PDA

View Full Version : Automated Betting


tanda
04-25-2002, 09:15 AM
I think the most interesting thing to come of this thread is the fact that tanda has a program which contains an automatic betting module!!!! Tanda, please tell me MORE (in the Software Section of course)!!!

PA, it uses Automate which is discussed in the CherryPickr e-book. My software is in VBA and runs under Excel. I uses BRISBet. The toteboard is cut and pasted by Automate into Excel and the wager decision procedure in Excel is started. If the MTP are at or lower than the user defined parameters, the procedure processes the toteboard information, decides on any wagers and compiles the actual wager order. Automate then inputs the wager with BRISBet. I have an Automate task for each track which I activate/deactivate depending on whic tracks I am playing that day. I purchased the Cherry Pickr e-book but did not use their macros since BRISBet is different from YouBet and there have been other changes since it was written. But it was useful in describing an overview.

So, I import the BRIS PPs before the race and process the data. Then the automation process re-processes, if necessary, the data when the toteboard information is imported. It re-processes if there are scratches. The program recognizes scratched entries on the toteboard.

Which toteboard are you using? My toteboard grabber uses racingchannel as it is easier to deal with and updates more often than the one at BRIS. I have not yet automated the wager-placing part, but I have it set to make an audible beep and a notice on the screen when certain parameters are satisfied. I generally make my bets at 1 MTP, and as long as BrisBet is responding properly, have never had a problem getting them down. 40 seconds seems like a long-time to survey the toteboard -- is that on a dial-up? I'm on a cable modem and grab & process all win-place-show pool info for all live tracks every 15 seconds (which is the interval the racingchannel pages refresh at in your browser), sometimes with 15 tracks or so (takes about a second a track). There are usually only 1-2 actual updates a minute. They seem to be on something around a 40 second cycle for updates -- so sometimes there are two updates in a particular minute, other times only one. Then once in a while at certain tracks, there is a real update every 15 seconds. (I believe these things may be track-specific.)

I use a cable modem. I am trimming the code and process to save time. The time is needed because the PP data is re-processed for scratches and the software need a few seconds for that process. Also, the process involves several steps: 1) Bring up the toteboard, 2) Copy and pste into Excel, 3) Process wager decision, 4) Transmit bet to Notepad, 5) Transmit bet from Notepad to BRISBet, 6) Confirm wager.

The process is actually about 34 seconds (which I will trim by a few seconds in my next revision). That is because I insert pause time between various steps (and steps within steps). These pause times (1 second) are important so that the process does not fall behind. For example, if the process goes smooth no pause is needed after the toteboard is found and before it is copied. But occasionally, the internet or my computer will slow slightly and the lag will cause the copy command to execute before the toteboard is fully acquired. Then nothing or garbage is transmitted, etc. Also, the use of if ... then function within Automate would speed the overall process. But I purchased Automate Lite which does not have those functions. There are some other reasons for delay as well.

The process can play multiple tracks, but the time needed to cycle through all the tracks increases with additional tracks. Thus, the window during which the software will make a wager decision and order the bet must be increased as well. So, if you play 8 tracks (which I have done), it needs 4 minutes or so to cycle through all of the tracks.

GameTheory
04-25-2002, 03:39 PM
Ahh...

My program grabs the pages directly (no browser used, no cut-and-paste). I have Automate, but I've never taken the time to get it all figured out. I figure I have to have a method worth automating first...