Platform Method is a new to market horse racing tipster service that is operated by one Ricky Pickford. He claims that in a relatively short space of time, his selections can produce a very substantial profit.
Introduction to Platform Method
There is a lot of interesting things that you can talk about when it comes to the psychology of betting. There are a lot of different arguments to be had about what’s the best way, why you should take a certain approach, and a whole lot more. Ultimately, long term profits should be your goal. But that doesn’t work for everyone. The fact is that some people are looking for something that is shorter term, that is easily structured, and importantly is profitable. This of course is much easier described than actualised…
All of this is quite important, because today’s review subject claims that they are capable of pretty much exactly that. The fact is that the way Ricky Pickford has set up Platform Method suggests that this is a realistic possibility. There is a very clear structure to it all and so long as the results can be delivered on, this will be a must have. Not just for those who are looking for those shorter term gains, but those who do have that longer term mindset. And the key reason for all of this is an implication that it is all replicable.
Of course, there are definitely questions to be asked here. Ricky Pickford talks a good game. He appears to provide a decent amount of evidence for Platform Method. But appearances can be deceiving. The truth is that I am incredibly cynical about this. For a number of different reasons really, which isn’t the best place to start when you’re looking at a new tipster service. Nonetheless, I will try my best to keep an open mind about this. So, let’s get straight into it.
What Does Platform Method Offer?
The thing that stands out to me about Platform Method, arguably more than anything else, is the structure. It is incredibly rigid, however, I can also see how Ricky Pickford is (in theory) approaching this. Arguably more importantly, I can see how this would make it appealing to those who are looking for shorter term gains, who are perhaps less familiar with a professional standard of betting.
You see, one of the things that I think a lot of people struggle with when it comes to betting, especially if they’re new, is just how much work can be involved. And I’m not just talking about the quantity of effort that you have to put into betting, it is the fact that it can be all over the place, it can be inconsistent. Platform Method doesn’t have these problems because Ricky Pickford is doing the same thing day in, and day out.
In and of itself, that doesn’t have to be a red flag. There are plenty of tipster services out there that have a strong structure, but rarely do I see ones that are quite as rigid as what is on display here. For me, it is a bit of a cause for concern with Platform Method, but I can also see the appeal.
So what exactly does this entail? Well, as you’d expect from pretty much any modern tipster service, selections are issued directly via email. Ricky Pickford sends out them out directly to subscribers on the morning of racing. Unfortunately, the content of said emails is a little bit bare. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll always know what you’re backing with Platform Method, but it is a long way from the better quality services that I’ve looked at before now.
The thing is, all of this does matter. Now, in theory, you could easily just place bets with any old bookie (Ricky Pickford appears to use Paddy Power). But that means that you’re ultimately missing out on quite a lot of profit potential, and this is important with Platform Method. Partially because knowing what sort of odds to aim for is a bit of guesswork really. Furthermore, this is a service that favours longer odds. As such, it makes sense to maximise them.
What sort of odds are we talking about here exactly? According to Ricky Pickford’s (very limited) evidence, on his last 10 day cycle the lowest odds were 11/1 . The highest odds topped out at 33/1. Those are very big numbers, and whilst there is definitely a suggestion that you’ll win relatively often with Platform Method, I’m not sold on this. As such, you should want to make every winner count.
One thing that is worth mentioning is that Ricky Pickford at least has to foresight to recommend betting on an each way basis. This means that at the very least, you aren’t relying on very long shot outsiders to win in order to see some returns from Platform Method. They may not always be huge, but there is theoretically some winnings to keep your bank going.
This is very important, because a key part of Platform Method as a service is the staking plan that is in place. Whilst it isn’t the most convoluted example I’ve ever seen, this is ultimately a compounding staking plan, and it all depends on how much you have in your betting bank. Effectively, it looks like this:
- Betting Bank of up to £250 – £5 Each Way stakes (£10 per bet)
- Betting Bank of £250 up to £499 – £10 Each Way stakes (£20 per bet)
- Betting Bank of £500 up to £999 – £20 Each Way stakes (£40 per bet)
- Betting Bank in excess of £1,000 – £40 Each Way stakes (£80 per bet).
You will notice that there isn’t a lot of consistency across these numbers. You start out by staking 10% of your betting bank per bet, with other levels involving stakes of between 8% and 4% as you theoretically profit. I wish I could say this is by design, but Ricky Pickford does very little to suggest that there is much thought behind this crucial element of Platform Method.
Of course, in theory, none of this should be a problem. Because the sales material for Platform Method really suggests that you won’t be losing all that often. Out of 40 bets that are shown, just 16 of them aren’t winners. This suggests a theoretical strike rate of about 60% is attainable. Now some of these bets are simply a horse placing, but I feel like Ricky Pickford is putting out a clear statement about the claimed potential here.
How Does Platform Method Work?
When it comes to talking about “how Platform Method works” there are two main considerations. The first of these is the staking plan. Ricky Pickford refers to it as the “Platform Method”, hence the name. Effectively, each of the aforementioned tiers is referred to as a “platform”. But this is a simplistic look at staking. It really isn’t particularly sophisticated, and if I’m completely honest, I don’t think there has been much consideration beyond making something that sounds like it might work.
Whilst that is one part of how Platform Method “works”, the other element is one that I talk about in pretty much every review, and it is arguably the most important. That is the selection process. This is particularly important here because of that rigid structure. Ricky Pickford is finding two selections every single day. Selections that have some long odds. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to want to know at least some of what he is doing to find these bets.
Of course, we don’t actually get this. In fact, when you really dive into Platform Method, it becomes apparent that you aren’t really getting much of anything in terms of information. Ricky Pickford doesn’t talk about horse racing, he demonstrates no real knowledge of the sport or betting. Really, everything simply appears to hinge on this notion that you can start with £100 and using compounding turn it into a massive profit.
As well as the fact that you aren’t given any insight into … well, anything really. You also don’t even get much in the way of evidence. In theory we are shown numerous betting slips. The problem I have with this is I’ve seen so many that are of dubious origin that I just can’t put much faith in them. Especially when they are all conveniently before Platform Method has gone live and are a relatively small data sample.
What is the Initial Investment?
As mentioned earlier, Platform Method is a service that is based around this idea of a “program”. This is that 10 day run of bets. Ricky Pickford offers a “Single PM Pass” and a “PM Pass”. The single pass is priced at £25 plus VAT. The PM Pass is seemingly very reasonable at just £75 plus VAT and gives you 6 full runs at £12.50 each. That is 60 days of betting.
What is really interesting though is that Ricky Pickford is effectively guaranteeing a profit. He says that if in the 10 day period you don’t make a profit, you don’t have to pay again until you do. Something that sounds very generous in theory. I am however incredibly cynical of the reasoning behind this offering, and with good reason.
You see, one thing that isn’t mention when it comes to Platform Method is that there is a 30 day money back guarantee in place. This is backed up by the fact that the service is being sold through Clickbank. What stands out to me though is that unless you take advantage of that, you’ve already paid Ricky Pickford. If he doesn’t make you a profit, he keeps sending tips out “until you do”. Except.. he already has your subscription fee at that point…
What is the Rate of Return?
There are a lot of numbers that are thrown around in terms of Platform Method. Ricky Pickford claims in the headline that you can turn £100 into £2,400. Something that 50 existing members have supposedly already done. We are also told that the most recent run managed to turn £100 into £1,342. Again, a very substantial return. But personally, I am quite sceptical of all of this.
Conclusion for Platform Method
The appeal of Platform Method is incredibly clear to me. Whilst I actively acknowledge the fact that that long term profit should always be your goal, that can be very hard when you’re starting out. If you’ve been following a tipster for a year and you’re 180 points up, if you face a 50 point drawdown you might not worry quite so much. If you’ve just got started with 100 points though, that’s half your bank.
What Ricky Pickford is doing here though is taking all of that away. Every 10 days, you are theoretically turning a profit of £1,000. That’s not inconsiderable money considering you can get started with just a 10th of that. All for placing just 2 bets per day. It doesn’t really matter how you bet, that is a hell of a result and makes Platform Method a must have. That is of course presuming that you can trust the results…
Here’s the thing, I don’t believe that you can trust the results. In fact, I don’t believe for a second that Platform Method is entirely genuine. You see, I have seen a lot of elements of this before now. Not just obvious things like backing long shots each way, or compounding your stakes to maximise profits. But the specifics and minutia.
The staking plan that I have seen before was exactly the same. The structure of paying for the service was exactly the same. Even the layout of the website is actually very similar when I really stretchy my brain. What is different are the name of Platform Method, and the name of Ricky Pickford. Those are definitely new.
Now, if I really do some mental gymnastics, this could be a coincidence. But I don’t believe that it is. But even if you didn’t, this simply isn’t a service I would recommend on its own “merits”. The fact of the matter is that Ricky Pickford doesn’t ever really demonstrate an ability to understand horse racing, or pick winning selections. The closest we come to this are some questionable screenshots of betting slips.
Then there is the fact that there is no mention of the money back guarantee. This is always something that is a red flag for me. After all, genuine tipsters will talk about this. If they are confident in their ability to make money, they don’t have to worry too much about people claiming refunds. Adding to all of this is the fact that the structure of Platform Method is conducive to avoiding said guarantee.
Honestly, there just isn’t a reason that I can see to recommend this. It is an incredibly questionable service from start to finish with little that is unequivocally positive. I don’t even think that this is what you can necessarily call cheap, which is about the only saving grace really. For what is being asked for 10 days of selections to Platform Method, you can actually get involved with some decent tipsters. They might not make you as much as Ricky Pickford claims, but I don’t think he will either.
