Betting Strategy

[dean smith]

If so many are recluctant to bet short favs, then how can any horse get to 1/5? For instance, if the ML is 2/1, then the odds start to fall to 1/1, then 4/5, and 3/5, etc., it stands to reason that a lot of people are betting on 4/5s -- thinking, "yep, this is the best way to wager my ten bucks." Are there that many cowboys out there just trying to cash win tickets?

[Thunder Gulch]

Originally Posted by dean smith

If so many are recluctant to bet short favs, then how can any horse get to 1/5? For instance, if the ML is 2/1, then the odds start to fall to 1/1, then 4/5, and 3/5, etc., it stands to reason that a lot of people are betting on 4/5s -- thinking, "yep, this is the best way to wager my ten bucks." Are there that many cowboys out there just trying to cash win tickets?

Two things come to mind. First, a lot of money will be from folks just out to cash tickets instead of taking calculated risks. Second, a lot of people will talk about how they never bet favorites but do it anyway. Nobody gets recognized for picking a 2-5 shot that everyone else had.