People sitting with Dave for a month or two, with zero handicapping knowledge about horse racing, would be far ahead of someone else who has read every book known to man who did not sit with Dave, imo. That to me, is a little known fact about our game, that others in other games embrace (like poker).
Guys who know how to bet in a similar arena (like poker) already have the skills in place to be a winner with some help. Newbies who don't know how to bet or have those skills are up against it.
If Phil Ivey sat with Dave, or Massa or Platt for example, and who does not know a fetlock from a form cycle, would know edge and common sense by playing poker.
Take for example, a MSW to MCL dropper with a positive jock switch. A newbie would want to bet the horse more than likely. While a guy like Ivey would probably say "he's dropping in class, he is getting this big jockey change and he is advertised as the ML fave, which everyone can see plain as day on the form; so why would I want anything to do with him?"
That horse with those angles is like holding pocket queens, but a gambler knows when to fold pocket queens.
Ivey, or someone like him, would be ahead of 60 or 70% of horseplayers because he would be gambling, not betting and searching for winners. Our game is counterintuitive to many because we are supposed to pick winners, however picking winners has nothing to do with us being successful as horseplayers.
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