Saturday 14 March 2009

Closing Scene


After blogging for the last 26 months I've come to the conclusion that this is where my story will end.
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I've taken the last couple of weeks to decide if this is the right thing to do and the truth is I'm finding it very hard to motivate myself to jot down my thoughts. Generally, I've realised that I no longer have anything interesting to say! At the beginning of this journey I was experiencing lots of new situations and emotions so getting them out of my system through writing a blog proved very helpful, but now the thought of having to think of something to say is proving to be a distraction that I think I can live without. Initially, I had two objectives and as they've now been achieved it seems the right time to call it a day. This isn't to say that I'm going to stop trading though. My plans on that front remain the same and although it's been difficult to get through the quiet Winter months I'm optimistic that the Summer will generate a good return.
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Just in case you're wondering, I haven't 'done' my bank, and to round things off here's a summary of my results since my last post :
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Since Last Update P/L: £277.29
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Cricket : £35.13
Darts : £68.11
Golf : £55.99
Rugby Union : £220.46
Soccer : £35.96
Premium Charge : £68.10
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May I take this opportunity to thank you all for reading and to those of you that have left me comments along the way they've been very much appreciated. For those who've also expressed concern with Caden's health, the good news is that he celebrated his 1st birthday on Wednesday (where has the time gone?) and now has a much better future to look forward to. Personally, I'd also like to thank you for your support during the dark times of last year - it meant a great deal.
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As they say in Llandow - ciao for now...
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34 comments:

John said...

I recently took the same decision. There comes a point were posting to your blog becomes an inconvenience – you kind of out grow it. It’s far better to call it a day at this stage than continue posting. As long as you got some worth out of the blog on your ‘journey’ then it achieved its aim (my aim was to become more focused and it helped massively). Of course the blogs also act as inspiration to the newbie’s and your blog helped me along the way. Sad to see you go but I understand your decision.

All the best for the future, John.

Gus said...

A pity that another one of the better blogs is going.

I know how you feel, I am posting less and less these days but will keep going for a while yet.

Glad it's all going well for you.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear Mark, this is one of my favourite blogs to read on the net. Hope the trading goes well for you in the future!

leonthefixer said...

Sorry to see you go mate - very much enjoyed your blog and was one of the ones I read from the off.

Would like to keep in touch and will drop you a comment with my email address.

I wish you and your family the best for the future!

leonthefixer said...

Actually mate - can you leave a comment on my blog with your email as the comments display instantly here.

All the best!

Alistair Hamilton said...

Always difficult to find the time to dedicate to blogging Mark. I've had a few that have come and gone and now only my trading one survives.

I'll be sorry to see this one fall by the wayside, but I wish you all the best with your future trading. More importantly, all the best to you and your family, in particular young Caden. Good to hear he's doing well.

Let me know if you're still interested in that little project we talked about.

All the best

Alistair
Bet Your Life Sports Trading

The Betfair Trader said...

Hi Mark,

Sad to hear as I enjoyed reading your thoughts through the ups, downs and radiator collisions. Was interesting as your progress was similar to mine and I enjoyed your insights.

Not totally surprised to see you pack it in either though as I kind of reached the same stage and found I had lost my enthusiasm when I tried to change the format. Truth is it got boring just saying I won or lost x amount and why.

Recently I decided to start up again with a different approach. I planned to write a series of trading articles. Long story but ths ended up with my getting involved in a cricket betting website called Cricket Edge (Hope you don't mind the URL there but I'd like you to take a look - see below)

Anyway, the point of all this, apart from saying sorry to see the blog go, is if you'd like to just write the odd cricket trading article, or discuss any aspect of trading / betting that is on your mind without the pressure of constantly having to update a blog we'd welcome any input you care to offer.

I've found this a more interesting outlet than the old blog had become and maybe something similar may appeal to you?

Anyway, leave it at that for now. You know how how to get hold of me if you're interested and the offer stands.

Good luck with the trading in the meantime.

BFT.

Ibiza Legend said...

Good luck Mark.

I have been reading yours for some time too.

I just started one up after being inspired by the likes or youself, Adam, John and Peter Webb.

Lets see how long mine will last......

Regards

Anonymous said...

Shame to see another blog end but it seems if you do well, nobody believes you. If you don't, people are not interested. Personally I don't think I could do a blog as it just detracts from what you should be doing really doesn't it? Good luck and thanks for doing the blog in the past.

Anonymous said...

Many thanks for the time and effort expended in writing your journal. I've only followed it for the past few months but found it most interesting and enjoyable.

Kind regards and all the best for the future,
PhilipH

Anonymous said...

Blimey Mark, i'm shocked! I have followed your blog from virtually day one. Will miss your musings big time.

Hope you stick your head in the UBF cricket forum from time to time. Good luck with your trading and hope things continue to go well for Caden!

Perhaps will still keep in touch via e-mail from time to time, swap notes regarding this massive year of cricket coming up!

Cassini said...

Good luck Mark. Like many others, I always enjoyed your blog. It had a some variety to it and was one of the honest ones out there. All the best for Caden also. In the whole scheme of things, blogging about bettting is pretty low in importance! All the best.

Ray said...

Well Mark, I know exactly how you feel. I took the same decision some time ago, it is difficult when blogging starts to get a chore.

I wish you and your family all the best for the future. Time has flown by with young Caden reaching his 1st Birthday.

I hope you keep in touch occasionally.

Ray

Loocie said...

Hi Mark,

sorry to hear you stop blogging. Your blog is really helpful for beginners like me. It helped me to get more organized and to learn about money management and risk and reward.
Thanks for that and all the best for you and your family.

Cheers, Loocie

Anonymous said...

A weak man has doubts before a decision, a strong man has them afterwards.
Karl Kraus (1874 - 1936)

Understand your decision and good luck, after all these years you've done it.. I'll miss your posts

Mike

amorphous said...

Enjoyed reading about your ups and downs over the years Mark.

All the best for the future, for both you and your family,

Take care,

Alan

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the entertainment Mark. I'm sorry to see you go. Good luck to you and yours.
Anthony

Talkbet said...

Sorry to see you departing the blogging scene Mark, hopefully you'll find time to do the odd update from time to time?
I'm lucky in that I find the odd 5 minutes or so at work and update mine. At weekends or evenings I can find better use of my time than the blog and I'm sure that's where you're at now!
It's hard keeping it updated without it turning into a 'I made/lost x amount' but you certainly have a knack for writing and were able to entertain as well as inform.
Good luck for the future mate.

Anonymous said...

Greetings from Latvia. You are the person who has helped me to sort this trading out. Thanks! All the best!

Mark Iverson said...

Thanks everyone - it means alot that you've all taken the time to say how much you enjoyed reading my blog. As most of you will know, after a while you do tend to wonder if anybody's out there!

Now for the individual replies...

John - I didn't realise until you posted your message that you'd stopped too. I've been really busy over the last few weeks and keeping up with other blogs is something that I've struggled to do. You had a bit of a niche there mate - Formula One has it's fans and as it's something I dabble with I was fascinated with how you go about preparing for race weekend. Don't disappear completely though and if you can please stay in touch.

Gus - Thanks for the kind words. Your blog is another that has made me look at things in a different light. With your help I've been taking tips on how to get a feel for the popularity of TV show contestants from info available on the web and this is something I hadn't looked into before. Keep up the good work.

Anonymous (1) - That's a huge complement, thank you. Sorry that I've felt the need to stop but I'm hoping that the extra time will help me produce better trading results. all the best for the future to you too.

Leon - I won't be going far mate and will continue to keep an eye on your progress in the future. It would be great to keep in touch so if you, or anybody else want to get in contact then feel free to do so by dropping me a note at mark@markiverson.com. I get loads of junk email though so please put 'BLOG' in the subject header. All the best mate.

Ali - Thanks for the mention on your blog and for your kind words. The blog has served it's purpose and with it still taking up quite a bit of time to update I've realised that it's life is over. Give me a shout when you want to look into that project a little further. All the best with your trading.

BFT - A big thank you to you mate. It was your blog along with Matt from Punt and Ray that gave me inspiration to give it a go myself. Great to hear that you've got involved with Cricket Edge and no worries about the link. I'll enjoy my 'time off' for the moment but I may take you up on the offer in the near future. All the best as always and I hope married life is going well.

2% Trader - All the best with the trading and the blog. It's quite a difficult task combining both but I found that jotting down my thoughts really helped with my discipline. Good luck.

Anonymous (2) - Writing a blog is more time consuming than I think a lot of people imagine, but I've enjoyed it and found it extremely helpful. Many thanks for taking the time to read my posts. All the best.

Philip - Many thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts and for taking the time to comment. All the best.

Nic's just called me so I've got to go for now.....I'll reply to the other comments asap....

Mark

Mark Iverson said...

Right, I'm back.....


Gary - sorry mate! If you've been with me since the beginning you've been on the journey with me and it will seem strange not updating the blog in future. Feel free to drop me an email anytime you want (see address above) and I'll pop into the Ultimate Betting Cricket Forum over the Summer. All the best.

Roberto - many thanks for being a regular reader. Your blog is right up there with the best about and I'll continue to drop in to read about your thoughts. Good luck on making it to the 500k.

Ray - It's quite easy to forget the point of writing a blog as time goes by and I think I just about spotted the right time to stop. It would be good to keep in touch mate. All the best.

Loocie - All the best with your trading for the future and I'm glad I could be of some help to you in the past. All the best.

Mike - What can I say? It's been a long road and your quote just about sums things up. I may not have reached the destination yet but like British Rail, "I'm getting there!" Good luck for the future and I'll continue to follow your progress. All the best.

Alan - Great to see some good results on your blog and I'm really glad you got rid of your old name (far too negative!) All the best for the future.

Anthony - Many thanks for your support and comments whilst I've written the blog. Much appreciated mate and I wish you all the best for the future.

Talkbet - The time feels right to call it a day but you never know, I may post the odd entry here and there just to keep in the mix of things. Good luck with the Powerstats and all the best for the future - Pompey will need it :-)

My Latvian Friend - I'm glad I was of some help. I wish you good luck with your trading in the future. All the best.

Anonymous said...

Cheers Mark.

Good Luck.

The Gambler.

Dusko said...

Hello,
I'm Dule and have a blog at http://dkoricanac.blogspot.com/ It's about betting and football in global. If you're interested in link exchange,please contact me.
Good luck,
Dule

Clive said...

Hi mate. Shame to hear about you ending your blog. Its been a good read over the last couple of years.
Moved out to Oz in December, hoping to get sponsored to stay out here, but still been keeping an eye on your progress when I get a chance!
God luck for the future for you, Nic and Caden. And thanks for your help when I was first getting involved in the trading malarkey!

321-on said...

I have a blog at www.321-on.com all welcome to check it out. Not as good as this one but the bank is well in profit...

Mark Iverson said...

Many thanks John.

All the best with your blog.

Mark

Mark Iverson said...

Sorry Dule, but I've now stopped updating my blog.

All the best for the future though.

Mark

Mark Iverson said...

Hi Clive,

You jammy b*gger!

Which part of Oz mate?

Wish I could be downing a couple of schooners right now...:-)

Good luck for the future and take care of them sheilas'.

Mark

Anonymous said...

Great Blog Mark..

I have been following it for a while now and am interested in exchanging links.

Please check out our blog and let me know if you're interested.

Thanks.

Gareth http://blog.highclassequine.com/

Gareth said...

Hi Mark,

Seems I've been out of the loop for a while! Whilst the decision comes as no surprise it is sad to see you stop. You were one of the regular stops I'd make when I kept my blog up to date along with BFT and Ray.

I wish you continued success and hope you, Nicola and the little one all keep well.

All the best,

Gareth

Mark Iverson said...

Hi Gareth,

Many thanks for the best wishes.

I guess the blog had done it's job in getting me to where I wanted to be. I'm not ruling out a few update posts at a later date though.

Hope everything is going well for you too.

All the best,

Mark

Gambling said...

very good.

Gambling Tips

Justice Trader said...

Seeya Iverson I hope you will be back. I am also a fellow Sports Bettor and I hope to see your thoughts once again

Anonymous said...

When will he come back again?

www.stanjames.com