Pool % - Serious vs. Casual Players

[Beetlebomb]

Take the total pool of any given race - What per cent of the total reflects serious horseplayers gambling to win vs. casual players who simply like to play the ponies for fun, win or lose.

In other words - of the total $ pool - how much (including whales) is "quote" professionally placed.

If the per cent that is considered "professional" dollars - say 70% - this really is a tough game to win at since a potentially a small percentage of the betters (who supposedly know what they are doing - good handicappers - computer software users etc.) are placed by a small percentage of bettors who are well schooled in their craft.

Maybe what I am asking is "Do you have to beat the "professional" to have a chance to make money betting horses?"

[Robert Fischer]

Take the total pool of any given race - What per cent of the total reflects serious horseplayers gambling to win vs. casual players who simply like to play the ponies for fun, win or lose.

In other words - of the total $ pool - how much (including whales) is "quote" professionally placed.

If the per cent that is considered "professional" dollars - say 70% - this really is a tough game to win at since a potentially a small percentage of the betters (who supposedly know what they are doing - good handicappers - computer software users etc.) are placed by a small percentage of bettors who are well schooled in their craft.

Maybe what I am asking is "Do you have to beat the "professional" to have a chance to make money betting horses?"


1st we have to define "professional horseplayers"
2 popular definitions: a- Players with a positive-expectation. b- Informed bettors.

both types of players make the system more difficult. Positive-Expectation bettors have the most impact.

[jballscalls]

20 percent are probably novice/uninformed betters

20 percent are serious handicappers

60 percent are people that think they are serious handicappers (this includes me LOL)

[Hajck Hillstrom]

I read once that 80% of the pools in New York were bet by 20% of the players.

[Greyfox]

I read once that 80% of the pools in New York were bet by 20% of the players.

I read that too. However, I think that I read it on this message board posted by someone who was told that by a track official. I've never seen it published elsewhere.

[kenwoodallpromos]

If you want to avoid the big money from pros, I think the type of bet matters.

[jfdinneen]

Coleman and McGrath (2003) use the term 'Insider' to refer to profitable bettors on the Australian TAB (skilled players using public information and connections using private information).

They calculate that this group accounts for 10% of the Win market which is in line with the 7% (personal communication) supplied to them by the TAB.

Is there any reason to believe that the numbers would be dramatically different in the US?

John

[Pace Cap'n]

What I have always wanted to see is the number of tickets sold per horse, without regard to denomination, posted somewhere on the tote. Did the most bettors pick the fav or did he just take the most money?