ODDS

Brent Graham

Ihave been betting for many years and during this time I have had plenty of reason to pause and think about great wins – but also some hard knocks. One thing that amazes me is how quickly great form can turn sour.

Three weeks ago I was flying high having strung together a few successful months and as my partner Mackem on Goodforthegame

likes to say, “I was seeing it like a football” – a reference to cricket where an in-form batsman appears to score runs at will.

I can tell you that after a couple of very poor weeks of punting I am seeing it like a marble and, much like a batsman, I have to decide whether to hit myself out of trouble by placing some big bets or rather consolidate, go into my shell and defend for a while until I start feeling bat on ball again.

I must admit to having already tried the former route this past weekend where I only placed three bets but all of them at increased stakes and all of them losers.

I was on over 45.5 points in the Bok game where I ended up watching the final 10 minutes and that refereeing howler on a TV in a garage in Kroonstad.

I then over-reacted to windy conditions in Port Elizabeth where I went low on points in the Kings v Leinster game, only to get burnt by a crazy 10-minute spell in which four tries were scored.

Finally, I lumped on the Cheetahs to beat Munster, who were missing almost their entire team, but the Cheetahs fluffed their lines as they usually do.

A few years ago I would have probably come out firing this weekend but I have taken stock of my situation and, despite a poor run of form, I am still nicely up for the year.

Rather than give all that back with some wild punting, I am looking to reduce the balance in those betting accounts which still have healthy balances and will go back to basics with some smaller bets.

Brent Graham is a sports betting blogger at

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