Another Year Over

Well that's it for 2006 - no more trading until 2007!

It's been a good year but I'm really hoping that the next 12 months will take me to another level.

To get things straight I'd like to make it clear now that I'm currently a part time trader due to my career and the time restricitions that come with a busy working day. However, I call myself a professional because of my approach. I like to think I'm highly disciplined and I'm always aware of what my targets and objectives are. I feel that if you have these strengths you don't have to work 40 hours a week to consider yourself a Pro.

Since 'switching' to trading in August 2006 my P/L results have been:

My Results - By Month

August 2006 - £38.80
September 2006 - £60.60
October 2006 - £93.71
November 2006 - £18.63 (I had computer failure in November)
December 2006 - £373.46

Total since August 2006 - £585.20

As you can see the 'switch' has ensured that 2006 has been a profitable one for me.

Not every sport has proved profitable as I've struggled to 'crack' trading Horse Racing & Soccer:

My Results - By Sport

Darts - £244.59
Golf - £174.93
Rugby Union - £98.43
NFL - £85.89
Cricket - £50.15
Tennis - £7.01
Snooker - £2.30
Boxing - £0.78
Horse Racing - £18.35
Soccer - £60.53

My trading bank now stands at over £800 so my trade sizes will go up in line with this for January with my first involvement in 2007 likely to be the Taylor v Barneveld matchup on New Years Day. It should be a cracker and even though Taylor is likely to start favourite Barney is really pumped for this one and if anyone can beat the 'Legend' then it's him - could be a good one for trading.

See you next year!

My Story

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Last Updated 16th February 2011:
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My history with gambling started a long time ago. When I was very young I had a condition with my hip that stopped me from going to school. The only person available to look after me was my Grandfather so every afternoon he’d push my wheelchair to the betting shop where we’d end up fighting the smoke to try and pick some winners. My parents didn’t mind this daily routine until I started back at school when every morning I’d scan the daily paper to read the horses form and give my tips for the day. They stopped the paper soon after, but that was it – I was hooked.
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In August 2006, I started trading sports markets instead of punting on them with an initial trading bank of just £250. I've only added my monthly profits to this trading bank since, which has helped me to increase my leverage substantially over the years.
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In May 2008 I was given the opportunity by my employer to reduce my working hours and after a little deliberation I decided to try and address the life/work balance. I worked 3 days a week as a Project Manager until January 2011 when I decided to take a sabbatical from the day job and concentrate on gambling on the betting exchanges full time.
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Where did I get the idea for my site?
I’ve run my own website (aptly named markiverson.com) for sometime and my blog has become an extension of that as it’s much easier to publish anything I want to say.
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Do I have any other sites? Was/is this your first?
Back in 2003 I started a website called whisperexchange.com. The idea was to put people with inside horse racing information in touch with each other quickly. The truth was it became too big to quick. I had over 500 subscribers to my daily newsletter in no time and I didn’t have the time or technology to take it further.
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What was my reason for starting a blog/website?
I had two main aims – the first was to diarise what I was doing so that I could learn from my mistakes and the second was to try and be an inspiration to the people out there who feel you need money to make money. Matt from Punt.com left a comment on my blog at the start of 2007 which I’ve remembered ever since – he said “big things are possible from small beginnings".
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What's my background in the markets I try and make a profit in?
Cricket is my most successful sport – I’m a position taker and try not to rely too much on the speed of my Internet connection so it ticks all the required boxes. All of my knowledge has come from studying the sport which is something I think most punters fail to do.
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Do you use trading software to place your bets?
Oh yes! I’d recommend anybody serious about trading to use Trading Software. Not using software allows others a huge advantage but you’ve got to take time to learn how to use it.
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Any favourite trades? Why?
West Indies v Bangladesh in the 2007 Twenty20 Cricket World Cup stands out. I love trading Twenty20 and this match ended with my biggest individual win since I started trading - £652.99. I have beaten this total since but that was a very sweet moment.
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What would you say to anyone who is just starting to bet or trade?
Be patient, specialise in a handful of sports to begin with and learn about risk and money management. For me, managing risk is the key.
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My First Blog!

Yippee!

Even though I've had my website for a few years publishing to the web has always been a bit of a pain. I hope by starting a blog it'll be alot easier to let you all know how I'm doing and keep you in touch with any profits (or losses!) I'm making.

Roll on 2007 and welcome on board.

My Results

After testing various trading systems in August 2006 I started for real in September 2006 with a small trading bank of £250. I've only added my monthly profits to this trading bank since, so the profits you see below have all come from that initial investment.

Please note that up until May 2008 I traded part-time as I had full time career. It was at this point I was given the opportunity to reduce my working hours and after a little deliberation (it really wasn't much!) I decided to try and address the work/life balance. I now work 3 days a week as a Project Manager and spend the rest of my time either with my family or on the betting exchanges.

As I pay monthly fees to use trading software, TV subscriptions & also pay commission through Betfair, I feel it's important to include these overheads in my final figures.

I'll update these results at the end of every month.

Profit Minus Commission & Premium Charges - £22,363.67
Trading Software & TV Subscriptions - £1,264.00

Total Profit & Loss - £21,099.67

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Results by Month -

February 2009 - £1,007.43
January 2009 - £1,008.37
December 2008 - £1,053.89
November 2008 - £416.44
October 2008 - £525.03
September 2008 - £867.85
August 2008 - £1,267.17
July 2008 - £1,633.86
June 2008 - £701.24
May 2008 - £2,805.80
April 2008 - £1,326.94
March 2008 - £150.50
February 2008 - £856.13
January 2008 - £304.01
December 2007 - £1,901.16
November 2007 - £451.28
October 2007 - £671.69
September 2007 - £1,090.76
August 2007 - £879.45
July 2007 - £452.90
June 2007 - £480.17
May 2007 - £272.12
April 2007 - £622.07
March 2007 - £656.22
February 2007 - £208.77
January 2007 - £137.22
December 2006 - £373.46
November 2006 - £18.63
October 2006 - £93.71
September 2006 - £60.60
August 2006 - £38.80

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Results by Sport -

Cricket - £12,797.80
Rugby Union - £4,948.44
Darts - £3,587.71
NFL - £899.90
Golf - £712.58
Motor Sport - £680.20
Greyhound Racing - £145.41
Special Bets - £34.79
Rugby League - £3.70

Boxing - £9.12
Poker - £92.71
Tennis - £105.02
Snooker - £157.81
Soccer - £308.79
Premium Charges - £327.58
Horse Racing - £445.83



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