Profiting from Horses.

[sds]

I want an honest response from those of you who do this regularly. What are your "normal" bets (type of bet and general amount wagered) and how do you make out in a typical month? Year?
What "rules" do you set for your betting that may help me with "money management"

Just hoping to gain some structured insight as i progress. I am quickly learning some things that I know will never be REPEATED in my betting game.

thanks in advance

sds

 

[kidslick]

quick rsponse


2 months almost on a daily basis


hit for 14,000 the first couple of days..


sucker i am gave it all back ...


tough game to beat and tough game to play almost everyday..

sports betting to me alot more enjoyable..

as i say i am a sucker...

one final goal in my horse quest ..want to get one big pop (over 10k after taxes and i am gone) hopefully iy happens soon ..or i will be humble enough and say SEE---YA


I USED TO MAKE MONEY PLAYING 200 TO 300
SHOW PLAYS ..so what did i do .. i stopped playing it..lol

 

[mazeltrick]

sds,

i play the races fairly regularly, sticking primarily to my home circuit in so cal. i play mostly multiple race exotics like the pick-6 and i would consider myself a fairly heavy player at the track (500-10k tickets). when there's no carryover (or guaranteed pool) in the p/6, i'll bet mostly to win and place and occassionally exactas and pick 3s. my yearly results have varied pretty significantly over the last 15 years (skewed very high by over 400k in pick 6 winnings last year and low by a miserable 1999). anyway, to each their own and i would recommend playing the horses differently based on whether or not gambling on races is either mostly entertainment OR a significant source of your income. if the former, then play away and hope for the best (like large show bets, for instance, kidslick); if you're relying on making money at the track so support your lifestyle, you have to approach things very differently (no professional gambler in his or her right mind would bet large show bets) and i would highly recommend reading a lot of books and making "practice" bets and keeping fastidious track of your strengths and weaknesses.

good luck.

 

[Cerveza]

Mazeltrick makes a very good point about keeping track of your own personal strengths and weaknesses. For instance, I know that I am deadly with Maiden Special Weight races and horrid on non-graded stakes. So, I tend to concentrate the majority of my funds on the types of races that I have shown the most consistent success. I keep a log of every bet I make and keep separate statistics on track, type of wager, and class of race.
When I'm playing Calder I play a lot of superfectas - this has been one of my most profitable long-term props. At smaller tracks such as Mountaineer and when I used to play Turf Paradise I concentrated on Win & Place bets because false favorites at such tracks often skew the odds more than at the larger tracks due to the small pools.
By no means do I have delusions that I could do this for a living -mostly due to the fact that I enjoy the "action" too much and do not have the discipline to wait for only the best of situations. But I can honestly say that I have not shown a loss for any single year since I started keeping detailed records in 1999. There were many years prior to that, however, when I was learning the game, that I donated regularly to the friendly teller.
I almost never bring more than $500 with me when I go to the track and when I play online I try to limit myself to $150-$250 a day max and if I get down more than $500 in any given week I will usually step back and take a few days off, maybe re-read some of my favorite handicapping books, or just take a break from horses all together.
I've had a couple of moments that have helped my bottom line including winning the Breeders Cup Classic superfecta for $12,000 when Tiznow stormed home. Hit a $5,400 superfecta on a $4 ticket at Turf Paradise and had the guts to bet $1000 of it on the Pats to win the Super Bowl at 10-1 before the infamous Oakland snow game. I almost never play pick 6's like many good players, but there are occasions when I'm feeling very confident where I'll play pick 3's and pick 4's. I've just found I have better success concentrating on one race at a time.
It's a game - and just like any other game it's entertainment. Hell, some guys spend hours reading the Wall Street Journal and lose their asses on stocks - I'd rather spend those hours buried in the Racing Form and win or lose I know I'm having a good time.

 

[mazeltrick]

very well said, cerveza.

 

[sds]

Hey,
I really appreciate the time you took to give me a good answer. Ironically, my business is the stock markets so I laugh when you say that! lmao I look at gambling the same way as you look at investing

Anyway, as a "novice" I am trying to shorten my learning curve and I have not developed an ego to get in my way. As you can see I am not above asking for input /advice so that I CAN keep more money in my pocket while learning the ropes. Although I am NOT looking to make a career out of it, I DO wish to make a few thousand here and there as without profiting , the fun wears down over time.
With that said, I live in Canada and have found my own personal strength to be forming in Harness racing. I asssume that is because I have a track just down the road that only has harness. You mentioned that sometracks have "skewed" odds and I have discovered that already. My BIGGEST error occurred last wknd at Woodbine where I handicapped two races consecutively yet due to second guessing and toteboard odds, I did not bet on the horses I picked! (how embarrassing)
The first was "Cloud jumper ($44 to win and did so handily)
And second was Twisted Wit who beat a 1/2 favourite for another great payout
Where was I for these /?? standing on my tongue with the rest of the "sure bettors"

So I am hoping to learn from those of you who are willing to teach a bit. Every once in a while I have a gem in the harness world or at Woodbine that I post and I am doing fairly well so far. But input is appreciated. And any reading that you can sugggest is also a plus.

cheers
sds

 

[tcbets.com]

Remember that not hitting the track pool is worth alot. So is getting a rebate. You can get up to a 7% rebate on handle at www.tcbets.com.
Thank You

 

[mazeltrick]

so is not having 300-1 payout limits on the exotics. not to mention the ability to play the pick-6. and the 1500 max on wps at tier 1 tracks.

 

[sds]

See, I find that aggravating. I enjoy exactors, trifectas & Supers.....but it is a waste oftime here with those (exactors are ok in most cases @ 300-1)

Are there ANY books that pay up as per track odds???
sds

 

[Stonepony]

You might want to look at www.sirbet.com They have full payouts. You can also play supers, pick 3's,4's and 6.

 

[sds]

Thank you Stone!
I will certainly have a look at THAT!
If THEY can do it and PAY when you win, then why don't the others follow suit? Why wouldn't everyone bet there given this info? Is this site reputable?

cheers
sds

 

[sds]

I checked it out - looks like another one I was at to test out - WSSBsports I believe.
This "SIRbet lacks harness. Shame. I like the full track odds payout . WHY can't a book put it ALL together???? Full list of tracks, harness racing and full payouts?
curious.


sds

 

[InsideThePylons]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by tcbets.com:
Remember that not hitting the track pool is worth alot.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

How do you have the audacity to make this statement? Why don't you just say: If you are a loser, we book your bets. If you are a winner, or even give us an indication you could win, you will be profiled and your bets will be sent into the pools while we get the rebate difference and the overs on your payout limits as our no risk profit.

I am sure nobody here has a problem with the business model of making a no risk profit on every wager (It is a great business model). The problem is proclaiming a statement that is not true.

ITP

 

[InsideThePylons]

sds,

Two main points of advice.

1) Stay away from the big tracks. If a player can do his work and come close to winning at tracks such as: HOL SA DMR AQU BEL SAR GP CD, the same player can spend half the time working at tracks such as PRM TUP EVD DD HOO GLD etc., and get to the status of it's not a question of if you are going to win, but how much you are going to win. With the proliferation of offshore opportunities on these tracks, the amounts can be astronomical.

2) Learn how to bet the money. This is the most important thing of all. Each situation has a different way to execute a betting strategy which will give you the most profit if your opinion is correct. In essence, learn how the pieces move and then learn how to attack! This you will have to figure out through trial and error.

ITP

 

[Dante]

Solid posts Inside....welcome to the RX nice to have you here

 

[PatrickMcIrish]

Nice thread guys, enjoyed the read. I only play horses in a social environment (total square), drunk buddies take me down there or family is down and wants to go for an afternoon out. Otherwise I don't go unless one of my degenerate friends has a tip that day. Betting on my own I lose about 2 dimes a year at the track, when I get those "tips" I break even over the course of time. I know this won't really help anyone but just thought I would throw it in.

Pylons - good to see you here, welcome.

 

[kidslick]

pat can you try to find us a book that has enough BALLS

TO PAY FULL TRACK ODDS on win show place


exactas and tri..

alot of volume (money )for that book that can step up to the PLATE ..


THANKS kidslick

 

[sds]

PYLONS:
Thanks for the reply. Being up here in Ontario, I am not real familiar with some of the tracks you mentioned in the second class. What you said was interesting though as MANY players have told me to look at Del, Saratoga & Mountaineer for my betting as they have some large pools etc.
Your ideas do interest me and I am wondering how I could get to learn these tracks you mention from a starting point of knowing NOTHING about them - seems like a long journey just to get where i am now.
You can e-mail me at shsmith3@cogeco.ca if you wish to elaborate off board.
thanks again
sds

 

[sds]

Here is a "side" question........

Is there a GOOD book available on "Handicapping"? I want to learn how to fine tune my approcah if I can use that term and it would be great to find such a book. DOES IT EXIST!!??

thanks

sds

 

[Cerveza]

Betting Thoroughbreds by Steven Davidowitz is a great "first" handicapping book.

If you feel like you want to go deeper after you've read that one, pick up anything - and I mean anything - written by Andy Beyer.