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

[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]

Originally Posted by 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.

Why does everyone hate my uncle?

[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]

Originally Posted by thespaah

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.

[ManeMediaMogul]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.

[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]

Originally Posted by KingChas

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.

[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]

Originally Posted by letswastemoney

Really? Are you male or female?

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

[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?