Steve Howe Betfair Trader ItsAMugsBlog Workshop Review

Posted by: Daniel on July 10, 2017 Under: Betfair Trading Courses, Gambling and Tipsters, Interviews With the Experts |

Steve Howe is another Betfair trader that gets mentioned a lot in trading circles, and runs his own website at ‘itsamugsblog’.

Now earlier this year one of our readers sent us an email to state that they were attending one of Steve’s trading workshops in March just gone, and that if we wanted to, and to help our website readers interested in trading the exchanges, he would happily send us his thoughts on the day, and the training.

I must admit that I have been rather busy this year, and struggled to find time to complete this write up, but the review is below; on Steve Howe as a Betfair trainer and his March 2017 workshop in Coventry.

Let’s start the review:

Review Product Name: Steve Howe Betfair Training Workshop

What is it: A full day of training with Steve Howe.

What You Get: A day of training with Steve on his Betfair strategies

Price: £225 (£995 for Sports Trading School)

Where To Buy: www.itsamugsblog.co.uk

Steve Howe has since started his Sports Trading School, which is an online version of the workshops he used to offer, which is an online course ranging up to a cost of £995 for the top package. This course is obviously aimed at those with deep pockets, and who could not manage to attend the live workshops.

Who Is Steve Howe / Its A Mugs Blog?

Steve Howe is a Betfair trader from the centre of the UK, who has been trading the markets for many years. Steve states that he has been trading now for well over 10+ years and that he was fascinated at how a profit could be made from the the Betfair website.

After succeeding himself on the Betfair exchanges Steve then decided to start workshops which have become very popular amongst those who are also looking to follow in the footsteps of those who already generate a regular profit.

I have obviously heard of Steve, and have read his website a few times myself, and compared to some of the other professional Betfair traders Steve has always come across as being quite reserved and understated. In fact, I am quite sure that if Steve put extra effort into his website then he could promote his wares better, but that is one of the qualities that draws many of the ‘would be’ traders towards what Steve teaches.

Other well known traders (some of which who we have reviewed) have more of an internet presence, Peter Webb who is another fantastic trader we reviewed last year, who is definitely worth listening to, and we did a detailed write up on his Bet Angel software here, but Steve is not advertised as much, and I get the feeling he likes it that way.

Steve Howe Betfair Trading Workshops

Steve puts on workshops every second month in Coventry at The Village Hotel, and on his website he states that what you will receive is as follows:

• Setting discipline
• Setting up your trading day
• How to set your staking
• Some Bank managment

Steve also states that he will teach you his strategies on how exactly he makes money from the Betfair markets in a quality venue, always on a Monday, which takes place in a dedicated room at the above hotel.

Taking note of Steve’s website over the last few months in preperation of this review, I notice that his workshops always sell out, and places get taken quickly.

So how did the attendee get on? What happened on the day? Did he learn how to trade profitably?

During this review, the attendee (a reader of our own website) has provided the information and feedback, and I have written it to the best of my own ability here, and the attendee has agreed that everything is correct.

So let’s get into it – The following is derived from the attendee of the workshop:

….Start of attendee input:

I arrived at the Village Hotel in Coventry on the Sunday evening, ready to start the day fresh the next day. It was a pleasant drive down, on a clear day, and actually the hotel was extremely easy to find. The sat nav found it very easily. The following snap was from my in car recorder, don’t worry I was not using my phone:

The hotel was decent quality, with a decent pint. Steve did say in his emails a few days before that if we all got to the bar in the evening that it would be the perfect chance to have a chat with himself, and some of the other people on the course, although I had been at a wedding the day before and was shattered, so had a drink and then bed for me – nice hotel though.

This is when I arrived at the hotel:

The room was also nice enough, like a small flat with decent decor, and great for a few nights if that was what you wished to stay for. I think some of the other attendees did stay an extra night, although I had work the next morning so I had only booked for a single night.

If you are interested, here is a picture of the room I stayed in for the workshop:

The next day I had a loverly breakfast in the hotel restaurant, which was a bargain price of only £7.50, and noticed that there was not a great deal of people around, so I did actually wonder at this stage if the workshop would be full.

Anyway, as we all met around 8:45am it was clear that the workshop was full, with every seat taken. I say near to where Steve was presenting as I didn’t want to miss anything.

How Did The Workshop Go?

The workshop room was nice enough, darkly lit so that we all could see the computer screens we had access to, there was probably one pc screen between 3 people, and Steve started by showing us an amusing video which was one of those ‘parodies’ which mentioned himself, Peter Webb, and a few other traders and how some market their wares more than others. It was funny and set the theme for the workshop.

We then went around the room one at a time, introducing ourselves and telling the others about our experience and what we were hoping to gain from the course. This was interesting, because what it said was that none of us really were making any money from trading, and were all pretty much in the same position as one another.

Steve started with how he started trading, some of his background, and then we started with the basics, like money management, making notes of your trades (he had a spreadsheet for this), and the importance of writing down your trades.

All basic, and nothing most would not already know, but I assume he had to go through this as some people may have been brand new to Betfair trading.

Some of what was discussed in the early stages of the workshop were the following, and I wrote these from my own notes:

• ODS, Live video recording of the races, and which streams to use.
• 2 Step authentification on Betfair.

All decent stuff, albeit most traders will have known this stuff.

Gruss Betting Assistant Software

Steve then went on to explain what software he uses, and how he changed from using Bet Angel, to now using Gruss Betting Assitant as his software of choice, (You can read my recent review of the Gruss Assistant Software here) which he did email us about before attending the workshop to explain that he did use that, and that no matter what software we used ourselves that it would be the principles that were applied that were important, not specifically the software.

One thing I did notice though, was that visually his strategies probably work better on Gruss Software than say Bet Angel, and I did try both when I got home to see if both could be used with the same effect.

Steve also mentioned that he had a hand in designing the Gruss software in line with how he trades personally.

I have used most of the trading software out there, including Betangel and Geeks Toy and some other traders type software so I was also interested in the software itself. The software is more colourful than most, I noticed, and here is a pic of it if you don’t have one for the review:

Steve Howe The Betfair Training?

At around 1pm or so we had lunch which was included, which was finger food, as well as a hot stew which was very nice, with cold cans and hot drinks also included in the price of the workshop, from the ending machine. Very enjoyable.

After lunch is when Steve stated that he would get into the actual trading, and much of this was Steve showing us videos, and what he looks for.

This included pre race and some details based around what to look for with horses approaching the race line, and some signals that can change the betting odds which did surprise me at the time, as well as a few other pointers to look out for which can cause horses to change in price.

Steve also went though a full day race card and explained if he would trade certain races, although the detail was left out in the main.

Did The Betfair Strategies Work?

The workshop from Steve, if I break it down,  mainly came down to a certain strategy regarding the favourite, and if there was a ‘certain something’ happening then this would be the time to trade or not.

Mainly this included the folowing:

• Favourite opportunities.
• Particular race card opportunities.
• What is happening on TV affecting prices.
• Safety points.
• Crossover points.
• Super signals.

What I did notice early on was the time and date of the videos Steve was showing us, the bulk of them were a few years old, which had me thinking as to what the reason was for not showing recent trades. There were a few recent trades but most of the demonstration videos were from a few years ago. I am not sure if anybody else noticed, but it was not questioned, and maybe didn’t matter. I may have been overthinking things.

I suppose if the videos show the relevant points then fair enough, but I did think about it on the day.

Getting back to the main strategy Steve teaches, this was mainly based around which other horse was going to scupper the chances of the favourite’s price movement going down in price, and there were a few details that he advised us to check. Again, throughout explaining these details Steve shown more videos, and then asked us if we could spot them, which was useful.

I remember at the final break I phoned my wife and she asked me what I thought so far, and I remember what I said at the time, and it was that mostly I had not learned a great deal, but if the main strategy that Steve teaches worked, then I would be pleased.

The main strategy was not something I had previously used, although I have been trying to trade successfully for a few years, and I kept saying to myself that ‘surely it cannot be that easy to implement’.

To be fair to Steve his pre emails sent to attendees did state that a lot of practice would be needed after the training and that we definitely would not be the finished article, which is common sense and I didn’t expect to be a fully fledged trader after the workshop, but I did expect more strategies on what to look for.

What was Steve Howe Like?

Steve Howe is a great guy, humorous and although I would say he is not a natural trainer, although he never said he was, but his enthusiasm was plain for all to see, and the bulk of the attendees looked pleased. In the breaks we had on the day Steve stayed around and answered any questions we had, and talked about the trading industry in general.

Further Training From Steve?

One point I do remember vividly was towards the end of the workshop when Steve was giving out his USB sticks. Every attendee was given a 7GB USB stick which contains lots more videos that we can use to watch for these signals Steve taught us. This is the actual USB stick I received

What I remember is that Steve at this point mentioned further training and his Mentor group, I think if he was more of a salesperson he could have got this over a lot better and made more sales, but that is my call centre background kicking in. He looked a little awkward asking for more money which to be fair that is what Steve is like, the workshop didn’t come across as anything fancy, just somebody trying to show us what he does, and for a reasonable price.

This is what the USB stick contained:

The last three videos I added myself to the USB pen after Steve sent us an email the day after the workshop, and I think they are the latest videos added.

Steve Howe Mentorship Programme

As I said the day after I was sent an email from Steve offering his mentorship programme again, which is a Skype group that the email states offers the following:

• Part 1 Morning Racing
• Part 2 Lateral Thinking/RvR
• Part 3 Skype Community
• Mentoring

The cost of the Mentorship, and mentoring programme was £200 access for 6 months to the Skype groups and Steve said that he had around 20 full time traders in the groups which all discuss further trading opportunities daily.

I didn’t take up the mentoring as I am still testing what I learned from Steve, but I may do at some stage because he only offers the mentorship to customers who have been on his workshop.

Conclusion on Steve Howe Workshop From The Attendee?

I liked Steve, a very down to earth bloke who is not up his own behind and I am still trying out the main strategy that he taught us. I have had some success with it, and some set backs, but I need to practice more to see if it will work longer term.

Watching the videos on the USB stick a few times since I returned home, and I noticed this on the day also, that the strategy does involve extremely large stakes to make a decent profit, and although Steve did say on the day that we start smaller, which goes without saying, but some of the liability he had at any one time was huge, but I suppose if it works it works.

I am still testing the strategy and will do for some time yet.

Would you Recommend The Betfair Workshop?

That’s a difficult question to answer fully. Like I said, I am still practising. I would say it wasn’t the kind of ‘aha’ moment I was expecting, but maybe I was expecting too much, that is possible and my wife tells me off all the time for it, but it was certainly interesting to see a real trader and his views on trading, and how he trades.

I think what Steve teaches is fairly valid, but it is not a case of making a profit from it without some serious practising which I suppose is the same with anything you try like this. I enjoyed the course though. I just didn’t come way from it thinking I had seen or heard something that was going to change my trading. It was more just interesting. I just think the parts that makes Steve himself successful at trading Betfair are in his own head and cannot really be taught. That was the feeling I came away with.

My free trial of Gruss software ran out about 2 weeks ago now and I have yet to renew it, but that is not to do with the training. I would say that all in all it was a decent good training day, but just don’t go there expecting to come with a strategy to make money immediately, you won’t.  I am not in a profit yet, but I continue to learn, although I enjoyed the workshop.

End of attendee input…….

A great insight from the attendee I am sure you would all agree. What sticks out to me, is that the attendee stated what most think about Steve Howe, in that he is a down to earth bloke who knows how to trade. He doesn’t brag and throw himself out there saying ‘look at me’ like some, and he certainly does not play on the fact that he is endorsed by Betfair.

You can see a video below of Steve Howe, and I am sure you will agree, down to earth:

I personally think with any of these type of Betfair training courses, that just because somebody else can do something, it does not always migrate to teaching it to somebody. Probably a little bit like Thierry Henry trying to teach how he plays football, he is a genius at the game, and knows every angle, but teaching it to somebody who is just starting will take time, and a great deal of practice for those learning. Makes a lot of sense.

A great review though I think, and I like the way Steve Howe comes across. He does not over-market himself, and as I said at the start of the review, his workshops always sell out, and nobody has a bad word to say about the guy, which has to speak volumes. In fact, during my research for this review I couldn’t find anybody that had a bad word to say, which says a lot these days.

I have asked the attendee to update me with how he gets on in the future with what he learned at the workshop, so that I can update the review.

Based on the input from the atttendee, and other research mentioned above, I would recommend Steve Howe’s Betfair Trading Workshop. (Update Oct 2019:  Steve has now launched some online Betfair courses which I think are pretty pricey, and this original review was for his Coventry workshop – There is an edit to this review below).

Steve Howe Sports Trading School 2019

It is a couple of years now since we originally compiled the review on Steve Howe, and his Coventry Betfair Workshop.

Steve has now (October 2019) started an online version of his workshop, which he has called: Steve Howe’s Sports Trading School, in which he has put together a few options as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to say, that on first impressions, and going through all the details, these products are very pricey, especially when you consider that there is no guarantee of success!

• Online Racing Workshop at a price of £229
• Silver Racing Workshop: £495
• Gold Racing Workshop: £766
• Silver Upgrade for £266
• Gold Upgrade for a whopping £995 (ouch!)

The original review here was for Steve’s Coventry workshop; a physical workshop where our reviewer spent the day with Steve, as detailed above. It wasn’t a glowing review by any stretch, but for the low price at the time, we didn’t see anything not to recommend.

Although the reviewer didn’t see any ‘eureka’ moments on the training day, it did come across as an honest course, from an honest guy, albeit without any ground-breaking materials. But, most of these type of courses do put the onus on you, the purchaser to put in the time and effort.

Steve Howe mentions on his website that the reason for the online courses is due to ill-health, and that due to a lack of hearing he was struggling to cope with the large workshops he put on in the past, and now has to change his format to allow between 6-8 attendees, so going online does make sense.

I have to say though, that the above courses Steve has now launched seem very expensive, and is taking ‘charging for such training’ to a whole new level, price-wise, especially when there are established courses already available online for a fraction of the price. Bfscalper for example, which receives extraordinary positive feedback (which we have reviewed and used myself), has a very low price is one option, but there are quite a few others.

I’m all for courses to be taken from bricks and mortar venues and placed online, but I think on this occasion the pricing is way off. There are cheaper options available.

Sports/Betfair trading has exploded in the UK in recent years, as more and more people look at the prospect of making a profit on Betfair. More courses to start popping up, and as somebody looking to learn how to trade, Steve could be a viable option, because I do like the fact that he is not hyped-up with BS like some others are, but not at those prices unfortunately.

It is just too much money to be charging for online courses.

Steve Howe Sports Trading School 2020

In February 2020, Steve Howe has recently drastically lowered his prices for what he offers. Why? Probably because they were way over priced, and a lack of sales; and when somebody first tries to promote, and sell online they sometimes do over-price their products, and then adjust accordingly.

One problem with reducing the prices so much, is that if there were many buying who had spent a grand on the top package at the previous price, then if it were me, I’d be pretty p*ssed off when seeing the lower prices, but the vendor has the option of changing prices at any time, such is e-Commerce.

Steve on his Sports Trading School has lowered the prices to the following:

 

As you can see, the prices are a lot lower than the £995 Steve Howe was charging just a couple of months ago. Even so, I personally still feel that even at the reduced prices, the cost is still on the high side, compared to what else is in the market, and similar products.

 

Resources and Related Content:

 

Bet Angel Review, Is Peter Webb’s Betfair Trading Software The Best Out There?

How To Make Money From Gambling, What is Really Possible?

Gruss Betting Assistant Review, Betfair Trading Software Made Simple

 

Tags: sportstradingschool.co.uk