why bother with the odds board

[acorn54]

was just looking at golden gate race six today and there was a measly five thousand dollars on the favorite two minutes to post.
i don't know why the tracks even show this ridiculous betting pool nonsense when the bulk of the money comes into the pool when it is too late to do any betting.

[BlueShoe]

i don't know why the tracks even show this ridiculous betting pool nonsense when the bulk of the money comes into the pool when it is too late to do any betting.
Hope that your suggestion is ignored. As a tote watcher, the pool board is a very important source of information. There is a widespread misconception that only the very late money matters, and that the wise money is only sent in at the very end. Taint so, but as long as the public believes this, it is just fine with me.

[Overlay]

Keeping the winning chances of the full field in view (rather than focusing exclusively on finding and betting the one most likely winner) can also help, as far as evening out the breaks over time from late odds rising or falling.

[horses4courses]

Hope that your suggestion is ignored. As a tote watcher, the pool board is a very important source of information. There is a widespread misconception that only the very late money matters, and that the wise money is only sent in at the very end. Taint so, but as long as the public believes this, it is just fine with me.

What you say is true.....but.......
if less than a third of the total pool is bet before 2 mins to post, how do you have any idea of your odds at post time?
Small pools are way too volatile.
There is no worse feeling for a bettor than to have a nice price on your selection as it enters the gate, only to see it odds slashed as it approaches the quarter pole with a nice lead. That happens far too often for comfort.

Give me large pools like Saratoga, or Del Mar, where you know at 5 minutes to post just about what your final odds will be.

[JustRalph]

I canceled a bet today when my horse went from 12-1 to 6-1 while loading

I figured I was in on the sucker portion of the pool........ glad I could see it.

he was up the track.......it just gave me the willies watching it happen, and I barely got the cancel in

[Robert Goren]

Smart money may come early or late. Computer money always comes very late. How smart it is open to question, but does at least show something close to a postive ROI or it wouldn't be there. JMO

[Tape Reader]

Hope that your suggestion is ignored. As a tote watcher, the pool board is a very important source of information. There is a widespread misconception that only the very late money matters, and that the wise money is only sent in at the very end. Taint so, but as long as the public believes this, it is just fine with me.

:ThmbUp:

[castaway01]

Hope that your suggestion is ignored. As a tote watcher, the pool board is a very important source of information. There is a widespread misconception that only the very late money matters, and that the wise money is only sent in at the very end. Taint so, but as long as the public believes this, it is just fine with me.

I actually think "the public" overreacts a lot more to the $500 bet early that sees a horse at 10-1ML open at 5-1 than they do the $10,000 bet in the last minute, if only because they notice the odds drop at the start of the wagering and it's too late to do anything about the money bet in the last 30 seconds.

[Siren Lure]

I can't speak for all tracks but I do know several GGF trainers and owners - I know that I want to see the pool the entire time. A barn like John Martin's will bet early on a horse they like, whereas Steve Sherman will be betting late on horses of his that he likes. Other times you can just look at the program, see who owns the horse, and know that a lot of the money on a certain horse is because the owner(s) placed a bet, not because someone had "inside information". I've seen certain trainers/owners take down the pick 6 pool because they "knew" who the most likely winners were based on watching works and track gossip. Little tracks can be tricky and it helps to know the players sometimes.

[castaway01]

I can't speak for all tracks but I do know several GGF trainers and owners - I know that I want to see the pool the entire time. A barn like John Martin's will bet early on a horse they like, whereas Steve Sherman will be betting late on horses of his that he likes. Other times you can just look at the program, see who owns the horse, and know that a lot of the money on a certain horse is because the owner(s) placed a bet, not because someone had "inside information". I've seen certain trainers/owners take down the pick 6 pool because they "knew" who the most likely winners were based on watching works and track gossip. Little tracks can be tricky and it helps to know the players sometimes.

Wow, a Golden Gate Pick 6 with five 3-5 shots in 4-horse fields must have paid at least $100.

Sorry, but when we see people posting before the race and actually winning a few using tote picks, then get back to me. I saw Anderon try it and he quit long ago after brutal losses. I know, I know, YOU ARE WINNING...good luck to you.

[Siren Lure]

Wow, a Golden Gate Pick 6 with five 3-5 shots in 4-horse fields must have paid at least $100.

Sorry, but when we see people posting before the race and actually winning a few using tote picks, then get back to me. I saw Anderon try it and he quit long ago after brutal losses. I know, I know, YOU ARE WINNING...good luck to you.

Nowhere in my post did I say I was winning and redboarding that, I was simply stating that at a smaller track you can sometimes tell by the tote board if someone thinks their horse is live. I gave two specific examples of trainers betting patterns as reference. Because the pools are smaller, you can see substantial drops in odds that are "tells" for certain trainers and owners. If you know what to look for it can be beneficial, that was the only point to my post.

I'm sorry that I'm not posting winners for you, I don't take a computer with me to the track - and I don't sit online all day watching the tote just waiting for the numbers to magically turn into winners - I actually go to the track to see the races because I enjoy watching horses run.

Thanks for your comment, good luck to you as well.

[broadreach]

Exacta payoffs and trends are an excellent guide to how the win/place will shape up.