I need help

[docicu3]

I subscribe to the fewer bets are better than scattering at a minute before a race which we all do from time to time. Impulse betting is bad........most important concept in handicapping. Impulse betting will take your money virtually every time you do it.....if you haven't done the homework don't play.
Fewer bets are almost always a good step in the right direction...

[AeWingnut]

bet a lot on your winners and a little on your losers

and take a break and wait for the Breeder's Cup although it will kindasuck becasue poly kinda does

[sdjcom]

Originally Posted by hi_im_god

i gave up any serious idea i could win long term betting horses after i started tracking my bets in 99. i had a good year in 2001 but by 2003 i could see the writing on the wall. i lost every year and it was a single bet that kept me from a negative roi in 2001.

i didn't quit but i understood that the idea i could beat the rake required more dedication than i was willing to devote.

so i cut back. i still play on big days. i still have a negative roi overall. but i still enjoy the wins. it still feels like i solved a difficult puzzle.

90% of the guys that tell you what to do have no idea if they're profitable or not. if you enjoy it, i don't think $100/month is bad rent.

put it in the right perspective, you have a life. this stuff should be 0.1% of it for guys like you and i.

Very well said. Now I know someone hs a grip on this game on the forum and really enjoys the game for what it is, entertainment.

[westcoastinvader]

Originally Posted by TheSpyder

OK, I am fed up with my handicapping. I've been doing this for 35+ years and can honestly say I'm a loser. I do it because I love racing and handicapping but something has to change.

I have like a $100 a month bankroll to blow and do a great job doing it. I mostly play exactas, some doubles, and win and place. I use brisnet pp's which I like, but I'm the problem. Besides the occasional big hit, there are just too many gaps between wins.

I'm thinking of just betting to win and cutting down on the races I bet. I don't know why I must bet every race but usually do.

Any suggestions?

Spyder

I'll echo and expand on others comments that it seems like you're indeed getting good entertainment for your buck. If you are indeed stretching and playing consistent action on just $100 per month, I'll also offer that you have to be doing some good handicapping on many of the races.

I think GPK (?) offered to increase the size of some wagers. I've mentioned before that it's a rare day that I bet horse racing that I bet more than three to five races, and most normally only one or two. I don't labor over lots of stats and figures, but if I can glance at a card and see something I like among easier elements of racing I routinely follow than I'll target a solid play of maybe $40 to $100 dollars for that race.

Could be win/place depending upon odds and competition.

Likely some $10 or $20 exacta boxes. If the track offers quinella wagers, I'll sometimes take my two top horses and do one straight exacta, and then a quinella. If it hits, it hits nicely enough even with favorites.

In a field of say up to 10 starters, if there are two non-favorites I feel strongly have a chance to hit the board, I might go up to $48 or so on some tri box combos and have had my share of signers on those.

And for me, I'm not one to always try to beat the favorite. If I see a favorite that looks like it's set up nicely going at 6-5, I have no trouble going $50 to win with a chance to profit $60 (though I wouldn't likely be betting place in that scenario).

It's a very rare race I bet less than $30, and a rare race I bet more than $100. I usually bet three to six days per month. It's rare for me to lose more than $200 to $300 in a day, and if it happens two betting days in a row I'll likely lay off betting for a couple weeks, so in that regard my designated monthly betting bankroll can be looked at as being about $400 to $500.

And if I can walk out of the OTB after my designated plays with $50 more than I walked in with I pat myself on the back for a job well enough done. If my plays do well, I'm normally a triple digit winner of some kind and leave to celebrate that as well.

One thing that I have going for me is that I can watch racing live or on television all day and enjoy it without a wager. I've learned that just watching racing isn't enough for everyone.

Not preaching a strategy, but just sharing what has worked for me for the last 8 years with an OTB nearby. And I guess one other quirk I have is that I refuse to bet unless at the track or the OTB. Betting from my home just doesn't give me the same level of enjoyment for some reason. And I do really enjoy placing bets at the OTB, and then come home to watch the races later. So I'm always getting my hand stamped upon exit, just in case.....:-)

[Payson Dave]

Handicapping well is one thing...wagering effectively is another...they are related but they are not the same thing...good handicapping with a poor wagering strategy will result in loss of money...fewer plays with fewer exotics may help...