Article

Football Over Strategy

Here we are again, another bespoke bot strategy I developed last week, and the need for some instruction tutorial.

From previous time I learned that it is not so good idea to deliver bespoke bot solution in assembly files. In such case user must extract files and copy them to bfexplorer app folder.  Almost none of users were able to do so and I had to assist with this simple operation. Lesson learned, so from now I deliver bespoke bot with installation program.

Frankly to say I thought everything will go well in this case, because the bot have just two parameters, from which one have default value already set.

I hope this will be my last tutorial, because all bfexplorer bots share common user experience. We create bot settings using offered parameters, name such bot setting, and that is all, we are ready to use it either by manually executing it on selected market or using “Bot Executor”  tool to execute it automatically at set time.

There are a lot of articles on bfexplorer forum dedicated to bespoke bots, just search “bespoke”:

http://bfexplorer.net/Articles/Search?text=bespoke

Or “bot executor”:

http://bfexplorer.net/Articles/Search?text=bot executor

Because any bespoke bot is executed in fully automated mode, in some cases in 24/7, because “Bot Executor” is able to reload required markets automatically each day at set time.

Here are user questions:

1)

The first match was Harrington FC 1-3 Real Irving C.D, I selected the match before the start and I got this message:

-The bot Football Over Strategy has been started.

Then when the half time was ended I got this message.

-Failed to create the bot ".

-The bot execution Football Over Strategy ended.

2)

Then I tested with this match Taichung Blue Whale (W) Kaohsiung Sunny Bank (W), in the first time, and I got this message:

-The bot Football Over Strategy has been started.

-You can run this bot on a football market only.

-The bot execution Over Strategy has ended.

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And here are my answers to the above questions:

1)

Any bespoke built bot is mostly generally defined as a trigger for bet placing action when set criteria are met.

Therefore any such bot has the following parameter: BotName. When this parameter is selected in the Add/Update bot dialog, there is description for each parameter, and for BotName it says: "The bot name you want to execute."

When you think about it, this approach has actually advantage because any bet instruction, so stake amount, bet type, and other parameters could be defined by another bot setting.

So it is possibly to create set of different “Place Bet” bot settings, with different stakes, bet types, allowed odds range, and even to use different type of bot than “Place Bet” bot. Actually any bot can be used as an action bot, so we can use trading bot like: "Place Bet and Close Selection Bet Position" and so on.

The error message: Failed to create the bot ", means you forgot to set BotName parameter. Please create your bot settings and use it with your “Football Over Strategy”.

2)

Some bespoke bots are not just general one, so you can execute them on any type of market.

Mostly bespoke built bots are created to be executed on exact market, in this case only on Football / Match Odds market. Executing such bespoke bot on different market type does not make sense, therefore in all bespoke bots the bot code checks whether it is executed on such market type, in this case BetEventType.Id is equal to 1 and MarketType is equal to "MATCH_ODDS".

The error message: “You can run this bot on a football market only.”, means you did not executed your bot on football match odds market.

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When testing bespoke bot, it is really good idea to check all possible trigger alternatives on some markets, just to check situations when bot should not trigger the action bot, and when it should trigger the action bot. We can watch that in my video, where I test such situation on different matches.

Of course any test must be done in the practice mode, so without placing real bets on betfair, only after testing we can execute our bots for real money.

When we execute bot strategy in “Bot Executor”, on many markets and mainly when bot strategy opens other associated markets we must understand that markets are open for monitoring, it means market data are refreshed till market is not closed.

“Bot Executor” monitors markets from set time till any bot is running on the market.  So when “Football Over Strategy” ends its execution on “Match Odds” market, the market monitoring is stopped.

When your “Football Over Strategy” bot triggers execution of your action bot, so Over/Under markets are open as well, these markets are open in “Bet Event” view and market data are updated for active and passive markets, therefore you must set correct update intervals for both active and passive markets, I thing 1 second is good settings for your strategy.

Another thing you must set is the parameter: StopMarketMonitoring in your action bot settings. When this parameter is set to True, and your action bot ends its execution, so when your placed bet is fully matched, the bot set the flag to stop market monitoring for the market.