System Builder

When you click on “SYSTEM BUILDER” from the main betting page you will be presented with a screen like the one below. This is the engine of the bot, where you can select the systems you wish to follow, combine multiple systems into portfolios, and apply your custom settings and filters to define your own unique betting strategy.

Please note that your version may include additional updates to the dialog boxes, filters, etc. not shown here as we continue to upgrade the bot.

The blank space on the left is where you can set up any number of portfolios, however ignore this for the moment as we will walk you through how to set up a portfolio a little later.

For now, we will explain briefly each feature in the System Builder, and then go through using the important features in more detail.

Menu Items

File

Here you can Load (import) portfolios which have already been created. For example you may wish to import one of our model portfolios to follow in your account. This will avoid the need to create all the settings yourself.

You can also Export portfolios you have created to a file on your computer, for example if you want send your portfolio to our support desk for assistance, or to transfer your bot to another computer.

Portfolio

This is where you can add a new portfolio, and subsequently apply your selected systems to this portfolio. You can add as many portfolios as you like. We will walk you through adding a portfolio and applying systems to a portfolio in detail a little later.

Options

Other options are available here regarding how the bot responds to your instructions. For example if you turn on “Auto Update Filters” the settings for the active portfolio (highlighted in red) will be updated as soon as any changes are made.

Time Settings

Time Till Post

Set the exact time prior to the official start of each race that you wish the bot to apply your bets for the particular portfolio in question. You can set this from 0 seconds to 23 hours and 59 minutes and 59 seconds. For example:

30 seconds before start of race = 00:00:30
5 minutes before start of race = 00:05:00
1 hour before start of race = 01:00:00

Time Of Day

You also have the option to place your bets at a specific time of day. For example if you wish to take early prices you may decide to place your bets at 11:00 am in which case you would check the “Time of Day” radio button and enter 11:00.

Note that the 24 hour time format is used.

Whichever Time Setting you choose to use it is important that your computer clock is accurately set and is using the same time zone as Betfair UK horse racing in order for the bot to accurately fire its bets at the times that you have ordered.

Stake and Duplications Settings

We have included a number of staking options to assist you to manage your account.

Level Staking

In this first screenshot above you can see settings for staking a fixed amount of £5.00 on each selection.

Please note that in the following screenshots there should be a value in the 'MAXIMUM:' field. If this Maximum field is set to zero then there will be zero staked on the selection, in other words it won't place a bet.

Note that the "As % of Balance" box is not checked for level staking.

Percentage Of Balance Staking

Here you see settings for staking 5% of your Betfair account balance on each selection.

Fixed Amount As A Liability

Here you see settings for staking a fixed amount of £5 as the maximum liability for each selection. This option is particularly relevant if you are laying and wish to limit your liability.

The bot will recalculate your stake over the varying odds of each selection and ensure that this liability not exceeded. If you are backing the bot will automatically calculate the stake necessary to achieve a profit of £5 if your selection wins.

Percentage Of Balance As A Liability

Here you see settings for staking a fixed liability of 5% of your Betfair account balance as the maximum liability for each selection. This option is particularly relevant if you are laying and wish to limit your liability.

The bot will recalculate your stake over the varying odds of each selection and ensure that this liability not exceeded. If you are backing the bot will automatically calculate the stake necessary to achieve a profit of 5% of your balance if your selection wins.

Ratchet Staking Options

An extremely powerful staking feature built into the UK Horse Racing Bot is the facility to use one way “Ratchet Staking”.

One drawback of traditional percentage of bank staking is that you will always be placing your biggest stakes after winners and your smallest stakes after losers which means that it will take you longer to recover from losing runs. By using the ratchet options you can set the bot to track either your Initial, Current, or Highest Betfair account balance as the BALANCE figure.

• Initial – opening balance for each day or from any subsequent restart of the bot.
• Current – the account balance as recalculated after every bet
• Highest – the highest balance the account has reach since the bot started trading or was last reset. Please note that the bot will retain the value for highest, even if the software is shut down and re-started.

The bot will continue to automatically track the value of highest balance achieved in your Betfair account. You can reset this value to the current balance at any time via the option TOOLS > RESET MAX BANK BALANCE which can be found on the Main Activity Window.

Note that the bot keeps a track of the highest value attained on the current computer so starting the bot on another computer won't carry this figure forwards and will use the Initial value as the Highest value unless there is a higher historical Highest value already recorded on the new machine.

Duplications Stake %

If you have multiple systems within a portfolio it is possible that each system may have one or more selections which are identical to another system.

This would mean that you would be duplicating your betting within that portfolio and thus increasing your exposure on the same horse. This feature allows you to manage any such duplicated selections.

Either leave the setting at zero which ignores ignore duplications and only bet on the horse once.

Alternatively select a % value and the bot will increase your stake on any duplications by this value. For example, if you set this value to 10% and you have 3 systems in your portfolio which all happen to select the same horse to back or lay in a race. The bot will apply your original stake, for example, £10.00 and then increase this by 10% i.e. £1.00 for each time that runner is duplicated, subject to the limitations of your account.

Maximum

This is a monetary value which you should enter to limit the maximum monetary stake you can place on any selection as an additional safety measure.

Note that this monetary maximum limit will override any other calculations. The software has an in-built maximum overall limit of £1,000 that can be placed on any single runner in a portfolio.

Note
The screenshots in these instructions show the maximum value set at 0.00 but please note that you must enter a value in this field otherwise the bot will not place any bets. If you are using % of balance staking your maximum value should allow for the fact that the bot will want to increase your stake as the balance grows. Use an appropriate figure and make sure that you review this value from time to time.

Other Notes

The bot will attempt to work with less than the Betfair minimum stakes though, due to the workings of he exchange, no guarantee can be made as to whether this will work.

Selection Qualifies If In...

Any System

This is the default setting and it means that the bot will include all the runners if they are in any of the systems within the constructed portfolio. Duplications need to be managed according to the Duplications Stake options as discussed above.

All Systems

By selecting this option you are telling the bot that you only wish to bet on a selection if it appears in ALL the systems within the portfolio. For example you have included the Lay Systems IMK Filter and Value For Money and you only wish to bet on a horse if it is in both systems.

This powerful feature enables you to use one or more systems as an additional filter for another and build unique and sophisticated betting strategies.

Qualifying Criteria

Odds

Sets minimum and maximum odds for runners in the portfolio.

Runners

Sets minimum and maximum runners for races in the portfolio.

Distance

Sets the minimum and maximum distances for races in the portfolio.

GBR

Check Box “GBR” to include racing from mainland Great Britain.

IRE

Check Box “IRE” to include racing from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Weekdays

Here you have complete flexibility to include or exclude any of the days of the week on which you wish to bet or otherwise.

Odds and Order Control

Value Limit

This filter option allows you to apply the independently calculated UKHR Ratings odds Values to the selections in your portfolios. Turning this filter on will mean that irrespective of your chosen range of odds, the bot will require odds at the Value odds or higher if you are backing, or the Value odds or lower If you if you are laying.

The idea is that you do not want to back, or especially lay horses whose prices are not offering good value. This filter can make a big difference to some of the system results but you should do your own research before using it. See the discussion on Value Betting in our web site. http://www.ukhorseracing.co.uk/lab/labnotes005.asp

Predicted Odds Limit

This filter option allows you to apply the odds for our predicted Starting Price (SP) to the selections in your portfolios.

Turning this filter on will mean that irrespective of your chosen range of Odds, the bot will require odds at the Predicted SP or higher if you are backing, or the Predicted SP or lower If you if you are laying.

If you are happy to order your bets several hours before the off you may get your bets taken at very competitive prices as the market fluctuations move in your favour. On the other hand, you need to take into account that the liquidity may be poor for early Betfair Prices. As you are aware, the bot allows you to place bets at a specific time of day, even up to many hours before the official race start.

Exchange Bet

Places your bets in the Betfair Exchange prior to the off. You can also decide, if you wish, to use any of the Bet Persistance options if your bet is not matched.

Bet Persistence

If you turn this on your bet will be retained (will persist) if not matched prior to the off giving you two further options.

• IP – keep the bet running in play
• SP – take the Betfair Starting Price

BFSP

You also have the option to use Betfair’s Starting Price only. If you use this feature you must confirm if your stake is to be calculated as a fixed amount, or a liability. Selecting BFSP as below will override any odds range limits and you should note that the Betfair SP is often considerably higher than the on-course, or official, SP.

The final group of filters allow you to profile the types of races to which you wish to apply the systems you have selected. We use our own data feed for this information to ensure accuracy.

Handicaps

Include Handicaps and/or Non Handicaps (Stakes)

Sellers To Exclude

Exclude Auctions and/or Sellers and/or Claimers

Race Types (To Include)

By checking any of the boxes you may specifically elect to include

• Race meeting types shown cover all UK & Irish Horse Racing; Flat (Turf), All Weather, Hurdle, Chase, and National Hunt Flat. You can select any or all of these race meeting types to include for each of your portfolios.
• Handicaps and/or Non Handicaps (Stakes)

Race Types (To Exclude)

By checking any of the boxes you may specifically elect to exclude:

• Novice Racing (Novices and/or Maidens and/or Beginners)
• Jockey Types (Apprentice and/or Amateur)
• Selling Races (Auctions and/or Sellers and/or Claimers)
• Hunter Chases

Updates

As you may imagine we're continually working on updates for the bot.

The screen shots below show the changes in the System Builder layout and also new filters.

Further Filtering

Here you can see that we've added the facility to filter out any races, if one so wishes, which are Hunter Chases. We also have the ability to filter out Amateur races and Apprentice jockey races if so desired.

The next section is how to create a portfolio.