I Got No Job, A Couple Thousand Bucks
 

Well, my life took a turn. I'm not gonna share the details, but I went from being employed to unemployed on Tuesday. And here I was under the false pretense that my job was going great:zz:

I've had some success at the windows these past couple of months. I am actually considering a 3 to 4 week try at playing for a profit. A serious 5 day a week job with a plan, a budget. Question is, what should be my bet(s) of choice? I'm thinkin straight win, pick 3's. I'm gonna budget myself to $200 a day max. Am I crazy or would you consider doing the same thing? Have any of you done something similar?

Sorry to hear that but betting horses for a living is a quick way to the poor house. Reconsider. Find a job.

I'm already working that angle, trust me. I'll be doing some remodel and painting work during this stretch. I am simply buying time till I can get out of my current home because I plan on moving out of this state VERY SOON.

You don't buy time by betting horses. Needs come before wants. Gambling is a want.

I've thought the same thing if I were ever laid off. Collect UI and play the horses full time and see how it works out.

Post the pic of the incident that resulted in your termination and I'll have Blockatiel review it to make sure it is sfw.

I worked for this company just shy of 3 years. Based on the way things went down, I might have a problem getting UI. I just have a little time to kill before I move. I've already got a job offer from a grocery chain in the south, and trust me their are planty of other (grocers) to work for down their. These chains are all in the south and have no strores here in Ohio.

Look, if I go to the track for 7, 10 days and am getting smacked around I have enough sense to quit. Just with all this time, and the attitude I have, well you know.

Without UI I wouldn't do it but good luck to you if you do.

Hell give it a shot.What have you got to lose,2k? Desperate times call for desperate measures.

PS You are crazy and yes I've done something similar.

If you have to do it go with the 3 and out system.Put $500 in your pocket for food and shelter.

Next take your three best shots with $250 wp wagers. If failing to connect three consecutive times start looking at alternative sources of income. Good Luck!!

Y'know this reminds me of Geldedman's AKA Stallion's story about how he was looking for a pizza parlor one day and happened upon an otb parlor.

Bet every horse in the field and cashed on a $70 winner.Then learned how to read the racing form and ended up a raging alcoholic living in the woods.

What I never understood is how he was able to post on an internet message board from the woods.

Personally, I wouldn't do it.

For this to be successful, we need to assume a number of factors are in place:

1) you have the requisite handicapping skills

2) you have the requisite money management skills

3) you have nuts HUGE enough that you'll be able to not only win but win under extra pressure.

Of course you might have a good run and make a ton of money.

The problem is that you're clearly not ready. By this I mean that you haven't grown a bankroll. Had you done so over a period of time and had the confidence of knowing that you could do it, you'd probably be good to go; assuming you could handle the added pressure of knowing that you had no money coming in if you lost. Then again, if you'd grown a bankroll, you probably wouldn't be looking to work for a living.

Win Wagers... no more than one or two per day.... no wager days should out weigh multi wager days.... make each of your wagers count

I would play VERY conservatively. My one fear is the way the economy is now, it would be hard for me to take job offers seriously.

Where I work, we haven't laid anyone off, but rescinded several job offers that were made in January and February.

Your situation would make me nervous, but I do have a wife and child to think about, too.

If you take that $2k and play, I wish you the best of luck!!!!

You certainly are more testicular fortified than I am.

I wouldnt pull the trigger on a bet, unless I was brimming with confidence. Like was said on here earlier, I would do straight WP bets and maybe a heavy exacta here and there. Pick your spots CAREFULLY.

Give all $2k to the poster above me and let him turn it into about $75K at the tables;)

Set a limit and if you lose that stop .

Yea, or that. I find playing against other people with their actual money in front of them to be the route to riches. ;) ...I have Showboat's bad beat jackpot in clear sight! :$:

How've you been Kev? Hope all is well with ya!

:tro: :tro:

I would bet it all this weekend, because you will lose it sooner or later anyway. As the Fat Man said you're not ready and to just wake up one day wanting to do this, with the pressure of no job, I just don't see how.

Better to take it all and make some wild bets, enjoy the day, and wake up Monday ready to work.

Its a tough way to make an easy living. Most of the pro's have an additional source of income. Look at Beyer, Andy, Crist. They all have additional sources of income. I would lay really low until you find a job.. If you can't than I would paper trade or bet 2 bucks a race on a 100 race cycle to see what your strong points are or if you can turn a profit.. The 100 race cycle probably will make your decision easier.

I would only bet $50 per day in very small amnts and save the untouchable rest until you have a start date on a new job and a place to live. And gas money to get there.

Give yourself a daily or weekly financial goal - how much do you want to make? Just enough for food, utilities, gas money?

Do you have any idea what your over-time ROI is for any specific bet type? (straight win on 3-1, etc)

Those results will tell you how much you can bet, what you will win, and how long it will take you to get there (how much money you will lose before you hit). You simply distribute your available money accordingly.

Blockatiel is the funniest thing I've seen on this board in months :D

Yeah, and Beyer has hit a boat load of exotics, or so I've heard. This stuff is fun but WAY too speculative to make a living at, dependably.

I would be interested in seeing what percentages of their play/bankroll go into which pools....

If the rest wasn't a joke and you are actually asking this then you already have your answer.

So let me get this right. You want to make money from horse racing and you are asking a bunch a strangers this question.

If you could do this to make money you wouldn't have to ask this question. You would already know.


sorry to be blunt... but, wake up

You've got to be kidding--your bankroll is WAY too small to try this.

Back in 2000, between jobs, I played the entire GP meet "for a living". At one point I was up over $10,000. By the end of the meet I was barely above even.

You are asking to get your teeth kicked in, metaphorically.

not sure why you'd have a problem getting unemployment, unless you were tagging the boss' wife/daughter..:) it's pretty much a given.
but i think it's a bad idea to attempt what you're considering.

This has all the makings of a great reality show- followed by an intervention.

You can't suddenly decide to be a professional classical pianist out of the blue because you happened to lose your job yesterday. It's the same type of thing. It's a skill and a discipline.

Bet Steve or Hooves Pick 4's over the weekend and you are most likely to come out ahead :)

Belmont 8th race: $1000 W/P on the 8 French Vintage...currently 17/1

LET IT ROLL BABY!

Playing horses to feed your family adds another level of pressure to the handicapping equation. I would expect that would impact style of play and could turn a winning player into a losing player.

What's more, even the winningest winning players have what, a 10% ROI. So you are way under-capitalized.

You'd probably have, at about 50%, a much better chance of taking your entire wad to a casino and putting it all on black than you would of making money long-term gambling on horses. Winning a couple of "coin flips" in a row is probably more doable. Of course, it would be much, much quicker and not nearly as fun.

I love the spirit, though. Bad, bad idea be damned! Who hasn't at least given the idea a thought?

I think it depends whether you are a winning player or not betting horses. Are you ahead betting horses over the last few years? If you're not, then that means that just like the other 99% of horseplayers, you lose money in the long run. If that is the case, then you should not try to make your living betting horses for the next few weeks.

It's not easy for working guys to save money. You have a little money saved up and that is a good thing. You should use that money to live until you get your new job.

Just Let it Ride, baby!

Good thing he did'nt take your advice :p

Sorry to hear about your job, here are few avenues you can try:

1. play the stock market, short the following : cme, gs, ice, aapl, nvr, rtp, & pot.

2. or buy the following week before the earning call on a down day, i mean when market loses 200 or more points: v, ma, goog, bidu, tnh, wmt & mcd.

3. buy euros, dollar will lose value as the debts mount.

4. handicapping seems to pick a winner rather than make money, you wanna make money, pick losers and hope they hit... there you go, priceless handicapping advice.

Well said.

--Dunbar

I'm on the side of always think what you can afford to lose, rather than how much you can win. Sorry to hear about the job lost, my advice is take a few weeks off to sort out your thoughts, relax and then formulate a plan on finding employment, UI will not last forever.

Get a lobotomy and play the ponies.

It's worked for ten straight years for DrugS.