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View Full Version : Pick 3 & Pick 4 Late Scratch Policy / Logic


MakinItHappen
02-07-2008, 01:00 AM
Could someone explain to me the logic behind tracks paying a consolation Pick 3 payout when you have a late scratch after the first leg, yet in the Pick 4 giving you the post-time favorite? Just seems a little inconsistent and I figure there must be a good reason or some logic behind it, but I can not put my finger on it.

Specifically, tonight I played a little Delta Downs, which I do not often do. I played the Late Pick 4. Leg 1 was won by the 7-5 chalk. In Leg 2 I had 2 horses, the Even money favorite and the 6 horse who was ML 10-1. A 7-2 shot that I did not have won. If I heard the track announcer correctly, he said hold on to your Pick 3 and Pick 4 tickets as there will be consolation pay-outs on the 6. So, just as I was about to tear-up my cyber tickets, there is a beacon of hope! :lol: So I remain an interested observer. Leg 3 was won by a 10-1 horse that I had and there was a consolation P3 pay-out on the 6. The Pick 3 paid $243.60 for $1 and the consolation pay-out was $32.60. The Final leg was won by a 9-2 horse that I had and the Pick 4 will pay was $5,333 for a $1, so I am thinking maybe I am going to get 5 hundred or so for the consolation pay-out... But NO... there is no consolation pay-out, I was obviously given a second ticket on the post time favorite instead. :(

Now granted, had the favorite won leg 2 instead of the 7-2 shot, I probably would not be giving this a second thought right now:p, but since he did not, I am instead comtemplating the rationale for the apparent inconsitency between the P3 and P4 scratch/payout policies. In the end, it probably all comes out in the wash, but it just seems odd that this inconsistency needs to exist.

I would be interested to hear what others think about this and if anyone can shed any light on the logic or rationale behind it, I would appreciate it. Also, where does a given track define these policies? Is there some documentation that can be referred to?

Best of Luck Everyone!

MakinItHappen

rufus999
02-07-2008, 01:29 AM
I don't play picks but I would guess the reason is it costs less for the track to offer a post time fav than to shell out a mess of consolation payouts. After all haven't they proven time and again that they know how to spend your money better than you do?:)

ryesteve
02-07-2008, 07:15 AM
I don't play picks but I would guess the reason is it costs less for the track to offer a post time fav than to shell out a mess of consolation payouts. After all haven't they proven time and again that they know how to spend your money better than you do?:)
This doesn't make any sense. Consolation payouts don't come out of the track's pocket. They keep their 25% regardless of how the payouts are divvied up.

Pick 6 bets are handled the same as Pick 4's... you don't get scratch consolation payouts there either. My best guess is that the tracks want to keep the payouts on these bets high, since that's their allure. Consolation payouts would cut into that.

MakinItHappen
02-07-2008, 12:38 PM
Thanks for the comments guys.

RyeSteve, perhaps it has something to do with keeping the pay-outs high, but if they are not going to give you a consolation pay-off, they have to give you a horse. So that is not necessarily going to keep overall pay-offs higher, but I guess it would on non-favorites.

I think Rufuss was getting at the theoretically higher administrative costs associated with calculating and handling/payout of consolation wagers. I suspect this may have something to do with it but it just seems rather arbitrary to do it for Pick 3's and not Pick 4's.

To me, it seems like the consolation pay-out is a fairer and more pure method of conducting wagering. If your selection does not run, why should you be arbitrarily assigned a horse? This would be particularly disconcerting if you were intending to play against the favorite in that leg.

Compare it to a 4 team sports parlay, if one of your games is not played or it is a push, your 4 team parlay now becomes effectively a 3-teamer... seems like this same logic would make sense for Pick 4 consolation pay-offs.

Best of Luck Today Everyone!

MakinItHappen

ryesteve
02-07-2008, 01:49 PM
RyeSteve, perhaps it has something to do with keeping the pay-outs high, but if they are not going to give you a consolation pay-off, they have to give you a horse. So that is not necessarily going to keep overall pay-offs higher
True, if it's the favorite that wins, the extra combos they've awarded would lower the payoff... but combos with favorites generally aren't going to pay a large amount anyway; it's those eye-catching payouts they'd want to protect. Plus, the favorite is going to lose more times than not anyway.