Who's your wheel?

[Capper Al]

I like wheeling exactas and rolling doubles. The question is who do you wheel on- your top pick at any odds, your best overlay pick, or wait to the few times your top pick is the overlay. You can't bet them all. I know. I have tried. I wheel on my overlay. If you wheel, where is your focus on?

[Overlay]

I like wheeling exactas and rolling doubles. The question is who do you wheel on- your top pick at any odds, your best overlay pick, or wait to the few times your top pick is the overlay. You can't bet them all. I know. I have tried. I wheel on my overlay. If you wheel, where is your focus on?
I would think that combinations with a top pick at any odds on top (for exactas) or in both races (for doubles) would tend to be underlaid. I would look at my best overlay pick on top or in the first race, but try to be more selective than a full wheel, based on my judgment as to what the fair payoff on each of the possible combinations should be.

[davew]

My wheels usually do worse than betting that much straight on my 'key', so I try not to do it any more.

[BlueChip@DRF]

My wheels usually fall off.

[therussmeister]

My wheels usually do worse than betting that much straight on my 'key', so I try not to do it any more.
That's because if you are wheeling your selection over all, you are essentially making a win bet, but paying exacta takeout rates.

[Capper Al]

I would think that combinations with a top pick at any odds on top (for exactas) or in both races (for doubles) would tend to be underlaid. I would look at my best overlay pick on top or in the first race, but try to be more selective than a full wheel, based on my judgment as to what the fair payoff on each of the possible combinations should be.

I'm beginning to see it this way. Yesterday, I hit on #7 Forty Tales in the ninth at Belmont. It paid $19.80 for $2.00. I hit the double in the tenth with Point of Entry, and it only paid $34.60 for $2.00. My money would have been better placed all on the win instead of wheeling the double. I've been lucky (and lazy) hitting doubles without checking prior payoffs. Need to change my ways here.

[Capper Al]

My wheels usually do worse than betting that much straight on my 'key', so I try not to do it any more.

The question is what is your key, your top selection or your valued overlay selection? Also, I'm not understanding your comment. How can you have a key if you bet straight?

[Capper Al]

My wheels usually fall off.

It looks like that in your avatar. I take it you play it straight?

[Capper Al]

That's because if you are wheeling your selection over all, you are essentially making a win bet, but paying exacta takeout rates.

There can be leverage in a double payout, but first one must check the board before making the bet to see if this is so. For instance, if two horses where fifth choice in each race both going off at 8/1, a payout great than $83.00 would be an overlay. But, in general, I'm finding what you are saying happens more than not.

[Overlay]

Also, I'm not understanding your comment. How can you have a key if you bet straight?
He's saying that he does better if he makes a straight bet on the horse that he would have used as a key in an exacta or double, rather than betting the same total amount on an exacta or double wheel or part-wheel with that horse as his key.

[Capper Al]

He's saying that he does better if he makes a straight bet on the horse that he would have used as a key in an exacta or double, rather than betting the same total amount on an exacta or double wheel or part-wheel with that horse as his key.

Thanks. I'm beginning to think this for doubles, but haven't let go of exacta/trifectas.

[burnsy]

I wheel rarely, if i do its a leg of the pic 3's if theres an overwhelming fave and i think its vulnerable. This has given me some of my biggest scores........i wheeled against Big Brown in the Belmont and against Rachel at Saratoga when she lost. Did this against Smarty Jones in the Belmont too. My logic is the skew of the pool when horses like this run.......if you beat these type of horses, you get paid and if you have them all....it can turn out to be a real monster pay out. If everyone else is singling a horse....hit the all button...."can't be beat".....hit the all button, IF YOU THINK IT CAN BE BEATEN. I call this my "pool buster" play. I'll usually single a logical horse in another leg, two deep in another leg and ALL in the leg with the overbet horse. Don't even care about telling people because most won't do it anyway. On the big days it can be a way to sign your name and get your picture taken........doesn't work often, but when it does.........:ThmbUp: its money that can get you a long way through the year.

[Magister Ludi]

Approximately 15% of exotic bets are overlays and 85% are underlays. Betting wheels is a losing strategy.

[Robert Goren]

Although in my younger days, I wheeled doubles, I doubt they are good bet. There is one extremely rare place where I wheel. That is on a track where front runners can't lose and any horse that pushes it fades out the money and almost any thing can run second and third. Exact and tri wheels are called for then.