Do you have any odd rituals or superstitions while at the races

[Hardspun]

I don't have any real odd ball ones off hand, but I have a thing with lucky pens. I have this Hello Kitty pen that I have been using the past couple of times at the races and have won $300. I'm a small bettor that goes on the weekend and that is a lot for me. I went yesterday without my Hello Kitty pen and lost $200. I take the unlucky pen or pens and toss them out the car window on the way home.

[andymays]

I never take $50 dollar bills when they pay me. They're bad luck.

[letswastemoney]

I don't have any real odd ball ones off hand, but I have a thing with lucky pens. I have this Hello Kitty pen that I have been using the past couple of times at the races and have won $300. I'm a small bettor that goes on the weekend and that is a lot for me. I went yesterday without my Hello Kitty pen and lost $200. I take the unlucky pen or pens and toss them out the car window on the way home.Really? Are you male or female?

[Hardspun]

Male...I got the pin from a Korean store as a joke and it became lucky.

[Learned Hand35]

Really? Are you male or female?

:D I was thinking the exact same thing.

[Igeteven]

I never take $50 dollar bills when they pay me. They're bad luck.

So are 2 dollar bills :cool:

[cnollfan]

I love fifties. Twice as good as a twenty!

[thaskalos]

I never, EVER, cancel a bet once I make it...regardless of circumstances.

[shouldacoulda]

Before I make my first bet I say the gamblers prayer. It goes like this; "Oh Lord, please let me win today". I always thank him every time I win too because it seems like a miracle every time. ;)

[thespaah]

I don't have any real odd ball ones off hand, but I have a thing with lucky pens. I have this Hello Kitty pen that I have been using the past couple of times at the races and have won $300. I'm a small bettor that goes on the weekend and that is a lot for me. I went yesterday without my Hello Kitty pen and lost $200. I take the unlucky pen or pens and toss them out the car window on the way home.Never tear up losing tickets. Never throw them on the floor. Always toss the dead ones in the trash. And GOD FORBID I forget to throw them away before I make bets for the next race. Kiss of death!!!!

[thespaah]

I love fifties. Twice as good as a twenty!actually two and a half

[Robert Goren]

I used to have to cross rail tracks to get to the track. I notice when ever I had to wait on a train I would lose. So it got the point whenever I had to wait on a train, I would turn around go back home.

[Dave Schwartz]

Boys, boys, boys.

Always remember that it is bad luck to be superstitious.


:lol:

[salty]

If I have a three horse exacta box and the jockey falls off one and anther one breaks down right out of the gate I should just go home.

If My horse comes charging at the end just to collapse 5 feet before the wire, its time to go home.

If i bet on any horse that breaks down i guess its a signal to just go home.

I have never won anything after anything like this happens.

:bang:

[KingChas]

Have never won,
when they are leading the horses into the gate and my horse starts taking a dump...................No B.S.

[eastie]

*no red pens.they put you in red ink
*no $50 dollar bills. lotta blood on that cat's hands
*no midgets. I've punted a handfull of the little bastids in my days and have zero tolerance for them, period. Sky Lo Lo will give you a low low low balance.

[BombsAway Bob]

*no red pens.they put you in red ink
*no $50 dollar bills. lotta blood on that cat's hands
*no midgets. I've punted a handfull of the little bastids in my days and have zero tolerance for them, period. Sky Lo Lo will give you a low low low balance.
Why does everyone hate my uncle? :D

[phatbastard]

always make str8 bets and exactas and doubles in increments of 3 dollars...

always buy vouchers in multiples of 40 bucks.....

always take a seat to the right of my buddies


further dementia.....when playing draw poker, never drew 2 cards..always 1..3..or stayed pat..not that anyone plays draw anymore,,wish they did though

[Paseana]

My biggest problem is making defensive wagers. I'm a small bettor, and usually just the win and place type. What I hate is when I'm handicapping a race with the PPs, and keep getting drawn back to a horse that's double digits on the board....for some reason. It might be a workout 3 back, or some quirky pedigree thing, or who knows what else. All I know is that I end up agonizing over this horse, and ultimately end up eliminating him. I go and make my bet on the horse that I pick.

But that stupid horse that sitting on the board at 15/1 won't let go of me. All I can think about is what if this animal wins this race and I don't have a dime on him! It would make me feel even more stupid than I feel right now for thinking he has a chance! With a minute to post, I run back to the window and place a small wager on him....just for self-protection.

I've been playing for about 30 years now, and I have to say that I can't remember one time when that defensive wager ever paid off for me. The handicapping is solid, but superstition plays a part for all of us, no matter how much we want to deny it. It's horseracing, and sometimes a Sarava wins the Belmont.

I can only wish that I'd become fixated on him!

[kenwoodall2]

actually two and a half
Good thing you did not give me a chance to respond!!LOL!!
I have bad luck whenever I bet a "monster".

[letswastemoney]

Taking your Hello Kitty pen to the track is all good and well, but it's been done before.

What I do is take my Sailor Moon pen, put it in my front pocket with the Sailor Moon picture facing wherever I am facing, so that she could use her Sailor Magic in any wager I make.

Once I'm in the track I ask at least 5 people to tap my Sailor Moon pen for me, so that its power could be charged up for the rest of the day.

[letswastemoney]

Also, when I am driving in my car I rub a picture of Rachel Alexandra hanging from my rear view mirror 5 times for good luck.

[Tee]

No sex before a wagering session!!

Or is it no wagering before a sex session?

I wish I had these problems. :lol:

[ManeMediaMogul]

I don't have any real odd ball ones off hand, but I have a thing with lucky pens. I have this Hello Kitty pen that I have been using the past couple of times at the races and have won $300. I'm a small bettor that goes on the weekend and that is a lot for me. I went yesterday without my Hello Kitty pen and lost $200. I take the unlucky pen or pens and toss them out the car window on the way home.

My friend Mike had a lucky green Flair pen that he saved for big carryover days. We hit two pick sixes one week and he thought the pen bore some magical power. I think it was my masterful handicapping. :lol:

[Horseplayersbet.com]

I try not to leave an odd number balance in my betting account. Almost every time I bet a race or a series of races, my balance after the bet is an even number.

It generally means that I will end up either taking a 20 cent press on a super or a $3 exactor or double. Though last year I took an extra $3 straight triactor because of this odd habit and it came in and paid something like $300 for a deuce.

I have no idea why I got into this habit. I don't believe in superstition, but I do think that humans are innately superstitious and you have to fight not being superstitious, no matter how ridiculous you think it is.

My guess is every sports fan and/or gambler has experienced the "I'm not moving a muscle during my team's rally" when watching on TV.

I've stopped with that nonsense, but the fact I had the notion means there is something innate going on.

[shouldacoulda]

Have never won,
when they are leading the horses into the gate and my horse starts taking a dump...................No B.S.

I always took that as a good sign (as long as he doesn't have a newspaper in hand). Lightens them of a few pounds and they have to feel better after. :lol:

[QuarterCrack]

I have a little bottle of some oils I got from a healer in the mountains when I was in Burma. I sprinkle some of it around my desk when I'm at the simulcast facility. At the track, if I'm close enough to the paddock/walking ring, I try to get close enough to sprinkle a few drops of it on the backside of the horse I want to bet on. I get kicked and lunged at from time to time - supposedly the stuff burns the horse like battery acid. But it's okay - it makes me feel lucky and we all have to do what we can to persevere and to beat the 20% rake.

Also, I always try to convince the guys around me to hold hands and form a Circle of Sunshine so we can all win and have a good day with good health, etc. I can't get anyone to do it - they call me names and say I have psychological problems etc. etc. But whatever. They don't know how I operate.

Coming down the stretch, if my horse is in contention, I don't really cheer or root my horse in, but I have a jews harp I carry with me in my pocket, and I'll take that out and play it as they come down the stretch. As they get closer to the wire, I'll increase the tempo. I think a lot of people like this, even if they don't say so.

[miesque]

Really? Are you male or female?

I was thinking something more or less along those lines, your version is much nicer. :D

[miesque]

I was quite surprised that some feel that Fifty Dollar Bills are bad luck, I love them. Well not as much as Hundred Dollar Bills, but that goes without saying.

As for myself, I don't have any superstitions when I go to the track. I do have a set way of doing things but I don't consider any of them to be odd rituals or for good luck, its more that once I figure out what I like and what works for me I tend to stick with it.

[rastajenk]

When I was a mutuel clerk, I heard that a lot about the 50's. That's a pretty common one, for some reason. Well, upon further review, if there was a reason, it wouldn't be a superstition, would it? :confused:

:)

[Phantombridgejumpe]

$22 or $33 - tellers really seem to like that (not!!)

[SoCalCircuit]

I usually play Pick 4's or 6's, and whenver I'm involved in a big one, between 2 races I have to do/go exactly what I did/where I went between the races before

[Grits]

When I was a mutuel clerk, I heard that a lot about the 50's. That's a pretty common one, for some reason. Well, upon further review, if there was a reason, it wouldn't be a superstition, would it? :confused:

:)

One quirk. Don't want a $50 bill anywhere near me. Complete aversion to them. If a clerk has to change my $100, or pay me out . . . still don't want a $50 in the mix anywhere. Aside from superstition, clerks have told me, not only are they aware of horseplayers dislike of them, but they, too, don't like $50s due to the fact its easy to misread one for a $20.

One ritual. It has to do with the horse's and jock's well being, wanting them to race without injury, coming back safely. As they're loading, the cross hanging from my neck is often between my thumb and index finger. A silent prayer that all run well.

[andymays]

50's sort of screw up the BR and throw it off stride when you're counting.

[Horseplayersbet.com]

50's sort of screw up the BR and throw it off stride when you're counting.
So do 3's.

[cosmo96]

I live about fity miles from River Downs. On the way I listen to Bluegrass and Old Time Country Music. I sing along. I love walking from the parking lot to my seat in the race book. River Downs is a real race track. If I win I eat at AJ's and play the music on the way home. If I lose all is quiet and I eat cheeseburgers at The Corner in Waynesville, Ohio.

[Fingal]

Never tear up losing tickets. Never throw them on the floor. Always toss the dead ones in the trash. And GOD FORBID I forget to throw them away before I make bets for the next race. Kiss of death!!!!

A variation-
NEVER let a losing ticket stay in the same section of my portfolio as the live tickets, don't toss it until I get home but move it to a place behind my other papers.

I think we have a new one- In our group at Hollywood Saturday, one guy wore his Santa Anita barber shirt, & another had an Amnesty International pen he found in the parking lot. And because we hit both P4s, I guarantee I'll see them both next week. :lol:

[shouldacoulda]

One quirk. Don't want a $50 bill anywhere near me.

I wouldn't mind being chin deep in 50's

[bisket]

i never play da horseys without my lucky underwear. 2 months ago mrs. bisket put her foot down, and made me throw them away. it took me 13 years to getem just the way i likem, and it was out with the old and in the new :bang: :D . i had some really good hits with those suckers on, and they got me through some nasty stomach virus' also. ;) its been a rough couple of months without them :( . so now whenever i'm playin da ponies i make sure i have a brand new pair on. i wanna make sure i get another 13 years out of em ;)
wooohoooooo!!!!! come on da bisket needs a new pair of lucky underwear!!

[OntheRail]

I love fifties. Twice as good as a twenty!
And then some... :D

[jballscalls]

A variation-
NEVER let a losing ticket stay in the same section of my portfolio as the live tickets, don't toss it until I get home but move it to a place behind my other papers.

I think we have a new one- In our group at Hollywood Saturday, one guy wore his Santa Anita barber shirt, & another had an Amnesty International pen he found in the parking lot. And because we hit both P4s, I guarantee I'll see them both next week. :lol:

i do this too, live tickets on one side of the wallet, dead ones on the other side. amazing how fast the other side fills up though

[Johnny V]

Before I make my first bet I say the gamblers prayer. It goes like this; "Oh Lord, please let me win today". I always thank him every time I win too because it seems like a miracle every time. ;)
That reminds me of the old gambling joke I heard some time ago. What is the difference between praying in church and praying at the track??
You really mean it at the track.

[Johnny V]

I don't like the two dollar bills either. I was told when I started going to the track that they are bad luck. I have a friend who will not take any fifties whatsoever at the races. It turned out it had nothing to do with racing luck. When I asked this southern gentleman why not, he said, "Because Grant is on there". I had never heard that one before. I guess the civil war is not over for some.

[Grits]

I don't like the two dollar bills either. I was told when I started going to the track that they are bad luck. I have a friend who will not take any fifties whatsoever at the races. It turned out it had nothing to do with racing luck. When I asked this southern gentleman why not, he said, "Because Grant is on there". I had never heard that one before. I guess the civil war is not over for some.

Many Southerners live and die by their convictions. (Some of us, not quite so much. We got over the war long, long ago.) One could liken such deep convictions to, "once a Marine, always a Marine." Semper Fi. Which of course, is a monumental conviction. And as it should be.

Like others, I never keep winning tickets mixed in with dead ones. That's simply asking for trouble. But then, I don't toss any tickets . . . not until year end. EVER.

On another note.

"Da Bisket", I'm gonna have to rename your "lucky underwear." I'll tell you why.

Years ago, every weekend we stayed at the beach on our boat. And always, there in the sound, or along the intracoastal waterway, was a fisherman. He and his buddies would fish and party all weekend. Being a fellow Southerner, he had named his boat and had painted, boldy in black on the port and starboard sides, Black Drawes.

Ya gotta start calling yours, "Da Bisket's Lucky Drawes." Just don't tell me what all you've been through in 'em.:lol: (And make sure you pronounce 'em southern-like, as in "draws" not like dresser drawers.) ;)

[Bruiser1]

My biggest problem is making defensive wagers. I'm a small bettor, and usually just the win and place type. What I hate is when I'm handicapping a race with the PPs, and keep getting drawn back to a horse that's double digits on the board....for some reason. It might be a workout 3 back, or some quirky pedigree thing, or who knows what else. All I know is that I end up agonizing over this horse, and ultimately end up eliminating him. I go and make my bet on the horse that I pick.

But that stupid horse that sitting on the board at 15/1 won't let go of me. All I can think about is what if this animal wins this race and I don't have a dime on him! It would make me feel even more stupid than I feel right now for thinking he has a chance! With a minute to post, I run back to the window and place a small wager on him....just for self-protection.

I've been playing for about 30 years now, and I have to say that I can't remember one time when that defensive wager ever paid off for me. The handicapping is solid, but superstition plays a part for all of us, no matter how much we want to deny it. It's horseracing, and sometimes a Sarava wins the Belmont.

I can only wish that I'd become fixated on him!

Nothing wrong with a defensive wager. I have had premonition on horses before and while not common, I have had some nice paydays from a small wager. I just wish one of those premonitions would come through with a serious wager for once.

I tend to get hung up on patterns, such as the same numbers coming in in back to back races, or jockeys who have days of seconditis.

[thespaah]

Have never won,
when they are leading the horses into the gate and my horse starts taking a dump...................No B.S.
No kidding....me too. If I have a wager ona horse that empties out on the track( post pararde, warm up, to the gate).....Kiss of death..

[bisket]

My biggest problem is making defensive wagers. I'm a small bettor, and usually just the win and place type. What I hate is when I'm handicapping a race with the PPs, and keep getting drawn back to a horse that's double digits on the board....for some reason. It might be a workout 3 back, or some quirky pedigree thing, or who knows what else. All I know is that I end up agonizing over this horse, and ultimately end up eliminating him. I go and make my bet on the horse that I pick.

But that stupid horse that sitting on the board at 15/1 won't let go of me. All I can think about is what if this animal wins this race and I don't have a dime on him! It would make me feel even more stupid than I feel right now for thinking he has a chance! With a minute to post, I run back to the window and place a small wager on him....just for self-protection.

I've been playing for about 30 years now, and I have to say that I can't remember one time when that defensive wager ever paid off for me. The handicapping is solid, but superstition plays a part for all of us, no matter how much we want to deny it. It's horseracing, and sometimes a Sarava wins the Belmont.

I can only wish that I'd become fixated on him!
don't let the odds determine which horse you like. i never look at odds when i am trying to determine which horse i like. i look at odds after i pick which horse or horses (in my case) i like. the odds determine how much i wager. the higher the odds the higher the wager! if your letting the odds determine which horse you like, your not betting your horse your betting the competition's horse!!

[thespaah]

Good thing you did not give me a chance to respond!!LOL!!
I have bad luck whenever I bet a "monster".
Whenever I hear the word "monster", I run away...Very fast...
Not once have I heard the term used, except in the case of a huge fav in a stake race, those are obvious..
But these first time starters, big drop downs, etc...they NEVER WIN. Not for me anyway.

[A. Pineda]

I have a little bottle of some oils I got from a healer in the mountains when I was in Burma. I sprinkle some of it around my desk when I'm at the simulcast facility. At the track, if I'm close enough to the paddock/walking ring, I try to get close enough to sprinkle a few drops of it on the backside of the horse I want to bet on. I get kicked and lunged at from time to time - supposedly the stuff burns the horse like battery acid.

Aha! I've been telling my friends that I've been losing because some of the horses which I bet on seem to be trying to rub something off of their backside on the rail.

By the way, have you sprinkled your magic oil at the dog tracks? I've lost a few big bets on runners who just rolled in the dirt, having no interest at all in chasing the wabbit.

P.S. I had a buddy that tried to sprinkle mountain lion urine, but as soon as he took the cap off the bottle all hell broke loose, and they're still looking for some of those horses.

[therussmeister]

don't let the odds determine which horse you like. i never look at odds when i am trying to determine which horse i like. i look at odds after i pick which horse or horses (in my case) i like. the odds determine how much i wager. the higher the odds the higher the wager! if your letting the odds determine which horse you like, your not betting your horse your betting the competition's horse!!
I let the odds determine which horse I like, but I'm betting against the competition's horse. In theory, I'll take any horse at the right price. In practice, I'm not going to bother betting a horse with, for instance, only a 3% chance of winning.

I let probability determine how much I wager. The higher the probability, the higher the wager.

[JustRalph]

I go to an obscure track in the Northwest and Piss in the Paddock

[Hanover1]

I never snap my fingers or slap the program on the rail before the 1/8 pole.......

[Valuist]

I never, EVER, cancel a bet once I make it...regardless of circumstances.

You should re-think that one. Unless you are a newbie, your last impression is likely to be better than your initial impression.

[Sham]

I go to an obscure track in the Northwest and Piss in the Paddock

Now THAT's funny...extra points for inter-thread humor! :ThmbUp:

[tbwinner]

You should re-think that one. Unless you are a newbie, your last impression is likely to be better than your initial impression.

I disagree unless you're a strict tote board/odds player. I go down in flames when I rethink a bet that I wrote down from handicapping the night before. Just Sunday at Arlington I would have hit a $170 exacta and $850 tri, but no I canceled my original bet and took out a longshot from the 2nd leg. Of course that longshot came 2nd and f-bombs started flying. Only exception is seeing something in the post parade or the paddock.

[thespaah]

I disagree unless you're a strict tote board/odds player. I go down in flames when I rethink a bet that I wrote down from handicapping the night before. Just Sunday at Arlington I would have hit a $170 exacta and $850 tri, but no I canceled my original bet and took out a longshot from the 2nd leg. Of course that longshot came 2nd and f-bombs started flying. Only exception is seeing something in the post parade or the paddock.
I never let win odds throw me to the point where I will throw out horses numbers I have already written down.
I always tell myself that the odds to win are the opinion of others.
There are instances when I can read the exacta probs, P3 and P4 will pays that will lead to clues as to where somewhat smarter money is going.
My philosophy is once I have committed to the wagers, I make them. Just as I do when on the golf course. Once I commit to a particular shot, I make it.

[therussmeister]

I disagree unless you're a strict tote board/odds player. I go down in flames when I rethink a bet that I wrote down from handicapping the night before. Just Sunday at Arlington I would have hit a $170 exacta and $850 tri, but no I canceled my original bet and took out a longshot from the 2nd leg. Of course that longshot came 2nd and f-bombs started flying. Only exception is seeing something in the post parade or the paddock.
I solve that problem by not making decisions the night before, I do the final 6 minutes of handicapping between races, it saves me about 2 hours of handicapping every night(for 20 races).