Handicapping Tournaments!

[Maverick58034]

Hey all,

Just wanted to see if anyone had experience in Handicapping Tournaments. I am participating in the Midwest Handicapping Tournament this upcoming weekend at Hawthorne, and I was seeing if anyone had any tips purely for touranment play.

My tournament play is limited, as I have only played in a handful of touraments with varied success. Word on the street is that playing favorites is not effective, but in this tournament you are forced to bet WPS. Is the wise idea to play purely the horse you think will win -- regardless of odds?

Thoughts/Insights are certainly welcome!

Giddyup,
-Mike

[hurrikane]

i have not played this format before but it looks very interesting.

I think the stategy says the same but how you place the bulk of you money on the wps may make the difference.

HAW has not had a lot of great fields or ls of late

[Steve 'StatMan']

Hi Mike/Maverick! I'm in the Midwest Tournament at Hawthorne this weekend. (Still a few last spots left, fyi gang.) I'm getting better at the format - 10% to 50% of bankroll(mythical) WPS every race. Have learned what they said all along, you can't just sit on the lead/high standing spot, because the more your bankroll grows, the more your minimum wager grows. Seems the most important race is the last, as that's when the bankrolls are at their largest, and those a few spots back from the money spots will be doing some stabbing with 50% max. I don't recall them having caps - they didn't have them in their similar weekend series tourmanents this spring. Have to review the rules.

Consistency is the key, with some nice prices a major help. The week I finished 5th in a 1-day event, I went 6/2-3-0 with some 4/1 & 6/1 winners and a few places with my longshots, with the 6/1 coming at the end (a longshot place horse had people moved others up higher that I reached. Oh for a few more feet from those longshots. The 2 times I was 1st or 2nd after 2 races with longshots, my remaining picks missed and I faded badly. We've got quite a few more races, and an extra day, to deal with.

Bet size is critical. And can be frustrating. The day I was 2nd early, in the opening race, I hit a 16/1 shot with a 20% bankroll bet. However, the leader bet 50% on it. So even though I was in 2nd, I was well back for 1st. (I made a mistake, tried too hard to catch him, missed a few races, while he drew off like a rocket. I burned it all up, and others passed my burnt carcas that day.

So don't blow your feet off early, and mainly keep earning money. A winning odds-on horse may or may not pay as much WPS as a longshot that gets P&S. With a 2-day tournament, you won't want to blow your bankroll early, even though you get an extra $1,200 for the 2nd day of the contest (reloads the broke players as well). On the other hand, getting out fast and making them catch you is also an advantage.

Stop by and say Hi, on the floor or in the Handicapping Center. I'll be in there with my laptop set up. There are 6 free connections for the T1 lines, plus power outlets for laptops. I'm Steve Miller, sometimes called 'Stat Man', a huge, friendly guy with mostly salt/some pepper hair, 6' 3", 300++, glasses, nearly everyone knows me there.

Good Luck to you - Almost as much good luck as to me! ;) Hey, top prize is $20,000.

Anyone else going? Any strategies to share?

[FUGITIVE77]

Since I'll be competing against you I'll save the advice until after the tournament. Personally, I like the format that they have in the Nationals, just getting whatever the WP prices are, I believe Hawthorne used this format in previous November tourneys. Works fine for me. On another note Hawthorne must be going downhill this year with all the great marketing changes like lowering their weekly tournament first prize down to 200 bucks, (won't even pay for my bullets) doing away with the 5 grand Saturday pic 5 prizes, outsourcing the clocker's job to the brothers Howard as in Moe, Curly and Shemp. Even did away with Professor Scott's Monday and Tuesday race seminars, replacing him with the "THERAPY BUDDY DOLL" from American Inventor. And still the handle goes down. Now, with talks of closing the third floor handicapping race replay center and axing the rebate program,,,,, the only thing we need now is for someone to resurrect Sergio Leone to make: "Once Upon a Time at Hawthorne".

Anyway good luck this weekend.

[Steve 'StatMan']

Hi Fugitive! Come on by the Center (at least while we can still enjoy it!). Heck, maybe we already know each other. They definitely took a beating this year, the tourament series didn't bring enough new people back on track. I'm really sadden, their programs were so generous, yet the fans are either going elsewhere, betting on phone accounts, or just dying off, I don't know. Appaling lack of coverage in the Tribune(pthooey!) although the tracks pretty much stopped advertising themselves as well. The free tournaments were very good. Lots of things going wrong. Wonder if, like the Sportsman's self-made disaster, they will be able to get people back? Chicago season started off quite ominously. Hope the AP meet, and Fall Hawthorne go a heck of a lot better. The track is getting betting, just not the on-track handle and attendance that bodes well for the future.

[Donnie]

Doing the drive in from Downtown, Iowa.

Steve can you explain the 6 free T-1 lines comment? Do you mean we can hook up and download our datafiles there? That would be super! (The wife and I are both entered in the Midwest Classic being held in SD by Gallo and they are promising a WiFi hookup. THAT should be interesting!)

Will they have an area set up providing power for those of us with laptops? Also did an online search of local hotels/motels....any suggestions? Haven't booked yet....probably should by tonight!

Coming from outta town, you know anyone who could use the Season Pass every enterant receives??

Maverick---I don't know how much chat there has been about tournament play here, but go over to HTR2 and do a search, or browse thru the online newsletters...a few years back there were some good articles on tournament strategy.

Good luck to y'all this weekend. You "homers" have the advantage on Sat...aren't all the races IL stakes?? Good thing we're re-staked on Sun!! :ThmbUp:

[Steve 'StatMan']

The 6 T1 lines connections are in the Handicapping Center, and free for anyone to use. They're along the right hand wall as you face the front. I definitely need to get hooked up, as I'll likely have to finish my work for my job on at least Sunday morning of the tournament, and possibly Sat. morning as well. Can download files, check your emails, post on PA, all that good stuff. Plenty of power outlets as well. They also have 1 computer that is already online, for public use. (and 2 others, 1 for Scott, and 1 for John and the tournament scorers who update the scores, standings, and each persons minimum and maximum bet sizes for the next race, for those who need to know.

I'm not from the Hawthorne/Midway area, so not sure what to reccomend. I may get a room myself and save the 60 mile commute. They have a hotel with a deal listed in either the rules or the email to the tournament players they're suggesting. Not sure if they have internet access at the hotel or not. If they do, I'll likely choose that place.

Have a great trip! Looking forward to meeting both of you as well!

Steve

[Maverick58034]

Thanks to everyone for replying so promptly. I wish everyone who is playing the best of luck!

I leave tomorrow morning to hopefully see some live racing Friday afternoon. Saint Louis is far enough away that I cannot communte (or won't, take your pick). The hotel with the tournament discount told me that they were full, but there are plenty of others pretty close ( I think im 20 minutes away).

I definately look forward to seeing you all down there, I'll be the guy in front yelling as I lose the photo.

Good luck all (and may the photos be with you)
-Mike

[Steve 'StatMan']

After futher thinking, I do reccomend the larger name-chain hotels. There are some smaller, independent, hotels, but many of them seem of the No-Tel Motel variety. Of course, I can't imagine those having internet connections in the rooms, so perhaps that may be a good weed-out factor.

[Donnie]

Thanks Steve. Yeah...I use Mappoint and searched for hotels/motels 1 mile from the track....wasn't impressed with the names...not to mention they are all motels. Rarely do they have interent access in motels. The big chains are a couple miles away....the hotel in the brochure was $100 a nite....too rich for my blood for a sleeping mattress.

Looking forward to meeting you folks. Safe travels!!

[FUGITIVE77]

It's a little late but there's a nice Holiday Inn with the William Tell Restaurant in Countryside just off 55 a few blocks west of Lagrange Rd on 55th street. It's just a 14 minute drive or less to the track. If you want to sleep on the cheap from the track just head west down 39th street to Ogden Ave to Lyons and Brookfield and there are probably five or six cheap motels, hold overs back to the days when the area use to have several strip clubs and all the amenities that come with that genre. Don't go north of the racetrack into Cicero unless you are packing.

[Donnie]

Damned Fug! One more thing I gotta do now before I leave...clean my piece! :)