million bets traded every single day. This means bets are usually matched within a few seconds for the best possible price available. Betfair is easy to use with an intuitive interface and detailed tutorials and help are readily available. From a personal perspective I have found Betfair’s customer service to be friendly and informative with phone and e-mail support available.

After some debate we headed into Leicester Square to check out the Golden Nugget Casino in Shaftsbury Avenue. I’ve been a member here for several years. It’s nice in there; the staff are always very friendly and welcoming. We went straight to the bar and ordered a round of drinks, it’s a funny place, most of the clientele are Chinese people, who love a good gamble. My game of choice is always roulette, partly because I’m rubbish at Blackjack and have no idea how to play poker.

I always like to observe the table for a few minutes, see what people are betting on and look for any noticeable patterns. It’s important to limit yourself when you visit a Casino; otherwise you could easily find yourself a few hundred pounds down within an hour. We all agreed we were prepared to lose £20 and if we doubled our money we would leave.

I stuck £5 on red after waiting for a run on black, luckily enough the ball landed on red and I was a fiver up, my friend was not so lucky, managing to blow his £20 on the first spin of the wheel. The trouble with betting on the outside is the £5 minimum stake, a bad run and you can easily wipe your bank.

I decided to change tactics and spread my bets across single numbers with £1 stakes, covering four or five numbers at a time. It took two or three attempts but I finally managed to land a winner and a cool £35 return. After about half an hour on the table I was up £80 and loving every minute of it. I knew if I stayed any longer the casino would soon win it back and more, so, I decided to cash out.

All in all a fairly successful evening, we took our winnings and headed into Covent Garden where we indulged in a bottle of champagne, it’s important to celebrate your wins in style.