I finally jumped in

[Versajoe]

Some of you have probably noticed that I've asked a lot of questions lately. I'm brand new to this.

Well... last night was my first time actually betting. I went to a CT OTB location. Now don't laugh.... I bet VERY small. I picked Yonkers and usually bet $1 per bet. Sometimes I bet $2, but never more.

The bad news is that, due to circumstances beyond my control, I really did not have much time to handicap. Usually I like to get the program ahead of time, but couldn't this time.

The good news is that I started with a $20 voucher. I left with $29.25. Given my absurdly small action, I'm REALLY happy with the result. I would have done better if I trusted myself. There was at least one race where I got nervous so I just bet $1 to show, and my horse won. I also bet every race, since I wanted to have some action. I normally would pass on some races.

So I'm happy. Time to start increasing the bets.

Thanks to all who have helped me here! I know my action is probably laughable to most, but I'm taking it one step at a time.

And I now officially have an ADW account! Look out!

[Sea Biscuit]

Some of you have probably noticed that I've asked a lot of questions lately. I'm brand new to this.

Well... last night was my first time actually betting. I went to a CT OTB location. Now don't laugh.... I bet VERY small. I picked Yonkers and usually bet $1 per bet. Sometimes I bet $2, but never more.

The bad news is that, due to circumstances beyond my control, I really did not have much time to handicap. Usually I like to get the program ahead of time, but couldn't this time.

The good news is that I started with a $20 voucher. I left with $29.25. Given my absurdly small action, I'm REALLY happy with the result. I would have done better if I trusted myself. There was at least one race where I got nervous so I just bet $1 to show, and my horse won. I also bet every race, since I wanted to have some action. I normally would pass on some races.

So I'm happy. Time to start increasing the bets.

Thanks to all who have helped me here! I know my action is probably laughable to most, but I'm taking it one step at a time.

And I now officially have an ADW account! Look out!

Take it from an old timer like me with 35 odd years experience under his belt.

A harness track is a slaughter house for action seekers. You just cannot handicap ALL races. You really have to pick and choose. You made a $9 profit and thats Ok but next time it could be quite different. If you want action go to a baseball, or soccer or Ice hockey or maybe even the WWF wrestling but DEFINITELY NOT a harness track.

Just my humble opinion.

[botster]

No laughing here from myself, you did the right thing, especially when you admitted you didn't have sufficient time to handicap.

Continue to bet the way you are, don't start increasing until you are very comfortable in your results.Keep records for a few months and then take it from there, don't get swallowed up, and spit out like many investers before you.

Good Fortune,
Dan

[Versajoe]

In my defense, I realized the "action" element. Now that I have an ADW account, I'll just bet the races that I am comfortable with.

In the races that I did not have a clear pick, I'd just make a small bet to show - so it's not like I was really chasing action. If I couldn't decide between two horses, I'd bet a small exacta with those two horses.

The most important thing is that I was very happy with my picks. If I bet bigger, I would have had a good night. But I'm in no rush. I realize that I might have just gotten lucky.

In the future, I'll just focus on betting to win and exactas. Show bets are admittedly a waste of time. However, it kept me interested in races, and I don't think I lost money with them. I still think I would have done better had I just stuck to win betting.

I think I averaged about $3 per race. So I'm happy with a $9 profit off of about $30 wagered.

Like I said, this was solely meant to be a learning experience. The money was not the main issue.

It felt good to pick the winners of the first two races. I need to take better notes, though, since I don't recall all of my results. Given my limited skills, I'm sure I'll have plenty of losing wagers, but I am happy that my skills have come a long way. The last time I went to the track, my betting system was based on blind luck. Now I at least know what to look for.