Here are some betting tips based on an approach that has worked solidly for me now for over 5 years. Establish a standard method for race selection, horse selection and your wagering amount and record all your selections while applying this method. Whatever your method, it should have sound reasoning behind how it selects winners.

Track the performance of your selections using this method over a period of time (at least 6 months). I used to use a spreadsheet for tracking but now I use the GTO to do this.

If it is not showing a profit, consider what information you may not be capturing that could be impacting your method's performance. Make sure that you have clear rationale to support any changes that you make, don't tinker with your method without sound reasoning for changing it. If you are not seeing an improvement over time (i.e. greater percentage of winners or greater profit from investment) then you may have to rethink the method entirely.

When trying to understand why my method did not perform well in a race I review the race and try to identify any mishaps in the running or unconsidered factors (e.g. horses checked, significant track bias) that may have influenced the outcome of the race. I then run some tests. I try and quantify these other factors and apply them to my method to see if it produces more accurate results. If I am successful in identifying a factor(s) that is not used in my method, I test it in future race assessments. If it improves the success of my method over a period of time I conclude it is an influential factor and it is adopted into my method. As a result of this review I have changed my method several times by adopting new factors into my method.

I also assess the other two aspects of the method, race selection and the wagering amount. I use my own selection performance history to identify patterns where I have had more success. Through this analysis of my own form I noted that I am more consistent with winning selections in shorter races. As a result I concentrate on races with distances of up to 1400 metres. This makes sense to me because I often get frustrated by trying to work out how distance races will run.

I continue to review my wagering amount by considering what rationale to apply to achieve the best return. My view here is to base your investment amount on your confidence in the runner which tends to relate to its chance of winning.

Each time you change your approach note it against your history and monitor any effect it may have on your performance.