What Software DOES everyone use??

[sq764]

I have read hundreds of emails on dozens of software and books, ranging from 'I love it' to 'Its a piece of crap'..

Let's take a moment to endorse (or even brag) about a piece of software that each person uses on a regular basis.. Personally, I was not interested in what everyone thinks sucks, but rather 'the one software you would use if you had your choice (or one that you always use and are happy with)'

Look forward to some opinions and endorsements...



Scott

[JimG]

Capsheet (Plus V) and Horse Street Handicapper. I've used Capsheet for about 5 years...great program but BRIS datafiles are not cheap. Same datafile used for turf race setup I put together years ago in PlusV. I've been using HSH for at home handicapping.


Jim

[anotherdave]

The only software I still use is HTRF. It's odds line is good and the pars and ratings at the bottom are quite good. But I still basically give a race a 10 minute handicap to isolate the top 2 (or so) contenders and then use HTRF. When HTRF and me both pick the same top 2 horses, I have found the results very good.

[cj]

My own!!! It is the only way to go, or you are not handicapping.

[ranchwest]

RYO (roll your own)

[Tom]

HTR primarily.
ProPace and Figline secopndary.
Formulator to handicap race using DRF, or my own spreadsheet
when I use BRIS/TSN downloads.
Currently using free BRIS Ultimate PP's most of the time, since they are free, and that is the best price I could get ~G~
Also using FH's HDM sheets for AQI as part of my basic handicaping of the race prior to turniong on the computer.

Tom

[Dave Schwartz]

Yeah, I use my own as well. <G>

Dave

[andicap]

Originally posted by Tom

Also using FH's HDM sheets for AQI as part of my basic handicaping of the race prior to turniong on the computer.

Tom


How can you use FH's HDM sheets without turning on the computer? :)

[anotherdave]

Originally posted by cjmilkowski
My own!!! It is the only way to go, or you are not handicapping.

Based on that nice pick last week I don't blame you!

I'd love to use my own if I was adept enough at programming. Maybe someday. The software I use helps me decrease some of my manual handicapping time (the calculations) at least.

[BillW]

Home Grown here.

BTW anotherdave: no need to apologize for not being "adept" enough at programming, you are using the computer as it should be, i.e. to "decrease manual handicapping time" . The people who are in trouble are the ones that blindly wager on the computer's "picks". Remember computers are just dumb tools (sometimes made dumber by programmers :-)) and not handicappers.

Bill W.

[GR1@HTR]

Very well said BillW

[ranchwest]

Bill W,

You are so right. I just made a significant discovery this week about how to better use my own software. It seems like it is a never ending process of learning.

[Tom]

Originally posted by andicap



How can you use FH's HDM sheets without turning on the computer? :)


Okay, you got me.
I meant actually using the application software to pick pacelines,
etc. I like to pick my contenders first, then look for pacelines that give them a chance.
:eek: :eek:

Tom

[andicap]

I use my own that someone else programmed for me. It's a tool that's all, basically it does the equations for me that would take an hour to do by hand. Based solely on BRIS data.
I must, however, interpret the data by myself -- no black box, although me and the guy who programmed are always hoping it will turn into one. :)
I use it to find longer priced horses to bet to win and key in exotics.
My goal is to be able to handicap a race in under 5 minutes. I'm not quite there yet. (My partner wants to do it in 30 seconds!)

[RonnieC]

I use my own software because there are so many NEW things I notice in actual handicapping that frequent reprogramming is needed to keep up with "current reality." One use of software is to notice "patterns" that TEND to make a profit. My software can then tell me what to check out further, such as the trainer's ability with layoff horses, if this horse happens to be a layoff but is otherwise qualified if not for this recency problem. In time I can add more code to handle layoffs and to key into certain trainers so the software can "think for me" in some specific situations. Overall, however, my software misses so much I really need to have a good sense of what it is doing and WHY, so I can learn as I go and change the programming to match my (slowly) developing ability to handicap.
No matter how good the programming, software can't predict the future very well because it is programmed for PAST information. Trainers, like Chess Masters, can keep creating NEW routines that a computer can't figure out so well, one reason it is so extremely hard for a computer to beat a grand master in Chess.
The last time this happened IBM "cheated," in effect, by bringing in a grandmaster to change the programming of Deep Blue between games, since the computer could not deal with "current reality" very well, but a human grandmaster could. Even so, Deep Blue only won 2 of 6 games against Kasparov. Combining our current thinking and observations, along with a changing computer program, seems to me like the only way to go for good profits. However, finding specialized ways to use a "black box" software might also work, but this seems to me to be making things harder for ourselves if what software is doing for us is not very clear to us. If it is doing more accurate pace and speed, then fine, but with pattern recognition I suspect we need to keep programming our own software to make this approach work very well. -- Ron

[thoroughbred]

I don't believe in my using this message board to advertise a product that is for sale.

But the question was, what software do I use? So I have to say "CompuTrak' and remind you that I am its developer. It would not be right for me to let you possibly conclude that some independent user was praising the system.