The Smart Betting Club Podcast

In the latest SBC Podcast I am joined by a guest who is perfectly placed to talk about the biggest betting market of all time: the US Election of 2024!

Zeus O'Dea is a professional bettor and trader at the crypto-book Shuffle, one of the newer entrants into the global betting markets (and a relatively big one at that!).

As a guest, Zeus brings plenty to the table as he specialises in several markets and we dig into two of them - politics and cricket.

With November 5th just weeks away, it is the former that makes up the majority of our chat as Zeus talks us through some of the stranger market moves of recent times and how things like polling and commentators like Nate Silver can impact upon odds.

This chat was like no other as alongside our betting talk, crypto deals in Montenegro and evictions from the Oval both made it into our conversation too!
For those of you who would like to follow Zeus on social media, you can do so on X/Twitter​@ZeusODea​.

You can also support the SBC Podcast by visiting our brand-new podcast sponsor, Matchbook. You can get ​150 days, commission free with them via this link​.

To find out everything you need to know about the Smart Betting Club, please visit www.smartbettingclub.com. For up-to-date news, commentary and direct contact links, our Twitter/X handle is @SBCInfo - if you have any questions about what we do, please get in touch!

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro
(01:10) Zeus's Travels
(03:20) How Zeus got into the betting world
(04:09) Moving into employment with Shuffle
(06:00) Crypto & how it is different from traditional betting
(08:03) Controversial weather betting & pricing up obscure markets
(11:13) Political betting & BIG bets
(13:08) Taking risks as a bookmaker
(16:43) 2024 - different from previous elections?
(20:43) Polling and its impact on odds
(28:53) Submarkets providing betting opportunities and edges
(30:36) Nate Silver & his opinions on betting markets
(34:03) Useful resources to inform betting choices
(40:28) Cricket betting
(44:33) Zeus being forcibly removed from a Test Match
(50:31) Predictions for the US Election 2024
(53:53) How to find Zeus

A special horse racing episode featuring interviews with 2 professional punters, Paul Chandler-Burns and Tom Brownlee on their unique winning strategies on the sport.
In Part 1, Paul outlines his superb strategy based on the Racing Post Pricewise tipster, Tom Segal, which helps filter his selections and bet in a smoother, more targeted fashion for steadier profits.
In Part 2, Tom shares the details on his fantastic racing tracker tool and how when used in conjunction with a Lucky 15 strategy it has been making substantial profits across several bookmakers.

Discussed in this podcast

Part 1: Paul Chandler-Burns:

• Paul's decade as a professional bettor and why he has focused so heavily on Tom Segal's Pricewise tips in his new strategy
• Paul's record in 2020 with this strategy including the 23% ROI made betting at SP alone.
• The issues if following each of Tom's tips in and how to avoid those he is putting up to fill his tipping obligations.
• How Paul further streamlines Tom's bets further, especially when he puts up multiple bets in the same race.
• How staking and betting each-way at times has helped smooth the ride to avoid long losing runs
• Why bookmakers are so much more likely to take 'shrewd' money on the races that Tom tips in
• How you can read this strategy in SBC 122 and follow it live with Paul in February 2021 (and possibly beyond!)

Part 2: Tom Brownlee

• The Racing Tracker tool on offer via Tom's website - BookieBashing.net and just why its so potent
• How it works to simply and quickly showcase the best value tips for you to take each way in the horse racing market
• Why it really comes into its own when using a multiple strategy - such as by taking them in Lucky 15 bets
• How he turned a £30 Lucky 15 into a £5000 payout - missing out on £100,000 in a photo finish!
• SBC's own Lucky 15 strategy, including how we made 27% ROI and over £6000 following it during our review process.
• The bookmakers offering the best value and how best to use the tracker in practice
• How you can read more and save on a Bookie Bashing membership.

Links of Interest

• Access both the full versions of Tom and Paul's articles in the latest SBC Magazine - Issue 122 as an SBC member. https://smartbettingclub.com/sbc-magazines/
• Read about the Smart Betting Club and how they are helping ordinary punters with their betting @ www.smartbettingclub.com
• Podcast feedback - contact SBC on twitter @sbcinfo

In today's special podcast episode I was joined by my partner-in-crime Tom Brownlee to unpack all of the gory details about what took place last week regarding the bookmaker 10bet and the bets they laid on the golfer Trey Mullinax.

Having tried to move the goalposts on this bet after it won, our campaign forced them to revert back to their original 175/1 pricing just 2 days later and we explore all aspects of the market and what exactly took place. Rumors abound that it cost them up to an extra 1m in liability, so some very sizeable amounts were at play.

This issue is about more than just one bet and one bookmaking firm as it also speaks to the failure of regulation of the industry and the need for a stronger, more resourced ombudsman of some kind. It raises questions for the likes of the Gambling Commission, IBAS, The BGC and even Oddschecker.

We also talk about the impact of this behaviour on the black market and ask if punters can't trust the regulated industry, what is to stop them betting with unlicensed firms through the likes of Whatsapp, Slack or Telegram?

All told its a very deep dive into the issues in the industry at present - all of which were brought to the fore once again by how 10bet handled the bets they took on Trey Mullinax.

If you enjoy today's episode and this podcast series, please be sure to leave a review wherever you download your podcasts.

Discover More:

• Learn more on the Smart Betting Club and how we help winning bettors at https://smartbettingclub.com/
• Explore the Bookie Bashing service at bookiebashing.net
• Check out the golf service we run with Bookie Bashing: https://smartbettingclub.com/weekly-golf-value/
• Podcast feedback - contact SBC on twitter @sbcinfo
• Read more about each SBC Podcast episode: https://smartbettingclub.com/the-smart-betting-club-podcast/
• Justice For Punters resources for betting disputes: https://justiceforpunters.org/

The first of a two-part series that focuses on how bookmakers collect data and profile customers.
With stories of withheld winnings, altered odds, intrusive personal checks, closed accounts and voided ante post bets all being reported by punters in the last few weeks alone, it is fair to say that trust and goodwill towards bookmakers is at an all time low.
Unfortunately, we may be at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to their use of your data.
In this episode, I am joined by Neel Shah, an experienced bettor, to talk about:

• Neel’s research into the extensive information that bookmakers collect as soon as you visit their website
• How bookmakers track your credit history, social media accounts and even whether you prefer Netflix or Disney+
• Evidence of personal and financial data being shared with third parties
• How disguising your activity using basic browser technology has limited benefits
• Suggestions on the banking, deposit and withdrawal options with less ‘friction’

All told it was a fascinating chat that should help to provide some insight into how bookmakers operate and what you need to know as a smart bettor.
Part 2 of this special series looking at VPN's, Virtual Machines and more will be out next week on the Smart Betting Club podcast feed.
Discover More:

• Learn more on the Smart Betting Club and how we help winning bettors at https://smartbettingclub.com/
• Find Neel on Twitter @mybettorlife and online at https://mybettorlife.com/
• Referenced article on bookmaker data usage: https://justiceforpunters.org/the-benefits-of-a-new-era-of-transparency-and-improved-data-use/
• Podcast feedback - contact SBC on twitter @sbcinfo
• Read more about each SBC Podcast episode: https://smartbettingclub.com/the-smart-betting-club-podcast/

For the very first time I have a guest returning for his 2nd podcast interview with me, yet with plenty to talk about, its an absolute honour to have top racing judge, Quentin Franks back on.

One of the main discussion points is Quentin's very popular racing tipster service, which has a 16% ROI over nearly 10000 bets since 2014. The great news is that from 2023, Quentin is bringing his service over to us at the Smart Betting Club and we discuss why, including some of the major adjustments we are making to ensure the service is easier to follow.

Perhaps most crucially are the changes to improve odds availability with a membership cap, bookmaker-only focus and fair odds quotation policy being put in place. For those of you interested in racing tipsters, its the chance to explore some of the many talking points about getting on, how and when to use exchanges and adapting to the betting market.

We also explore the figures from the recent analysis SBC performed on his service including why he has no edge at Betfair SP, what to expect in terms of losing runs and drawdowns and how and when to increase stakes.

Finally we also spend a good amount of time discussing independent bookmaker options and just why Quentin uses them and why other punters who have been chased away by major firms should consider them too. Whilst you won't find them on sites like Oddschecker, many of these independents are run by on-course layers who are used to operating a proper book and will lay you bets at fair odds, even if a winner. We explore several firms that are fully licensed and currently go under the radar but who offer everything from online betting through to Whatsapp, Telegram and even app options to get your bets.

Discover More:

• Learn more on the Smart Betting Club and how we help winning bettors at https://smartbettingclub.com/
• Explore Quentin's New SBC Racing Tipster service at https://smartbettingclub.com/sbcracing
• Quentin's results tipping since 2014: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tm_1alZfLNyaBBdCfujVXCqwx9WQb2i6Tzy5-lB9A9U/edit#gid=0
• Quentin's Twitter account: @QuentinFranks14
• Podcast feedback - contact SBC on twitter @sbcinfo
• Read more about each SBC Podcast episode: https://smartbettingclub.com/the-smart-betting-club-podcast/

Independent Bookmaker Links
Macbet
https://macbetbookmakers.com/EN/
Goodwin Racing
https://goodwinracing.co.uk/
Ostlers Racing £1000 LTL from 11:00
https://www.ostlersracing.com/
McCartenbet (Telegram)
https://mccartanbet.com/
Joe Jennings (Telegram)
https://joejennings.co.uk/
Kalooki Sportsbook
https://www.kalookisportsbook.co.uk/