The Smart Betting Club Podcast

Cricket betting has become one of the fastest growing betting markets in the world. In Episode 106, I sit down with journalist, author and cricket betting expert Ed Hawkins to explore why more serious bettors are turning their attention to the sport.
Drawing on more than 20 years covering cricket and betting markets, Ed explains why bookmakers continue to make pricing mistakes, the betting markets he believes offer the biggest edge, and why understanding pitch conditions is often more important than following recent form.
We also discuss the rapid growth of franchise cricket around the world, how the CricStats VIP service identifies value alongside Richard Mann and Paul Krishnamurty, and why discipline remains one of the most underrated skills in profitable betting.
If you've read our recent CricStats review in SBC Magazine Issue 166, this conversation provides an excellent opportunity to hear directly from one of the people behind the service. With an SBC membership, you can also save up to £200 on a CricStats subscription, making it an ideal time to explore one of our highest rated cricket betting services.
Whether you're an experienced cricket bettor or someone looking to explore a growing market, this episode offers plenty of practical insights into finding value where others aren't looking.

KEY TALKING POINTS
Ed Hawkins' journey from Racing Post journalist to one of cricket betting's most respected analysts
Why cricket continues to offer value despite the explosion in data and analytics
How bookmakers still make regular pricing mistakes in cricket markets
Why pitch reports and playing conditions are often the biggest edge for bettors
The balance between statistics, cricket knowledge and market pricing
Why Top Run Scorer, Player Performance and Sixes markets offer consistent opportunities
Why recent form can be overrated in T20 cricket betting
The importance of discipline and knowing when not to place a bet
How the CricStatz VIP team works together to identify value bets
Why the service only quotes realistic, widely available prices
The rapid growth of franchise cricket and what it means for bettors
Why some emerging cricket leagues are avoided because of integrity concerns
How Test cricket creates unique opportunities for in play betting
The future of cricket betting and where Ed believes the biggest opportunities still exist
Support The Podcast
You can support the SBC Podcast by visiting our podcast sponsor, Matchbook. Get 150 days commission free via this link: https://welcome.matchbook.com/SBC150

Resources & Mentions
Ed Hawkins on X: https://x.com/cricketbetting
CrickStatz: https://telegram.cricstatz.ai/
Read our full CricStatz review in SBC Magazine Issue 166
SBC members can save up to £200 on a CricStatz subscription
Smart Betting Club: https://smartbettingclub.com/

Key Quotes
"The bookmakers do not have the resources to spend enough time on cricket. I think you get plenty of mistakes in cricket prices."
"The pitch report is absolutely vital. I wouldn't be betting heavily on a game unless I was convinced I knew what the wicket was like."
"Cricket is about failing the majority of the time. The trick is working out when someone is going to hit their sweet spot."
"Good form doesn't necessarily exist in T20 cricket."
"Cricket never stops. There's almost always another game tomorrow."
"The growth of franchise leagues means there are betting opportunities almost every day of the year."
"Years ago you could only really bet on match odds or Top Batsman. Now you've got player runs, player performances, wicket markets and total runs."
"The money swirling around cricket betting is still absolutely huge." "The Indian betting market is so vast that it props up everything else."

Making over £1 million from betting is enough to grab anyone's attention. The real story, though, is how my guest in Episode 105, Harry, got there.
In this episode, Harry lifts the lid on two decades of professional betting, from exploiting early Betfair markets and building successful betting syndicates, to finding value on today's betting exchanges, managing variance, surviving losing years and continually adapting as betting markets have evolved. He also explains why exchanges now form the backbone of his betting, how he identifies inflated prices, and the practical challenges of funding accounts in an era of affordability checks.
If you've ever wondered what separates long term winning bettors from everyone else, this is an honest and fascinating insight into the mindset, discipline and decision making required to stay ahead.

KEY TALKING POINTS
Harry's journey to more than £1 million in betting profits
Why he still works in the legal profession despite betting professionally
How early Betfair markets created opportunities that no longer exist
The transition from trading and shop betting to exchange based value betting
Building and operating successful betting syndicates
How syndicates calculate expected value and split profits fairly
The evolution of bookmaker promotions, Lucky 15s and shop betting opportunities
Finding value through exchanges, inflated markets and probability modelling
Using Bookie Bashing alongside personal research to validate prices
Why adapting to changing markets is essential for long term success
Managing variance, losing years and maintaining confidence in expected value
The psychological benefits of working with trusted betting partners
The impact of affordability checks, exchange funding and bookmaker restrictions
Examples of betting "unicorns" and market inefficiencies that generated exceptional returns
Harry's biggest betting wins and lessons from twenty years as a professional bettor
His advice for anyone looking to build a sustainable betting career from scratch
Support The Podcast
You can support the SBC Podcast by visiting our podcast sponsor, Matchbook. Get 150 days commission free via this link: https://welcome.matchbook.com/SBC150
Resources & Mentions
Harry on Twitter(X): https://x.com/bazapeps
Smart Betting Club: https://smartbettingclub.com/

In Episode 104, Pete sits down with Juan, founder of Bet Hero, the value betting platform recently reviewed and recommended in SBC Magazine 164.
Juan explains how his journey into betting began not through gambling, but by identifying inefficiencies in other markets. From building software to profit from sneaker releases, GPUs and collectibles, his background in computer science and automation naturally led him into arbitrage and eventually value betting.
The discussion explores the difference between arbitrage and value betting, why expected value is the foundation of long term success, and how Bet Hero evolved from a simple Discord alert bot into a platform covering more than 400 sportsbooks worldwide.
Pete and Juan analyse SBC’s review of 16,488 bets producing a 4.06% ROI, explaining why ROI alone can be misleading, the importance of closing line value, and how successful users maximise returns through volume, discipline and focusing on EV rather than short term results.
Finally, Juan discusses Bet Hero’s unique pricing model using multiple sharp sources, alongside Kelly staking, middle betting, and the ongoing battle to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated bookmakers.
SBC members can also access an exclusive 20% discount on Bet Hero plans, saving up to €215 when joining before the end of June 2026. Full details at https://smartbettingclub.com/blog/bet-hero_review/

Topics covered include
From sneaker reselling and software engineering into sports betting
How arbitrage introduced Juan to value betting
Why expected value is more important than individual results
Learning to ignore short term variance and think long term
Building the first Bet Hero Discord bot
Growing from a personal tool into a platform covering 400+ sportsbooks
Why underserved betting regions create opportunities
How SBC analysed 16,488 Bet Hero bets and recorded a 4.06% ROI
Why ROI must be viewed alongside turnover and betting volume
Using EV filters to improve performance
Why closing line value is a key measure of success
The habits of Bet Hero’s most successful users
Why higher odds and lower strike rates can still offer excellent value
Building fair odds using multiple sharp sources rather than only Pinnacle
The role of exchanges and prediction markets in modern pricing
Kelly staking versus level stakes
Adding middle betting and future Bet Hero developments

Support The Podcast
You can support the SBC Podcast by visiting our podcast sponsor, Matchbook.
Get 150 days commission free via this link:
https://welcome.matchbook.com/SBC150

Resources & Mentions
Bet Hero: https://betherosports.com
Bet Hero on X: @betherosports
Smart Betting Club: https://smartbettingclub.com/
SBC's review of Bet Hero: https://smartbettingclub.com/blog/bet-hero_review/

Key Quotes and Pull Outs
On discovering value betting
“I always heard that less than 5% of bettors actually make money. The moment I understood how sportsbooks set odds and bake in a margin, everything changed.”
“In the long run, value betting is more profitable (than arbitrage) because you don’t need to hedge and sacrifice some of the profit.”
On mindset and handling variance
“If you start getting anxious about short term performance, it’s going to play you mentally.”
“I don’t even check how the games are doing anymore. I place as many bets as I can and look at the results later.”
“The top users only care about expected value. It doesn’t matter if the bet has a 1% chance of winning or a 70% chance of winning. As long as it’s positive expected value, that’s all that matters.”
On building Bet Hero
“In the beginning, my idea was to build it for myself to take advantage of my local sportsbooks.”
“There was no website, no dashboard. It was just a Discord bot sending me alerts when a value bet was found.”
“Once I saw the product was working for me and for my friends, I decided to make it public.”
On the reality of value betting returns
“Even if you’re getting a 1% ROI, it’s daily. It compounds very quickly.”
“I find there is a misconception when people compare betting ROI to the stock market. It’s like comparing apples to oranges.”
On finding the best betting opportunities
“We usually recommend users start with over 3% expected value because you have a safe margin.”
“Beginners care too much about winning probability. They filter out a big chunk of volume where value exists.”
“There is no sportsbook that is the sharpest at everything.”
On the future of betting markets
“Prediction markets provide valuable data because you can see where the money is flowing and in what magnitude.”
"This is a constant battle. The sportsbooks get better with time and we also get better.”
“We continue improving the software every day.”

Recorded live at Smart Bash 2026, Pete Ling is joined by Phil Smith, Jeevan Jeyaratnam and Varun Sudhakar to explore one of the biggest challenges facing profitable bettors today: not finding value, but actually getting money down.

The panel discusses how AI driven risk management, affordability checks and increasingly sophisticated customer profiling have changed the betting landscape. Topics include account longevity, timing of bets, market selection, exchange betting, accumulators, player props and the practical realities of avoiding restrictions while still maximising value.

Drawing on experience from both sides of the industry, the conversation offers actionable insights for bettors looking to improve their returns, preserve access to bookmakers and make more from the edges they already have.

Key topics:
Why finding value alone is no longer enough, and how to make sure you can actually get meaningful stakes on your best bets
What modern bookmakers are really looking for when profiling customers, and how AI is changing the way winning bettors are identified
Practical ways to improve account longevity and reduce the risk of restrictions, affordability checks and stake reductions
How accumulators, player props and other market types can help serious bettors maximise opportunities and stay under the radar
Why the timing of your bets can be just as important as the selection itself, and how to avoid common execution mistakes
How betting exchanges can provide greater flexibility, better scalability and an alternative route when bookmaker limits become an issue
Actionable advice for £50 to £100 stake bettors looking to increase profits, preserve accounts and build a more sustainable betting operation

Support The Podcast
You can support the SBC Podcast by visiting our podcast sponsor, Matchbook. Get 150 days commission free via this link: https://welcome.matchbook.com/SBC150

Resources & Mentions
Phil on Twitter(X): https://x.com/philbetting
Jeevan: https://x.com/JeevesOdds
Varun: https://x.com/svarun91
Smart Betting Club: https://smartbettingclub.com/
Key Quotes

"Finding value has become much more democratised. Getting your money down is now 50% of the problem, if not more. The real challenge these days is execution."
Varun

"Every Monday morning I'll be at my desk looking at my deposits for the week and making sure I don't go over £500 per week because the affordability check will tend to trigger if you're depositing five grand a month."
Phil

"It's about not what wins, but what wins you the most."
Pete

"I've realised that I need to spread the staking across various different accounts. When I do it on one or two accounts, that's when the affordability check triggers."
Phil

"We're seeing algorithmic AI solutions that will do this job much faster, much better and at a greater scale than human traders can do."
Jeevan

"You can prime an account, but AI will pick up your bet as soon as you put the good bet on."
Jeevan

"You can have the biggest edge in Romanian tennis, but if you can't get down, it just doesn't matter."
Varun

"If you value the account, you've got to be very careful betting on niche markets where there's little liquidity."
Jeevan

"The worst thing that you can do is keep getting accounts locked with big cash balances in. You don't know when you're going to get paid out. It's just a nightmare."
Phil

In Episode 102 of the SBC Podcast, I’m joined by Jesse May and Simon Nott to preview Smart Bash 2026, which is taking place on May 27th and 28th in London, England. 
You can grab your tickets and save 10% on the cost by using the SBC discount code: SBCSBASH10 when purchasing via www.smart-bash.com
This special episode breaks down why Smart Bash has quickly become one of the standout betting events in the UK, bringing together everyone from aspiring bettors to some of the sharpest operators, traders and professional gamblers in the industry.

We discuss what makes the event different from a traditional gambling conference, why the networking side is such a huge part of the experience, and how many of the best conversations happen away from the stage, between bettors sharing ideas, edges and experiences that rarely get discussed publicly.

We also preview the major workshops and panels taking place across the two days, including:

• World Cup betting and trading angles
• Prediction markets and exchange betting
• The growth of the black market
• Tax and syndicate structures
• Bookmaker restrictions and sustainability
• Racecourse betting and bookmaker insights
• The evolution of betting edges
• Why “getting money down” has become one of the biggest modern advantages

Alongside the betting discussions, the episode also explores the wider challenges facing bettors today, from affordability checks and regulation through to the growing importance of execution, timing and account management.

Whether you are looking to sharpen your edge, meet like minded bettors, or better understand where the betting industry is heading next, this episode explains exactly why Smart Bash has built such a strong reputation within serious betting circles.

Support The Podcast
You can support the SBC Podcast by visiting our podcast sponsor, Matchbook. Get 150 days commission free via this link: https://welcome.matchbook.com/SBC150

Resources & Mentions
Smart Bash Tickets: www.smart-bash.com
Smart Betting Club: https://smartbettingclub.com/

On what makes Smart Bash different
“It was the brainchild of people who wanted something that was just for bettors, just serious bettors.”

On betting being a lonely pursuit
“Professional gambling, or the attempt to become a professional gambler, is a lonely road.”

On the networking side of Smart Bash
“They only met that day at the event, but they were talking as if they’d known each other for years.”

On hidden betting talent
“There’s quite a lot of people who attend that have no profile publicly, but are big bettors or run big betting operations”

On Jose’s workshop
“Too many people just think they have a bet and always bet a single instead of looking at multiples and parlays.”

On execution and betting strategy via the SBC Panel planned
“If you can 2x how much money you can make from every account, that’s worth that edge alone.”

On why people should attend
“If you have a passion for taking betting seriously, just come. You’ll have fun.”