Question for Spot Players

[Robert Fischer]

When waiting for a play with high value, does anyone here struggle with patience ?

[Dave Schwartz]

LOL - I had three races in a row one day that called for wagers of $750+. Lost two of them and only made $400 on the 3rd one.

Then I went through 6 races in a row without a bet. In the 7th race it called for a wager of $6! (Which, of course, won the race by like 7 lengths, never challenged.)

This was followed by another 10-12 races where the total wagered between those races was maybe $40.

I had only a few races left in my limited playing day. Up pops what looks like a big race. With 2 minutes to post it is calling for a bet of $800+. At 1 minute to post the bet has dropped to $725. At 0 minutes it was only $25.

I wanted that big bet.

Yes, patience can be a problem.


Dave

[Overlay]

When waiting for a play with high value, does anyone here struggle with patience ?
I think that it helps to have a variety of solid situations that might appear (so that you're not depending on a single set of circumstances that may only come along once in a blue moon), and also confidence (based on past performance) that the wait will be worth it.

[thaskalos]

With me...patience is only an issue when I am losing. :)

[windoor]

This was a problem when I only played one track, as I could go days without a play. You get tempted to play marginal horses. I can resist.

I now have nineteen of them (spot plays) spanning many tracks, so I am rarely without a lot of horses to play.

The flip side is when I get into a losing streak, the bank draw down can be quite large as the last three weeks of February has showed me.

My bank and plays are set up before the quarter starts, so there is 0 chance I go bust, but I was hoping with so many plays, when one went cold, I could rely on others to pick up the slack. This works well most of the time, but not right now.

Regards,

Windoor

[bob60566]

I think that it helps to have a variety of solid situations that might appear (so that you're not depending on a single set of circumstances that may only come along once in a blue moon), and also confidence (based on past performance) that the wait will be worth it.
With this the selections come to you i use three preset angles of the PP and get about four to seven contenders per card.
Then the next stage comes in.

Mac:)

[lamboguy]

volume is where its at for me these days. small pools means smaller bets and more work for me every day to make my numbers at the end of the day.

in the spring and summer it gets easier for me with the debut 2 year olds on the scene and big pools in new york, new jersey, and deleware.

[misscashalot]

When waiting for a play with high value, does anyone here struggle with patience ?

If you bet $20 or $50 or more on your High Value bets, then you can bet a buck or so for amusement all day long.

[bob60566]

I start tomorrow at Mountineer all the way till December and Northlands.Woodbine on dark days.

Mac:) :) :)

[EvenSteven]

Yes Robert! And then you go looking for value rather than waiting for your handicapping to tell you there’s value. I agree with Overlay. And while waiting for value and just seeing race after race $5 -7 pay offs I decided I wanted some of that money so I focused on 2nd and 3rd favorites and win for fun 1st favorites. Dave Schwartz’s HSH helped me do that. During the week I don’t watch the races so my betting is without the advantage seeing the tote board. I have seen a number of what I feel are solids 2/1 and 5/2 horses end up paying $9 to 12. The point is while you wait for value you might as well extract money out of these other races which make up a large % of the races.
I don't have the patience to wait for value so I had to figure something else out.

[bob60566]

Yes Robert! And then you go looking for value rather than waiting for your handicapping to tell you there’s value. I agree with Overlay. And while waiting for value and just seeing race after race $5 -7 pay offs I decided I wanted some of that money so I focused on 2nd and 3rd favorites and win for fun 1st favorites. Dave Schwartz’s HSH helped me do that. During the week I don’t watch the races so my betting is without the advantage seeing the tote board. I have seen a number of what I feel are solids 2/1 and 5/2 horses end up paying $9 to 12. The point is while you wait for value you might as well extract money out of these other races which make up a large % of the races.
I don't have the patience to wait for value so I had to figure something else out.
How about never bet under 8/5 on strong single, On Dutch for me 7/2 and above on both selections.
Mac:)

[magwell]

When waiting for a play with high value, does anyone here struggle with patience ? I approach my plays as if I'm a assassin and dont strike unless I'm pretty sure I hit the target, this I guess makes me patient, {most of the time}.....;)

[Robert Fischer]

LOL - I had three races in a row one day that called for wagers of $750+. Lost two of them and only made $400 on the 3rd one.

Then I went through 6 races in a row without a bet. In the 7th race it called for a wager of $6! (Which, of course, won the race by like 7 lengths, never challenged.)

This was followed by another 10-12 races where the total wagered between those races was maybe $40.

I had only a few races left in my limited playing day. Up pops what looks like a big race. With 2 minutes to post it is calling for a bet of $800+. At 1 minute to post the bet has dropped to $725. At 0 minutes it was only $25.

I wanted that big bet.

Yes, patience can be a problem.


Dave

Great example.

That is the case. Where I want to make that big bet and there is almost a "passion" :confused: to make those bankroll growing plays. Where most things in life, that passion drives us to success, it can't be allowed to a take over when making wagering decisions.

I approach my plays as if I'm a assassin and dont strike unless I'm pretty sure I hit the target, this I guess makes me patient, {most of the time}.....images/UBGX/E5.gif

Very cool.

[bob60566]

LOL - I had three races in a row one day that called for wagers of $750+. Lost two of them and only made $400 on the 3rd one.

Then I went through 6 races in a row without a bet. In the 7th race it called for a wager of $6! (Which, of course, won the race by like 7 lengths, never challenged.)

This was followed by another 10-12 races where the total wagered between those races was maybe $40.

I had only a few races left in my limited playing day. Up pops what looks like a big race. With 2 minutes to post it is calling for a bet of $800+. At 1 minute to post the bet has dropped to $725. At 0 minutes it was only $25.

I wanted that big bet.

Yes, patience can be a problem.


Dave
Very good post

Mac:ThmbUp: :ThmbUp: :ThmbUp:

[Ocala Mike]

Always approached the game with the understanding that "patience" is something that doctors need to worry about. Probably why it's hard for me to show a positive ROI over any long stretch of time.

I'm a recreational player, however, not a pro; I believe in the motto, "Bet every race you have an opinion in; you might be walking around lucky and not knowing it."


:)


Ocala Mike

[Dave Schwartz]

I'm a recreational player, however, not a pro; I believe in the motto, "Bet every race you have an opinion in; you might be walking around lucky and not knowing it."

I hear you, Mike. Guys who have watched me play have seen me do that for years. I mean, if I handicapped 50 races in a day, I'd bet 48 of them.

Within the past 6-8 months, however, I have developed the ability to mathematically tell the difference between a good race to play, a great race to play and an completely unplayable race. It has made a huge difference in my bottom line. Now, I only make significant wagers in about 30% of all races I handicap and pass another 30% completely.

I am working to raise that race play percent and have very high hopes of doing so. For me, the game is more fun than ever before. When I played every race it got to be like pulling a slot machine handle. Now it is becoming a little more like counting cards.

Still, playing 1 race in 3 is too much work for the return, substantial though it may be. I would be thrilled if I could get that a little closer to 2 out of 3.


Regards,
Dave Schwartz

[mishka]

When waiting for a play with high value, does anyone here struggle with patience ?

I practice. Still being relatively new, I still need alot of it. I have been developing a sense when not to play given the top favorites and their odds. I practice mostly betting angles for exotics at which I need improving, and where I want to expand. I primarily focus on picking just winners right now.

For example, I look at the results of my handicapping and if favorite heavy, I look to see if any horse may contend, fall short, but still has a some decent chance to be in the money. So I play around with making pretend trifecta bets within the limits of my bankroll like:

Favs/Favs+1/my_one_horse

And look to see if I can learn anything from the race from both a handicapping and betting point of view.

[pondman]

When waiting for a play with high value, does anyone here struggle with patience ?

I'm more of a hawk, looking for live prey, and leave the road kill alone...

It helped when I starting limited my play to +$100, and sticking only within the boundaries of my method, which is around 100 bets on the West Coast and 100 bets on the East Coast per year. I have to take it more serious with large bets. I've sat a number of times in person all day, thinking I'd have a bet only to see the odds drop to 3-1, at which point I cancel and walk. On the other hand I've had a number of days when an 8-1 went to 30-1 and I've cashed for a bag load.

I've gone back to playing in person. I just don't like the report when you move $600 from an ADW. If it's at SA, I don't have a problem entertaining myself. I've sat all day at SA with a couple grand in my pocket, and didn't have anything to bet. But when in N.Cal. I'm corraled in an OTB with a bunch of speed heads who don't ever hit anything unless it's 2-1. They've always got to know what I'm betting, If I lose 300 then I've got an addiction problem. If I win 10 grand then I'm going to lose it all in a day. I usually take a book to the OTB and I now have an iphone for entertainment.

[jasperson]

Thanks for 10 cent supers I can put in a cheap ticket so that I have something on the race and helps my skill with exotics since I am a win place better

[JBmadera]

prior to ADW and HTR this was a huge issue for me but now I can use Robot to run my spot plays and I get a nice list of high probability plays. sometimes more than I can effectively deal with!

[Robert Fischer]

wow great responses!

This thread reads like an all-star team of horseplayers.

[Robert Fischer]

I practice. Still being relatively new, I still need alot of it. I have been developing a sense when not to play given the top favorites and their odds. I practice mostly betting angles for exotics at which I need improving, and where I want to expand. I primarily focus on picking just winners right now.

For example, I look at the results of my handicapping and if favorite heavy, I look to see if any horse may contend, fall short, but still has a some decent chance to be in the money. So I play around with making pretend trifecta bets within the limits of my bankroll like:

Favs/Favs+1/my_one_horse

And look to see if I can learn anything from the race from both a handicapping and betting point of view.

That is a unique way of looking at trifectas.

I haven't exactly practiced in a while. There are lots of races where I handicap, don't have a play and still form an opinion on. I will watch the race and compare my opinion to the outcome.

I will do some practice if/when I start doing longer multi-race exotics like the pick 6.

[classhandicapper]

When waiting for a play with high value, does anyone here struggle with patience ?

I have the opposite problem.

I can pass a few days in a row with no problem if nothing appeals to me, but I tend to fall into a pattern of waiting for perfection and miss opportunities.

[classhandicapper]

With me...patience is only an issue when I am losing. :)

I agree with this also.

It's a lot easier to be patient when you are loose on the lead in soft fractions than when you get left at the start, get checked a few times, and are trailing. ;)

[classhandicapper]

If you bet $20 or $50 or more on your High Value bets, then you can bet a buck or so for amusement all day long.

I find that to be a dangerous approach. The line between fun speculation and investment starts getting blurred (at least for me).

[RXB]

I have the opposite problem.

I can pass a few days in a row with no problem if nothing appeals to me, but I tend to fall into a pattern of waiting for perfection and miss opportunities.

This is a much better "problem" to have than the opposite one. The vast majority of people bet too often, not too little.

I've handicapped 30 days of races so far this year, glancing over on average about 25 races the evening before and quickly getting it down to usually 2 - 4 interesting spots for the next day. From those, I've made a total of 32 bets. Action hounds wouldn't like this style, but it works.

[Capper Al]

It's a battle race by race. I have good days when I pass, and bad days when I play everything. God help me when I turn into the wheel after a big win. I really don't know how I'm profitable. Lucky I guess.

[EvenSteven]

"How about never bet under 8/5 on strong single, On Dutch for me 7/2 and above on both selections."

That work for me just hit one TUP07 #3 - $5.6 :jump: