Mutual Pools versus casino and online wagering sites

[bisket]

I kinda thought the result would be split down the middle. I do think you need to follow horse racing regularly to be successful.

[tbwinner]

Originally Posted by bisket

I do think you need to follow horse racing regularly to be successful.

Anecdotally - I didn't place a single horse wager from about 2016 to 2019. I got a promo email from an ADW and decided to give it a whirl again. May, June, July 2019 I had some of the best results I had in my life. While my handicapping process and wagering structure remained the same as when I regularly wagered 2009-13, I think my initial results were better due to "fresh eyes" - I didn't carry internal biases towards jockeys,trainers, class levels between tracks, etc. Maybe our brains need a break time to time, reset, and return with those fresh eyes to the horse racing world. (From August on, my biases and action plays reappeared and I started losing again that year )

[PalaceOfFortLarned]

Hit the Casino's maybe once or twice a year.

Hate all the distractions and noise, and outside of Blackjack I just can't shove money into a machine and hope for the best.

I think you'll find most horse racing players are pretty sharp people looking for an edge, or at least somewhat consumed with the intellectual part of handicapping and trying to figure out the best way to make money in any individual race.

I'd much rather get my brains beat in via a choice in finding a winner as opposed to simply pulling a lever or picking a number.

[tbwinner]

This thread keeps popping up despite no new posts, so people are still voting.

I figured the results would be split as they currently are. Throughout the years ive met many horseplayers despise casino gambling but also many that enjoy different forms of gambling.

I love the mental challenge of handicapping and wager construction, but certainly appreciate lower house edge options and greater "action per hour" games like craps, blackjack, and video poker. Should racetracks start comping drinks? Maybe $1 beer nights or drink coupons would encourage more trackgoers.

Bottom line it's cheaper to run a bank of slot machines and a pit of tables than put on a racing meet. I'm waiting for the day that state legislatures "decouple" the racing requirement for casinos in certain states. I imagine tracks subsidized by casinos like in WV, PA, etc. may fall off more if that happens.