PIZZOLLA SOFTWARE

[gillb]

Where can I get a copy of the Master Handicapper ?

Thanks

Bernie

[Vegas711]

Check their website www.postimedaily.com

[thebeacondeacon]

Originally Posted by Vegas711

Check their website www.postimedaily.com

That URL is actually www.posttimedaily.com.

My suggestion is that you get into the Value Tech version of the newer program, "The Master Magician", instead of the older software, "The Master Handicapper". It costs about the same amount of money, and the numbers it generates are very good. In the The Master Magician ValueTech™ Mega Package, you also receive a very rich instructional package.

The companion tapes and manual for TMH, "The Master Key to Handicapping", is far and away one of the finest pieces of racing information that has every been published and is a good foundation for the way you will approach horse racing using "The Master Magician".

http://www.handicappers.com/products/tmk.htm

Best of Luck.

[boxcar]

Originally Posted by thebeacondeacon

That URL is actually www.posttimedaily.com.

My suggestion is that you get into the Value Tech version of the newer program, "The Master Magician", instead of the older software, "The Master Handicapper". It costs about the same amount of money, and the numbers it generates are very good. In the The Master Magician ValueTech™ Mega Package, you also receive a very rich instructional package.

The companion tapes and manual for TMH, "The Master Key to Handicapping", is far and away one of the finest pieces of racing information that has every been published and is a good foundation for the way you will approach horse racing using "The Master Magician".

http://www.handicappers.com/products/tmk.htm

Best of Luck.

Deacon, I realize that what I'm about to ask is aking to asking, "how high is up?", but nonetheless I'd like your opinion, since you must use this software. What kind of learning curve would there be for an average Joe Blow like myself?

Also, are there special files that must dl'd or can their standard single format c-d files that are viewable in the now-defunct Handicapper's Daily Sofware be used? If special files, what's the cost per file? I'm just wonderin' if I'd be able to use my old ITS files for testing purposes, of which I have an abundance.

Thanks,
Boxcar

[shanta]

Originally Posted by boxcar

Deacon, I realize that what I'm about to ask is aking to asking, "how high is up?", but nonetheless I'd like your opinion, since you must use this software. What kind of learning curve would there be for an average Joe Blow like myself?

Also, are there special files that must dl'd or can their standard single format c-d files that are viewable in the now-defunct Handicapper's Daily Sofware be used? If special files, what's the cost per file? I'm just wonderin' if I'd be able to use my old ITS files for testing purposes, of which I have an abundance.

Thanks,
Boxcar

Not Deacon but to answer your questions:

1) Learning curve- Really is a fairly simple software to use. Has a selector that picks pacelines, an accupressure screen telling u if u should favor early or late, 3 oddslines based on " normal - early - late". Software is very user friendly and also NOT being supported by "Posttime daily".

There is also a screen where u enter the horse's last 3 Beyer numbers and it spits out an oddsline based on how the PUBLIC should be betting the horse. Theory being PUBLIC is speed figure crazy. You look for horse's the public should NOT like that the software DOES like

2) Data files- the program can be used 2 ways
a) manual input- using this the "accupressure" read is NOT available
b) TMH files - the software will NOT operate on ITS files . It is a special TMH file accessed thru Post Time daily. The files are $ 1.50 a card.

Software in my opinion is very good. Problem area is updating the pars which have long since been abandoned Boxcar. However if u have a good set of them the program allows you to enter them.

hope this helps
Richie

[boxcar]

Originally Posted by shanta

Not Deacon but to answer your questions:

1) Learning curve- Really is a fairly simple software to use. Has a selector that picks pacelines, an accupressure screen telling u if u should favor early or late, 3 oddslines based on " normal - early - late". Software is very user friendly and also NOT being supported by "Posttime daily".

Huh? That's not nice news. Then who supports it? Anyone?

There is also a screen where u enter the horse's last 3 Beyer numbers and it spits out an oddsline based on how the PUBLIC should be betting the horse. Theory being PUBLIC is speed figure crazy. You look for horse's the public should NOT like that the software DOES like

Well, heck...that's exactly what I used to do. Look for horses the public tends to kick out. (At this point, my inboard 'puter might be as good as their software. )

But the software uses Beyers!? I thought DRF had the exclusive with those figs? (I think I read on their site that they use data from Equibase.) This is more bad news. I can't stand BSFs! They stink for evaluting form cycles.

2) Data files- the program can be used 2 ways
a) manual input- using this the "accupressure" read is NOT available
b) TMH files - the software will NOT operate on ITS files . It is a special TMH file accessed thru Post Time daily. The files are $ 1.50 a card.

More bad news. I can't use what I have an abundance of.

Software in my opinion is very good. Problem area is updating the pars which have long since been abandoned Boxcar. However if u have a good set of them the program allows you to enter them.

No biggie. I never used pars.

hope this helps
Richie

It did. I made up my mind about trying the software before ending this post.

Thanks, Shanta, for your reply.

Boxcar

[shanta]

Originally Posted by boxcar

Huh? That's not nice news. Then who supports it? Anyone?



Well, heck...that's exactly what I used to do. Look for horses the public tends to kick out. (At this point, my inboard 'puter might be as good as their software. )

But the software uses Beyers!? I thought DRF had the exclusive with those figs? (I think I read on their site that they use data from Equibase.) This is more bad news. I can't stand BSFs! They stink for evaluting form cycles.



More bad news. I can't use what I have an abundance of.



No biggie. I never used pars.



It did. I made up my mind about trying the software before ending this post.

Thanks, Shanta, for your reply.

Boxcar

Hi Box,

you can still access the download files thru Post Time. They keep that availalbe for the users.

ok the Beyers do NOT come in the program. You are asked to input the horse's last 3 race speed figures. It is SUGGESTED you use Beyers as they are most popular BUT u can input any form of figs u want.

Richie

[boxcar]

Originally Posted by shanta

Hi Box,

you can still access the download files thru Post Time. They keep that availalbe for the users.

ok the Beyers do NOT come in the program. You are asked to input the horse's last 3 race speed figures. It is SUGGESTED you use Beyers as they are most popular BUT u can input any form of figs u want.

Richie

Wait a minute! Stop the music! You pay the big bucks they're asking for the sofware, plus 12 bits a pop for the files, and the user has to manually input the figs? Don't tell me the file doesn't come with figs!?

For this kind of money, I'd expect the software to darn near cook my breakfast. (And I like my eggs over soft, please.)

Boxcar

[GaryG]

Originally Posted by shanta

Has a selector that picks pacelines, an accupressure screen telling u if u should favor early or late

Hey Richie, is this anything like accupuncture??

[shanta]

Originally Posted by GaryG

Hey Richie, is this anything like accupuncture??

Gary,

when the accupressure is wrong and the race goes the other way yea it does feel like u are getting a "stick" right in your gut!

very similar feeling. PAIN

Richie

[kingfin66]

May we plase clarify something. The way I'm reading these posts is that somebody asked about The Master Handicapper (TMH), then thebeacondeacon recommended to the inquisitor that they get The Master Magician (TMM) instead. Boxcar then asked about using TMM in response to 'beacon's post. Then Richie (shanta) replied as though the question was about TMH.

So I guess my question to Boxcar is, were you asking about TMH or TMM? If you were asking about the much older program, THM, then everthing Richie wrote is (I think) correct. If, on the other hand, your question was regarding TMM, then let me answer it for you.

Learning Curve - There definitely is one, although reading Handicapping Magic is a good start. Using the software is very simple. It gives you a pace scenaria for the race, tells you the Fulcrum (see other thread about that), provides running styles for the horses, etc. As always, it is interpreting and using the data that is important. Fortunately, you have already shown some keen insight by noting that the computer being supported by your neck is a key component to handicapping.

Files - TMM runs on the same ITS files that you are familar with. To be hones with you, I don't really know what single file, c-d (comma delimited?) means. The file extension used is .DAT. And regarding the old HD past perfornace software; it still works as does the new one. Please note, there is absolutely no manual input with TMM.

TMM does not involve speed ratings or pars. As for the Post Time Daily past peformances, DRF pulled the plug on their data several years ago, and they now receive data from Equibase. As such, there are no BSF's. TMM uses different ratings.

Finally, see a PM from me for a little more info.

[ratpack]

I don't know where or how you are planning to use the software but one of the reasons I had to give up on using the TMM is that I was just taking the Sheets to the track with me and I could not adjust for last scratches.

This software if very dependent on late changes and scratches so you really need to be able to work at home or take a notebook computer to the track or simulcasting.

[thebeacondeacon]

Originally Posted by boxcar

Deacon, I realize that what I'm about to ask is aking to asking, "how high is up?", but nonetheless I'd like your opinion, since you must use this software. What kind of learning curve would there be for an average Joe Blow like myself?

Also, are there special files that must dl'd or can their standard single format c-d files that are viewable in the now-defunct Handicapper's Daily Sofware be used? If special files, what's the cost per file? I'm just wonderin' if I'd be able to use my old ITS files for testing purposes, of which I have an abundance.

Thanks,
Boxcar

Well, Boxcar, given your professional horse racing background and encyclopedic contributions to the knowledgebase of handicapping in this forum, you are quite modest in describing yourself as an "average Joe Blow".

Nonetheless, it is important that you not shortchange yourself in learning TMM. I'm not talking about training, here, but real education. When you spend some time with TMM, you will come to appreciate the genius that went into it, but in order to do so, you need to be patient with yourself. Listen to the tapes and read the seminar materials over and over again. It doesn't hurt, either, to practice a single technique, like identifying and classifying reversal horses, completely out of context for an extended period of time.

The TMM software and the seminar materials are a total package, the latter being like conceptual and applied upgrades. TMM is very powerful, and you have to respect what it can contribute to your game, by giving yourself time to absorb it deeply and assimilate it into your own mental framework. To run with it too quickly will leave you on a plane of superficiality from which you will not recover. You can look at the series of posts this last weekend on the Yahoo forum for Handicapping Magic to see what I am talking about.

I can share with you some of my experiences with TMM, which I have been using for about three years now, and perhaps you can abstract its suitability for yourself.

First of all, the combination of the speed (PBS) rating, final fraction (PPF), and ValueTech odds formulation give an extraordinarily accurate insight into races to play and races to pass. Before he died, Eric Langjahr created an unprecedented blend of public expectation, the fit of horses within a given pace model, and his own unparalleled programming genius into two odds lines which, when compared with the morning line and/or final odds, reveal the payoff potentials of any race.

When you exclude unplayable races, either high ratings-low odds combinations, too much uncertainty with respect to too many first time starters, first time turf, foreign horses making their first start, too much smoothness in the preferred rating for the race (PBS or PPF), and a few other decision points, you are left with a very pure distillation of races that are worthy of your attention. The software combined with the TMM Mastery Seminar and the Quantum Leap Seminar materials will give you the complete picture of this selection process, and I am sure that you will grasp what is going on immediately. But again, practice is key.

When it comes down to analizing the races that are you will seriously handicap, you will find some parallels between your angle-hunt method of analysis and Michael Pizzolla's. The role of the fulcrum horse, tandem reversal horses, horses' running styles that fit the pace scenario, returning race patterns after a layoff -- these are key patterns that Michael looks for. They are not quite as numerous as the ones that you and Ray Taulbot adhere to, but I would think that the two sets of angles are compatible in finding wagering value. Michael presented simplified and updated versions of the "A", "B" and a couple other Taulbot angles at last October's seminar. So, I would say you would feel comfortable applying your approach within the TMM handicapping context.

It's too easy to make too much of the PBS and PPF ratings, in and of themselves, and to stress them for predictability. They are, after all, only 1/7th of the total handicapping picture and have to be applied in the context of each entrant's form, class, pace scenario fit, what's going on at the track, value, and contributing angles. This is true with respect to both the past performance lines that are chosen to contribute the numbers and to their role in determining betting value.

In my opinion, the palette that TMM gives the turf speculator for finding value is its strength. Obviously, it is not a "black box" for either favorites or longshots, nor does it overwhelm you with a lot of facts, numbers, and irrelevant material that obscure the real issues in the race. I am sure that you will find your own unique way to effectively use TMM, as I have.

You are correct that it uses the ITS, now PTS, data files. You still need your Handicapper's Daily or Post Time Daily to extract and export the race, horse, and past performance information for TMM to use. Your old files will be perfect for practice.

TMM is one of the truly excellent contributions to the body of racing information, and I recommend it without reservation.

Finally, I have no experience with TMH, the software to which Shanta refers. However, I believe that "The Master Key to Handicapping", an instructional package that loosely referred to TMH, is a wonderful adjunct, if not prerequisite to TMM, for it will give you the full flavor of the Langjahr-Pizzolla approach to value betting.

[shanta]

[QUOTE=kingfin66]May we plase clarify something. The way I'm reading these posts is that somebody asked about The Master Handicapper (TMH), then thebeacondeacon recommended to the inquisitor that they get The Master Magician (TMM) instead. Boxcar then asked about using TMM in response to 'beacon's post. Then Richie (shanta) replied as though the question was about TMH.

Ooh shoot. Michael I am reading the posts and you are right. My bad Boxcar as I am describing a much older software man.

I am very lucky some days that my head is attached to the rest of me as I would probably lose it in the shuffle.

Richie

[kingfin66]

Originally Posted by thebeacondeacon

The TMM software and the seminar materials are a total package, the latter being like conceptual and applied upgrades. TMM is very powerful, and you have to respect what it can contribute to your game, by giving yourself time to absorb it deeply and assimilate it into your own mental framework. To run with it too quickly will leave you on a plane of superficiality from which you will not recover. You can look at the series of posts this last weekend on the Yahoo forum for Handicapping Magic to see what I am talking about.

Well, given that I probably made most, if not all, of the posts that you are referring to, please enlighten me about your meaning. Plane of superficiality? It is very, very difficult to post in detail all of the things being processed by your mind about a horse race. Time is also a factor. If you believe that this is superficial then so be it.