How would you have played this??

[fmhealth]

For better or worse, here we go. On Friday 12/28, I head to my usual spot @ TUP. Ten QHs in the first, which I have no interest in, one I like in the second & three in the third.

My first strategy was to go all/1/3 for a $15.00 investment in the .50 pk-3. I decided that this size of a bet was out of my comfort zone & instead went with my usual bet of a $1.00 DD wheel all/1. Total cost $10.00.

First race goes to a L/S @ $44.00. I'm feeling really good with a potential DD payout of around $230.00. Begin to have a nagging if somewhat subliminal doubt that perhaps I should have gone with my first idea of the pk-3.

I win the second by a head @3-1 double comes back around $230.00 Now I'm feeling real good with this situation until I take a close look at the pk-3 possibles & realize that they all pay 2 out of three. Meaning, I would be alive to take the ENTIRE PK-3 POOL. No one had the L/S in the first!!

So, one of my three picks wins the third. The pool was $1,500. I would have, could have & perhaps should have lived one of my life's dreams by taking an entire pool. Suddenly that $200+ double doesn't seem as exciting. I play a few more races, have a winner or two (I think) and head for the exits.

Since I've been a 'capper for 54 years should I simply resign myself to the fact that being a "ham & egger" & not willing to bet more I'm destined to be satisfied with these small wins or perhaps someone, anyone, reading this can toss me a lifeline?

How would you have played this??

Be Well,
fmhealth

[thaskalos]

For better or worse, here we go. On Friday 12/28, I head to my usual spot @ TUP. Ten QHs in the first, which I have no interest in, one I like in the second & three in the third.

My first strategy was to go all/1/3 for a $15.00 investment in the .50 pk-3. I decided that this size of a bet was out of my comfort zone & instead went with my usual bet of a $1.00 DD wheel all/1. Total cost $10.00.

First race goes to a L/S @ $44.00. I'm feeling really good with a potential DD payout of around $230.00. Begin to have a nagging in somewhat subliminal doubt that perhaps I should have gone with my first idea of the pk-3.

I win the second by a head @3-1 double comes back around $230.00 Now I'm feeling real good with this situation until I take a close look at the pk-3 possibles & realize that they all pay 2 out of three. Meaning, I would be alive to take the ENTIRE PK-3 POOL. No one had the L/S in the first!!

So, one of my three picks wins the third. The pool was $1,500. I would have, could have & perhaps should have lived one of my life's dreams by taking an entire pool. Suddenly that $200+ double doesn't seem as exciting. I play a few more races, have a winner or two (I think) and head for the exits.

Since I've been a 'capper for 54 years should I simply resign myself to the fact that being a "ham & egger" & not willing to bet more I'm destined to be satisfied with these small wins or perhaps someone, anyone, reading this can toss me a lifeline?

How would you have played this??

Be Well,
fmhealth

If you are not willing to pump in $15 in the exotics...then these types of scores are not for you.

Staying within our comfort level has its drawbacks...:)

[johnhannibalsmith]

Hey friend. :)

You played it just fine. Trust me, in that meandering practice thread I occassionally jump in and out of, I chased the winner of that QH race a couple of times, and even with that knowledge - I couldn't have done much more than what you did there - it was a typical full gate of mediocre maidens and any one of them could have jumped up with a big race and it would have been good enough for a win.

If I look down, and I'm committed to playing Terrell Me a Story as a single in the second and see will-pays in the hundreds - but I don't want to spend more than a ten spot to chase both pools or I really can't afford to - there's no shame in being satisfied with the value you were getting in double pools. The pick three pool is always a blind pool to some degree and on a friday at TuP with two QH races to begin the card and a bunch of N3L turds in leg 3, you have no way of figuring what kind of pool you are betting into and possible odds you are getting for your $15.

I'm pretty sure that was the lowest P3 pool since the last Tuesday card, which was about four times as large. Today's was smallish, but again, it's Saturday and not Monday or Tues, and the card kicked off the same way with two QH races. It's one of those scenarios that cuts both ways and is a reason why I'm always harping on "being in the wrong pool" - TuP's pool sizes vary so greatly depending upon day of the week and the construct of those cards if you are playing multi-race wagers - that I'm forever spending half of my time trying to handicap the pools and the possible wagering action. You know, when I carry on about not wanting to spend more than $40 on a particular ticket because it's Friday, whereas I would plunge three times that on a Monday.

You cashed a good ticket and handicapped the races themselves well. Trying to get in the mode of handicapping pools when you are operating on a small budget is a great approach, but speaking only for myself, most of the time I would have wished that I had just played the double. Your play wasn't wrong, you just got bitten by a scenario that plays out there like that at an inopportune time and in this particular case, it caused you regret. You got 20-1 on the safe bet within your bankroll without guessing what kind of odds you would have gotten in the other pool. No shame in that at all.

I would have busted out in leg two on A Splash of Hell. ;)

[HUSKER55]

HORSE RACING is supposed to be fun. We play with our computers, play with the horses, chat with our friends, bet money and embrace the glory of winning and the agony of being wrong. I don't care if you bet $1 or $1000 dollars a race, if you are not in your comfort zone then something is happening that shouldn't.

I am sure that everyone has a could have..should have story. I think you played it correctly.

[Robert Goren]

If I don't like a race for any reason, I don't bet it in any way shape or form. I am pretty sure in the long run that is the most profitable way to go. As for what I would do, I'd get there too late to bet first race to avoid temptation. I glad what you did worked out that so you got some money. What if the favorite wins the QH race instead of a longshot. What if you lose the second by a head instead of winning by a head. I just don't like fooling races that I don't like. Too many things can go wrong even if you are right. Of course I don't have a problem with betting QHs. My problem is with betting DD and pick 3s. I seldom bet a double and haven't bet a pick three in a decade. I don't think you get reward near enough for winning them. Then there is the IRS problem, if you luck into a big one. The last thing I want to do is deal with IRS. The $600 reporting makes things like pick 3s, pick 4s and supras unprofitable. I think you have figure in taxes when you figure your ROI. Unlike hitting a big pick 6, hitting one them is not a life altering event. If I am going to pay taxes on my winnings, I want those winnings to big enough to change my life for the better, not just big enough to trigger a visit to an IRS auditor. JMO

[Robert Goren]

One more thing, For me getting out my comfort zone is asking for trouble. Bad things are sure to happen and I don't like skipping meals when I lose too much, but I know other people if they aren't risking more than they can afford, they aren't having fun. I am not that way. I am real careful when I gamble.

[menifee]

For better or worse, here we go. On Friday 12/28, I head to my usual spot @ TUP. Ten QHs in the first, which I have no interest in, one I like in the second & three in the third.

My first strategy was to go all/1/3 for a $15.00 investment in the .50 pk-3. I decided that this size of a bet was out of my comfort zone & instead went with my usual bet of a $1.00 DD wheel all/1. Total cost $10.00.

First race goes to a L/S @ $44.00. I'm feeling really good with a potential DD payout of around $230.00. Begin to have a nagging if somewhat subliminal doubt that perhaps I should have gone with my first idea of the pk-3.

I win the second by a head @3-1 double comes back around $230.00 Now I'm feeling real good with this situation until I take a close look at the pk-3 possibles & realize that they all pay 2 out of three. Meaning, I would be alive to take the ENTIRE PK-3 POOL. No one had the L/S in the first!!

So, one of my three picks wins the third. The pool was $1,500. I would have, could have & perhaps should have lived one of my life's dreams by taking an entire pool. Suddenly that $200+ double doesn't seem as exciting. I play a few more races, have a winner or two (I think) and head for the exits.

Since I've been a 'capper for 54 years should I simply resign myself to the fact that being a "ham & egger" & not willing to bet more I'm destined to be satisfied with these small wins or perhaps someone, anyone, reading this can toss me a lifeline?

How would you have played this??

Be Well,
fmhealth

You are asking yourself the wrong question. It really depends on how confident you were in the 3 horses in the third leg to determine whether you played this the right way.

[Uncle Salty]

HORSE RACING is supposed to be fun. We play with our computers, play with the horses, chat with our friends, bet money and embrace the glory of winning and the agony of being wrong. I don't care if you bet $1 or $1000 dollars a race, if you are not in your comfort zone then something is happening that shouldn't.

I am sure that everyone has a could have..should have story. I think you played it correctly.

:ThmbUp: :ThmbUp:

[DeltaLover]

For better or worse, here we go. On Friday 12/28, I head to my usual spot @ TUP. Ten QHs in the first, which I have no interest in, one I like in the second & three in the third.

My first strategy was to go all/1/3 for a $15.00 investment in the .50 pk-3. I decided that this size of a bet was out of my comfort zone & instead went with my usual bet of a $1.00 DD wheel all/1. Total cost $10.00.

First race goes to a L/S @ $44.00. I'm feeling really good with a potential DD payout of around $230.00. Begin to have a nagging if somewhat subliminal doubt that perhaps I should have gone with my first idea of the pk-3.

I win the second by a head @3-1 double comes back around $230.00 Now I'm feeling real good with this situation until I take a close look at the pk-3 possibles & realize that they all pay 2 out of three. Meaning, I would be alive to take the ENTIRE PK-3 POOL. No one had the L/S in the first!!

So, one of my three picks wins the third. The pool was $1,500. I would have, could have & perhaps should have lived one of my life's dreams by taking an entire pool. Suddenly that $200+ double doesn't seem as exciting. I play a few more races, have a winner or two (I think) and head for the exits.

Since I've been a 'capper for 54 years should I simply resign myself to the fact that being a "ham & egger" & not willing to bet more I'm destined to be satisfied with these small wins or perhaps someone, anyone, reading this can toss me a lifeline?

How would you have played this??

Be Well,
fmhealth

Betting horses is not fun and is not supposed to be. It is a potentially addictive activity that involves serious financial risks and nobody who knows how to read the racing form is betting for another reason than to make money. Claiming that horse betting is doing so for fun is the same as making the same statement for FOREX or equities trading...

Nonsense..


Either we want to admit it or not, our motivation to bet horses is to leave the track with more money than we got in...

As far as your story goes, I have to say the following comments (with absolutely no intention to troll):

Besides your 54 years of horse betting, you seem to still do not understand the game in depth.

First of all you are selecting the wrong track to bet. As we all know today we are no longer limited to one track but we can shop around for the one that offers the best value for our buck... Betting into $1,500 pools is clearly a bad decision which should be generally avoided (there might be some exceptions to the rule but analyzing them needs a new thread)

Second based in your description, it seems that all you care about is about not skipping a race and cashing tickets. If you like nothing in a race, it is a very bad practice to press the all button. I would only expect this only by a novice player who will shortly find out that this is not the way to bet horses and refrain from it or just quit the game if he is not capable to reach such a conclusion. This was a terrible decision you made...

Third, even if you had tried to narrow down the field of the first race just to create a better ticket without betting all the horses, you still would have been playing wrong, since you are lacking another fundamental skill, this of having the mental strength and control to stay out of race.

Fourth, you are referring as $15 being 'out of your comfort zone' which goes up to $10.... What does this mean? Are you betting your lunch money? Do you know what a bankroll means? How it is possible after 54 years of horse betting to allow $5 to put you out of your comfort zone? This is strange...

Fifth, besides your wrong decisions you got lucky cashing a huge amount (always given your initial investment), 20-1 or more total return, this is a perfect return and realistically speaking is very difficult to do much better... Now you become greedy paying attention to what the P3 (which based in you was out of question to bet) and start dream about what would have happened if you just had thrown this $5 (less than the cost of a cheeseburger) to your betting... I find this behavior at least amusing especially from someone who has been doing it for over half a century....

Sixth, you are mentioning that you continued playing some more races having some more winners and then left. I would like to know, how much did you bet these winners for.. Since you were questioning your original decision to go with the double instead of the P3, I would expect to be able to bet the whole amount you collected from to the subsequent races which is a close situation... With this I mean that having enough 'gamble' on your attitude easily allows you to mimic the behavior of a P3 betting individual horses... Of course if you go back to your original $10 level of comfort there is no reason to talk about making a big score... Two hundred is close to your maximum....

[fmhealth]

Thanks to everyone for their thoughtful & incisive replies. Best of luck in the New Year.

Be Well,
fmhealth