hey, y'all....

[drisnya]

i feel like a moron here because i really haven't caught a thread with newbie info so i "figger" i'll just dive in...I have a very limited knowledge of horse racing...i'm exploring it as something to do in my spare time...i have the $ to play a little without getting carried away....a couple of things i'm curious about....

1. where do you folks get your race forms? are equibase forms/programs ok? do i have to pay a buck for a whole day's races, or for each individual race? are there online sources to get the detailed info for free?

2. this is probably a wide open question here, but where do you recommend i start with bookmakers? i'm USA....i know the exchanges, like Betfair, are out of bounds...

one thing is i'm a practical person and analyze (usually too much) before i take a leap. are there any systems etc you all recommend? flip a coin or look at pig entrails? :-)

[drisnya]

are there any sites i can use to bet for play/free? can i register at some bookmaker and play for play; no money? thanks again....

[surfdog89]

I quess the daily racing form.....drf.com need to start somewhere.... start reading...............

[AwolAtPA]

...
1. where do you folks get your race forms? are equibase forms/programs ok? do i have to pay a buck for a whole day's races, or for each individual race? are there online sources to get the detailed info for free?

2. this is probably a wide open question here, but where do you recommend i start with bookmakers? i'm USA....i know the exchanges, like Betfair, are out of bounds...



hi DriNya

refer 1: nothing is free. You can keep your cost down by using DRF.com or TSN.com for fifty cents a day per track. Or, you can sign up with WinTicket.com or BrisBet.com thru Bloodstock sites BrisNet.com or TSN.com. Then, you can have the Ultimate Past Performances (UPP) for the price of making ANY bet on the track that you downloaded. Check the Software sectoin of PA for info about software.

I once did a project using the UPP to study the Each-Horse-comments and the summary page. Well, I hired someone to prepare the data for me. When the project finished, the person, who never picked horse or read the DRF, was picking near 30% winners based just on the comments on the computer screen. I mention this project only as reference of my belief that anyone can take some information about the horses and find a way to Select winners. The real problem is how do you learn to bet? I contend that a newbie needs to learn the basics about WinPlaceShow and Exoctics. Then, start betting at the level that you are comfortable.

If you want to 'practice' without betting, then open a text
document in another window and record your bets. I know of no service that allows you to record 'paper'/not-real bets.

Refer 2: How do you want to bet?
If you want 'standard' pari-mutuel then I say start with a USA based bet service. That is, not an offshore rebate shop. I believe that the '..bet for the rebate..' is a sure fire way to lose more money than you planned on betting. I had been planning to start an offshore account with Pinnacle but decided that my attitude is not ready for the betting for a rebate. So, I am staying with my WinTicket and BrisBet accounts until I have consistency worthy of accepting a rebate to increase my profit. Aaaah, in other words, some days I win, some days I lose, at the end of the last two months, I have lost. So, break even or win something before I open an offshore (rebate) account. Oh, I have been chasing the '..make money at the horses..' fantasy for over twenty (20) years.

so, WinTicket, BrisBet, and WatchAndWager are really just AmeriTab. Other betting services (eg, YouBet, Ebets), you will find threads here on PA to get some info before diving in.

Before you signup, check the sites for '..sign up Bonus..'. eg, AmeriTab sites offer customer referal $50 and you get $100. When you decide on one, ask somebody you know to use you as a referral. Hey, they would probably like to have an extra fifty dollars betting money. Or, share the '..next fifty dollars..' of betting with that person.

well, more than I had planned to say and did not say anything about how to TALK when you bet. New Bettors (aah, NewBieS) need to learn the language of betting before they can bet on-line, at OTB, or at the track.

Duane/Awol
Double Awol Projects

[Dick Schmidt]

I believe that e-horse has a "practice" account that you can play with, at least for a while.

Dick

[Murph]

http://www.dailyhandicappingcontests.com/

I've been checking this site out a bit. They offer a free daily contest that
you can enter to hone your skills against some competition. I had to confirm
an e-mail address and I was in. No CC info required for free play!

Murph

[Bruddah]

As a "newbie" to the Sport of Kings, we all welcome you. There are never enough of us in the betting pools, so jump in when you are ready.

Since you will be in a learning phase, I would suggest you find software, which will allow you to build a database and help you learn to handicap horses. There are several good ones authored/ offered by members on this board. Let me suggest these first, because the members posting here are professional, very knowledgable, trust worthy and are gentlemen of the highest integrity. Not to mention, they have earned the respect of the "hard core" handicappers on this board.

I have been handicapping horses over 40 years, yet only recently (5yrs) have I begun to understand computer handicapping. In this time, I have used two premium systems. Let me mention JCapper and Equisim. The former is the system I am presently using because it allows me to work my handicapping within my own rules. The developer (Jeff Platt) has been very patient working me through the program. I highly recommend either. However JCapper has a shorter learning curve but Equisim is a fun program as well.

Welcome and I wish you success.

[drisnya]

thanks all....you gave me something to start with....