I am back home from Japan after a very interesting trip to the Land of the Rising Sun. I’m seeing my dad off at the airport later today, so it’s back to a full work schedule for yours truly.

What a time to return!

The World Cup kicked off with Russia spanking the Saudis 5-0. So, think goals when the Saudis meet a team with even better attacking players than the creaky Ruskies – Uruguay, for instance!

What are my best calls for the World Cup?

Before I pass these on, remember that you can profit for free using ‘matched betting’. Take advantage of the huge number of bookmaker incentives for the World Cup and work in consort with Betfair to create risk-free betting opportunities.

Https://matchedbettingblog.com/football/list-of-world-cup-2018-offers/#.WyNTR6dKjIU is an excellent introduction to the offers in-play at the moment.

Https://www.oddschecker.com/football/world-cup/free-bets also provides a great list.

If matched betting (or bonus-bagging) is new to you, my close showbiz pal Mr Google offers some great tutorials. I have written a guide myself for members of www.whatreallywinsmoney.co.uk and it is available at the website.

What am I interested in this World Cup? Hmmm. It’s a tough nut to crack.

I have already invested in Cavani and Suarez in the Top Scorer market, in the hope they spank the Saudis. At about 20/1 the pair, we might see some action from these Uruguayans.

Portugal at 26 on Betfair, and Belgium at 14 appeal for the Outright Winner market, and again I’ll have one eye on the ‘cash out’ button. We want both sides to go deep. Perhaps back Portugal after tonight’s match with Spain in the hope the Portuguese do not win – thus their odds in the Outright Winner market rise.

A lot of talk around Lukaku in the Top Scorer market, and considering Belgium meet Tunisia and Panama, Romelu might be able to fill his boots, at least against Panama. At 17.5 odds, I am in!

Winning group? I went for B, D, and G at odds of 5.5, 7.6 and 7.2, mostly because there are at least two teams in with a shout.

That’ll do me for the moment. Big odds and a chance to ‘cash out’ of these in-running markets.

Royal Ascot also greets us on Tuesday! 

A meeting of such high quality is an ideal opportunity for you to use winning trends analysis. Websites such as www.trendyrich.com and www.thestatsdontlie.com do the work for you… for free. They will point out the best past trends which could signal future profits. So take a look. High-quality races usually show consistent patterns over, say, the last ten years, in terms of:

  • The draw. Note if the draw is a factor with the winners. (TIP – check out the racecards at attheraces.com as they tend to show comprehensive previous winner stats.)
  • How has the favourite performed? In some races, the favourite simply tends to lose.
  • Is the race winner confined to certain odds, i.e 8/1 or lower? This can give you a quick way of shortlisting a race.
  • Is a race dominated by a trainer? Aidan O’Brien tends to win multiple races. Ditto with a jockey.

You’ll be amazed how past winning trends (last ten years) can accurately predict likely strong runners. I always tend to bet each way in these races too.

It is a pity I cannot do any past winner trends for you today. With racing on Tuesday, the trends are not up yet.

Good luck with your World Cup and Ascot plays.