There are lots of ways to get the most out of these Scottish selections and that has been reflected in feedback I have received from members over the last two seasons.

Some prefer mixing and matching my selections into their own bets, others have done well backing them in doubles, trebles and accumulators, while others prefer to use my advices as the basis for laying unfavoured teams on the exchanges or to back them via Asian Handicap bets.

Personally, I back them as I stake them and although I am using bookmaker best odds for ease of recording the bets I’d advise you to keep an eye on the exchanges, where despite a lack of liquidity, you can often get on at better prices than with the high street firms.

In terms of staking I am using a 1-5 pts staking system based on a 25 pt total bank. That means if you set aside £100 to follow me over the season your initial 1pt bet would equate to a stake of £4, with 2pts equalling £8 etc up to a £20 5pt’er. The idea is that as your bank grows (or falls) your basic staking units expand or contract in proportion to your total bank. So if in a few weeks you find you have doubled your starting pot to £200 your 1pt bet should be £8, with a sliding scale of 5pts equalling £40. The idea is, in keeping with my wider aims, is to minimise the level of volatility in my betting while ensuring a decent seasonal return.

As with all your betting, I recommend that you keep a record of your bets in spreadsheet form so you know exactly where you stand at any given point. Anyone that wants a copy of a blank Progambler spreadsheet for their own use should drop me a line at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and I’ll ping one back to you.

The strength of the staking employed is primarily a product of my confidence in my edge over the bookmakers. My perceived edge is based on my own tissue prices which I compile blind in midweek before I’ve so much as looked at the best odds available. Where my prices are suitably at odds with the bookmakers, I add games to a shortlist which is then whittled down, in conjunction with my team, to hopefully extract the best bets on the cards. This term I am also going to look at seasonally adjusting my staking too, to take into account the distinct phases of the season and their varying form.

As a solid introduction to doing your own prices and adopting good betting habits generally, I’d recommend reading both Malcolm Boyle’s The Art of Bookmaking and One Hundred Hints For Better Betting by the founder of The Racing Post’s Pricewise column, Mark Coton (although as it is out of print you may have to track down a second-hand copy via Amazon).