So why do people keep playing

[cutchemist42]

I actually like the sport, and even if Im losing .15cents for every dollar, its still cheap entertainment over other sports I follow.

I enjoy the handicapping and the races, and there's a reason why I dont like poker despite it being "more beatable". I dont pour money into something simply because the return is better. I find poker to be boring, as well as DFS. I have zero interest in greyhound betting as its simply dogs chasing a fake rabbit.

I dont even like betting on sports and its much more beatable.

Part of me feels bad for anyone simply view this as a game to beat, because there's other things to enjoy about it.

Dave's explanation fo golf is good as well. Golf is a frustrating game to play, but there are still fun elements at its best.

And yeah, my gold budget annually is about $1700 annually with a big chunk being a twilight membership for $1000.

[BlueChip@DRF]

Originally Posted by andicap

As I debate whether to jump back into this sport, I can only wonder why so many people on this board complain so much about how difficult it is to win these days -- what with the small fields, whales, odds drops, drugs, etc. -- but yet they keep on playing.

My question with all earnestness -- and I'm not trying to be snarky -- is why?

I pretty much stopped for a while. The things I've been betting are The Kentucky Derby card, The Belmont Stakes card, the BC 2-turn turf races, March Madness Brackets and the Super Bowl. Other than that, it's just ghost town tumbleweeds for my betting activity. But at least my wallet retains most of its weight.

[The Judge]

It's a great Challenge. I remember in the old days when the Racing Form was all you had. I would stay up late at night on Friday ,when everyone else was out partying, I was out getting the results at 10 p.m at the downtown news-stand from the night edition of the newspaper. There would be 4 or 5 guys waiting not including the 2 guys who worked the stand who were horse-players also. We all knew each other and talked horses in the cold while we waited for the news van to show up.

The news-stand was outside a huge Greyhound Bus Station with it's usual cast of characters and clientele going in and out.

After getting the results it was home to study the Saturday Racing Form, up early the next morning to finish my handicapping.

INK was everywhere from my hands touching my face and my clothes. The Racing Forms Ink smudged badly in those days. Off to the track,form marked in colors, green for turf lines and all sorts of colors to denote different events understood only by me. I would proceed to track only to bet and lose while the drunks at the bar won every bet and let everyone in hear- shot know about it.

That was most of the time but some days I would walk out with both pockets full of 100's.

Met some wonderful people paying horses, including some of the well know names but mainly characters that I couldn't have met elsewhere.

Almost hit a Million Dollar pick six ,they scratched my horse at the gate put in on the favorite who I "already had". So in a pick 6 I got the same horse twice no one would put in a ticket like that.

Now I know I will make some money and if the stars line-up I will make a killing. Nothing like pulling wads of hundreds from everywhere even if 1/2 of them are mine from bets past.


Plus horses are special animals full of heart.

Needless to say I'm hooked I love the game but I have learn to take a break every so often.

[Denny]

It's a hobby for me.
I'm retired and play with limited income.
It's something I take seriously, but, not too seriously.
Have no illusions.

[Nitro]

Why do I play? And why will I continue to play the best game around?

Simply because places like Hong Kong and Dubai offer the finest racing on the planet!
My (3) entry Dutch Win bets are now hitting at a steady 67% frequency rate and my overall profit margin is now hovering around 39%. That’s because I only play the Classes and Distances that have produced the highest hit frequency (and avoid all others). It's also because I limit my play to ONLY those races where the combined late live odds on the (3) entries chosen provide a minimum 50% profit margin.

There are certainly vast differences in the game between playing locally and abroad. All of which by and large lend themselves to giving the player (at any level) a superior advantage. Many of these things I’ve time and again articulated on this forum on a variety of threads. But that commentary and others on so many related issues just seem to cloud the mentalities of some of the people on this forum. That’s because they just don’t get it, and probably never will. That losing attitude becomes so evident when the resulting commentary exudes the negativity and skepticism found on so many threads. It’s pathetic sometimes!

That’s why I rarely post any more. In fact, my only interest for coming on board every so often is to see how my friend Woody is doing with his dedicated Hong Kong thread: As far as I’m concerned its one of the most informative threads ever posted on PA.
Well it’s getting late and time to prepare for another potentially big night (morning in NY) in Hong Kong with a nice 10 race card that once makes the local racing look trivial by comparison.

[Parkview_Pirate]

on each person. There's no single reason why players continue to bet horses.

For some, it's an addiction, and often more compelling than slots or lotto. It's all about the high on a score, even if those scores are more infrequent and for lesser amounts than in the past.

For others, they are connected to the sport (owners, trainers, grooms, etc.) and they support it, and sometimes have insider info.

For the whales, in theory, it's an alternative form of investment, and as long as their edge (and rebates) hold out, they'll continue to bet.

For the casual fan, it's something to do in between drinks on the big race days, an excuse to check out the pretty horses (or the handsome humans), or to say "they've been there...."

For the more serious fans, betting is part of staying on top of the sports, or "in shape" for tournament play.

And for that rarest bettor of all, the winning professional gambler, it's the way to pay the rent.

Many of us are motivated by a blend of the reasons above, or by other factors. I don't believe horse racing will completely die off any time soon, but the trend is clear. And I think that trend applies to many other activities relying on discretionary income.

[cutchemist42]

Originally Posted by Nitro

Why do I play? And why will I continue to play the best game around?

Simply because places like Hong Kong and Dubai offer the finest racing on the planet!
My (3) entry Dutch Win bets are now hitting at a steady 67% frequency rate and my overall profit margin is now hovering around 39%. That’s because I only play the Classes and Distances that have produced the highest hit frequency (and avoid all others). It's also because I limit my play to ONLY those races where the combined late live odds on the (3) entries chosen provide a minimum 50% profit margin.

There are certainly vast differences in the game between playing locally and abroad. All of which by and large lend themselves to giving the player (at any level) a superior advantage. Many of these things I’ve time and again articulated on this forum on a variety of threads. But that commentary and others on so many related issues just seem to cloud the mentalities of some of the people on this forum. That’s because they just don’t get it, and probably never will. That losing attitude becomes so evident when the resulting commentary exudes the negativity and skepticism found on so many threads. It’s pathetic sometimes!

That’s why I rarely post any more. In fact, my only interest for coming on board every so often is to see how my friend Woody is doing with his dedicated Hong Kong thread: As far as I’m concerned its one of the most informative threads ever posted on PA.
Well it’s getting late and time to prepare for another potentially big night (morning in NY) in Hong Kong with a nice 10 race card that once makes the local racing look trivial by comparison.

International racing is something that has always intrigued me, but I have no clue how to handicap it as Im so used to Brisnet PPs. Like what products/ratings exist for these races?

[Afleet]

Originally Posted by BlueChip@DRF

I pretty much stopped for a while. The things I've been betting are The Kentucky Derby card, The Belmont Stakes card, the BC 2-turn turf races, March Madness Brackets and the Super Bowl. Other than that, it's just ghost town tumbleweeds for my betting activity. But at least my wallet retains most of its weight.

that is a great avatar-had me laughing

[Afleet]

excellent thread. I spend way too much time on horse racing, handicapping, going to the track. I think I have a problem, but the rush you get winning and solving each race like a puzzle is very gratifying. I was almost literally sick the first time I was sitting on 5/5 in the pick 6. I don't care about my job, all I do is look forward to playing on the weekend. I enjoy being in the crowds at Oaklawn, talking horses in the bar across the street from the track. I don't watch baseball, watched one game in the past NCAA basketball tournament-just don't care. I like going to the barns: the sights, the sounds, the smells.

The first race I won as an owner (small time) was one of the greatest highs I have ever been on and it lasted for hours after. I had 3 fillies born that I'm a part owner of, at the end of March, start of April, and can't wait to see them grow.

Hopefully I will get to Saratoga for the first time this year.

[CincyHorseplayer]

For one this is a game that is not played on a board or a table or a screen. If you don't get that=move along.

Once that is in the bloodstream there are an endless sequence of romances and learning experiences to figure out the nature of this game and the nature of the horse and different racing surfaces.

Overall winning by slim margins. Sometimes winning in fantastic fashion and sometimes for steady periods keeps you going.

Finding a place like this that keeps a once solitude fire burning that elevates you and makes you not only hip to the ideas that exist but in random comments that inspire you keeps you going. And make you not just be on a quest to be a good handicapper but somebody able to turn an opinion into money. I feel I have lucked into good fortune by being a decent handicapper. Good players here busting my balls with good intentions have made me a better bettor.

The seasonal calendar and schedules are always fresh and fun and present new opportunities. Combined with any combination of the above it is the greatest game. Racing for me is always a fountain of youth. I love it!

[CincyHorseplayer]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

I keep playing because old habits are tough to break. I have invested a great deal of time and effort in this game, to the point where it has become a major component of who I am...and to give it up would be akin to denying that a substantial part of myself still exists. For the ultra-serious player, this isn't just a "game"...it's a LIFESTYLE...and changing "lifestyles" is very hard when you've reached an "advanced" age. A sudden lifestyle-change of this magnitude, at my age, might prove to be a great shock to my system.

You've made me a better player. While I have always done pretty well I had started to keep a basic betting journal for memory's sake around 2012, as I've always written. You had challenged me about handicapping ideas. I realized I had to take it from opinion into direct theory to prove my point. That launched an over 1,000 page project! It was good. The few real journal notes that were really meant to be personal remembrances turned into a quest to bring everything into focus in very specific proportions. I've done that and am still adding chapters. It also made me stop sharing too many ideas for public consumption! But more importantly you have instilled in me the need to not just be a great handicapper but "what are you going to do with that?".Being good is making money. My buddy Raybo said the same thing for years. Between my passion for the game and being a good handicapper that wins what was everybody talking about?!! I didn't know. I know now. I was never a natural gambler. I'm a pretty f**kin good one now! I owe a lot to a guy busting my balls. Thanks brother!

[VigorsTheGrey]

I've cut way back...really only the big days now...for fun, not to make money, but just to take a shot and maybe get lucky and walk away with $500 more than I started with....sure it is a great game, but one that seems to require large amounts of TIME to master...to be truly involved with, to follow...to KNOW THY HORSES well...you see, though, I started getting jaded...all the ways we get nickeled and dimed and dollared, the rake here, the breakage there...the short fields, the whales, the bots, and who really knows the depth of the inside game being waged by the horsemen themselves...there are so many ways to just lose a race....and so very often I see horses make the lead, and the rest don't even seem to try...but besides all that I just came to the conclusion that, yep, I was just another mark who worked for the track even though he wasn't an employee... All that grinding and churning, over and over, pouring winnings back into losings...and all the while you know that the industry IS supported by the betting...by guys like you and I...making everybody's wages...making THEIR paychecks....!

[FakeNameChanged]

If it was easy and never changed, I probably wouldn't like it.

[JustRalph]

Some dont

[Storm Cadet]

I dont play anymore...the time consuming of downloading PP's, handicapping, watching the weather, trying to find my reading glasses every five minutes. yada yada yada. The handicapping and betting doesnt interest me anymore. I still watch racing on TV, but my time is limited.