Taking stock

[jasperson]

One year ago in Feb. I purchased a $50 voucher at my racetrack. I have neither added to or taken any cash from it during this time. I am a $2 better only for win or place. I go to track 2 times a week and download between 3 and 5 tracks per day in which I make probably make 6 bets per day. Today that voucher is $61 and change. In a way this is depressing and in other way it is confrimation that I am a pretty good handicapper. Since I am retired I guess this is an enjoyable pastime and I should not count the hours I spend handicapping. I don't count the expense I have at the track as a loss because I can do this for less money than it takes to play a round of golf.
Jack

[thaskalos]

One year ago in Feb. I purchased a $50 voucher at my racetrack. I have neither added to or taken any cash from it during this time. I am a $2 better only for win or place. I go to track 2 times a week and download between 3 and 5 tracks per day in which I make probably make 6 bets per day. Today that voucher is $61 and change. In a way this is depressing and in other way it is confrimation that I am a pretty good handicapper. Since I am retired I guess this is an enjoyable pastime and I should not count the hours I spend handicapping. I don't count the expense I have at the track as a loss because I can do this for less money than it takes to play a round of golf.
Jack
Do you get as much enjoyment out of playing this game with $2 bets as you would from playing a round of golf?

[pondman]

Just from your own discription, I believe you are on your way to being a superior player. You show control. Eventually you will be struck by the truth and realize there are some bets that pay off handsomely. Try and and enter the snake put only when you see something with potential.

[Robert Goren]

If you turned $50 into $61 and change in a year, you probably did better than 98% of the horse players and at least half the people who post here. CONGRATS. As Pondman said, you are well on the way to becoming something special among horse players.

[CincyHorseplayer]

Ensuring survival is the first step.That has to be proved to yourself.My first attempt at playing fulltime I bet a month at Turfway,20 days,and I came out with a $125 profit.That meant a lot to me and still does.I know I can survive the clock.My playing time isn't in jeopardy as time goes by.In fact it's the opposite.The more I can hang around the wins come.Congratulations brother.You have proved that you belong in the game.That's big.:ThmbUp:

[PhantomOnTour]

What's the highest and lowest that voucher has been?
How many tapout bets, if any, did you hit?

[Cholly]

It sounds as though you are making the game work for you. For many of the rest of us, the opposite is true.

Congrats!

[raybo]

I agree, with the others, congratulations! The first step is to show a profit, regardless of the amount. If you're betting flat $2 bets, then the obvious next step would be to increase your bet amount at the right times. That's the hard part, when is the right time? Do you just increase your flat bet amount, or do you increase after a big payout, or use a percentage of bankroll method,etc.? A big part of the answer is contained in your hit rate, and your propensity to string wins together frequently. It hurts quite a bit, when you increase your bet after a big win, and then lose 4 or 5, or more bets in a row, losing the profit you had plus part of your previous bankroll.

Every player faces that problem, and really, a large part of the solution is proper funding, in the beginning, allowing a smaller percentage of bankroll as your bet size, and gradually increasing that bet size as your bankroll grows. Personally, I use a stop/loss method that helps reduce severe bankroll draw-downs during losing streaks. But, in the end, it's all about confidence in your play that will keep you going. While ending a year with a profit in your play is certainly a great step forward, another year or two of the same should convince you of your true skill, and provide added confidence in making that next step, if that is your goal, anyway.

I wish you continued success!

[jasperson]

What's the highest and lowest that voucher has been?
How many tapout bets, if any, did you hit?
It hit $152 as a high and $27 as a low. Sorry I didn't answer sooner, because presently I am enjoying and ulcerated tooth.:mad: :mad:

[jasperson]

I think one of the benefits of purchasing a voucher and always taking it home with you is that it suppresses the tendency to want to go home a winner. It is money already spent and if you have a losing day just take your lumps and go home. There is another race to bet next time you are at the track. The money lost that day is not out of your wallet so it just seems different. The voucher is just a score card.