Great Handicapping poor betting

[Parson]

So yesterday Gulfstream 2nd and 3rd I play a DD ticket like this:

1,2,4/6 and cash the DD for 22.80,

but if I box an exacta in the 2nd I hit for 173..70
then again in the 5th and 6th, I play a DD ticket like this:

1,2,3/4 cash the DD for 46.70, but once again miss the exacta in the 5th because I do not play it and it pays 213.60

those are $1 payouts and would have had multiple times if I had just bet.

[railbird]

It is a disease a lot of us have,not knowing the correct play or amount . But the fact is you will know after the race that you will have made the wrong choice .

[jay68802]

Saturday at Turfw3ay in the 5th race. We play a exacta box . The dollar exacta pays $327.20. We also would have hit the tri for $1600.00, but did not bet it.

Happens to all of us.

[thaskalos]

These are not examples of "poor betting". These are examples of people who have predetermined what bets they like making...and then complain when an entirely different sort of wager would have won them more money on the race. Horizontal bettors who complain about not making vertical wagers...and exacta bettors who regret not making trifectas. Other players bet two horses to win in the race...and then complain when their horses finish one-two, and they "didn't bet the exacta". As I said...this isn't "poor betting". This is just the price that we all have to pay when we restrict ourselves to particular betting patterns. IMO..."poor betting" is when we misconstruct the wagers that we intended to make from the START. It isn't the losing that makes a bad bet a bad bet. A bad bet is wrong...even if it wins.

[castaway01]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

These are not examples of "poor betting". These are examples of people who have predetermined what bets they like making...and then complain when an entirely different sort of wager would have won them more money on the race. Horizontal bettors who complain about not making vertical wagers...and exacta bettors who regret not making trifectas. Other players bet two horses to win in the race...and then complain when their horses finish one-two, and they "didn't bet the exacta". As I said...this isn't "poor betting". This is just the price that we all have to pay when we restrict ourselves to particular betting patterns. IMO..."poor betting" is when we misconstruct the wagers that we intended to make from the START.

I think this is 100% accurate, but I think most people have betting patterns (likely the type of bet they are best at) because it's easier on us psychologically. We all have days like the ones described here, and those "I should have bet the exacta" moments are rough....but constantly zigging and zagging between bet types and missing each time is more mentally draining. The rest is just the cost of playing a very difficult game.

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by castaway01

I think this is 100% accurate, but I think most people have betting patterns (likely the type of bet they are best at) because it's easier on us psychologically. We all have days like the ones described here, and those "I should have bet the exacta" moments are rough....but constantly zigging and zagging between bet types and missing each time is more mentally draining. The rest is just the cost of playing a very difficult game.

True...there is usually a valid reason why we adopt the betting styles that we do. For example...the horizontal and the vertical bettors have direct opposite handicapping philosophies...so, they shouldn't curse themselves for not making the same types of bets.

[Suff]

Originally Posted by Parson

So yesterday Gulfstream 2nd and 3rd I play a DD ticket like this:

1,2,4/6 and cash the DD for 22.80,

You played the 1, 2, 4 in the 2nd race. I would of exacta box them simply because you left the 6 off in the 2nd. 6 was 3/5. 6 out of the exacta was where the money was. You singled 1,2,& 4 doubles to the next race favorite . You and everybody who went wide on doubles had that bet.

But the whole game is woulda coulda shoulda and you cashed Imagine if you got $0 after having the 2nd race nailed like you did.

btw, 6 lost 2nd place in the 2nd by a pube. If he doesn't you probably would have got $18 exacta there because 5-1 over 3/5. Instead you got 5-1 over 30-1 and $347

[jay68802]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

These are not examples of "poor betting". These are examples of people who have predetermined what bets they like making...and then complain when an entirely different sort of wager would have won them more money on the race. Horizontal bettors who complain about not making vertical wagers...and exacta bettors who regret not making trifectas. Other players bet two horses to win in the race...and then complain when their horses finish one-two, and they "didn't bet the exacta". As I said...this isn't "poor betting". This is just the price that we all have to pay when we restrict ourselves to particular betting patterns. IMO..."poor betting" is when we misconstruct the wagers that we intended to make from the START. It isn't the losing that makes a bad bet a bad bet. A bad bet is wrong...even if it wins.

You were able to say what I was thinking. I understand how I bet, and I really try to look for different ways. I think it is weakness in my game that needs to be improved. Change is a hard thing to do.

[ultracapper]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

These are not examples of "poor betting". These are examples of people who have predetermined what bets they like making...and then complain when an entirely different sort of wager would have won them more money on the race. Horizontal bettors who complain about not making vertical wagers...and exacta bettors who regret not making trifectas. Other players bet two horses to win in the race...and then complain when their horses finish one-two, and they "didn't bet the exacta". As I said...this isn't "poor betting". This is just the price that we all have to pay when we restrict ourselves to particular betting patterns. IMO..."poor betting" is when we misconstruct the wagers that we intended to make from the START. It isn't the losing that makes a bad bet a bad bet. A bad bet is wrong...even if it wins.

Nailed it. What a great post Thask.

[AndyC]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

True...there is usually a valid reason why we adopt the betting styles that we do. For example...the horizontal and the vertical bettors have direct opposite handicapping philosophies...so, they shouldn't curse themselves for not making the same types of bets.

I prefer horizontals because for me it is much easier to identify win contenders than it is to identify who will finish 3rd or 4th in a trifecta or superfecta. I can easily eliminate horses who can't win but it seems pretty difficult to make a case for a horse not to be able to finish 3rd or 4th.

[Parson]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

These are not examples of "poor betting". These are examples of people who have predetermined what bets they like making...and then complain when an entirely different sort of wager would have won them more money on the race. Horizontal bettors who complain about not making vertical wagers...and exacta bettors who regret not making trifectas. Other players bet two horses to win in the race...and then complain when their horses finish one-two, and they "didn't bet the exacta". As I said...this isn't "poor betting". This is just the price that we all have to pay when we restrict ourselves to particular betting patterns. IMO..."poor betting" is when we misconstruct the wagers that we intended to make from the START. It isn't the losing that makes a bad bet a bad bet. A bad bet is wrong...even if it wins.

Actually, I normally play exacta bets and never get alarmed when a trifecta comes in. Just for some reason yesterday, never played any exactas. You would think after missing the one early in the card, I would have started, but no.........

[biggestal99]

Originally Posted by castaway01

I think this is 100% accurate, but I think most people have betting patterns (likely the type of bet they are best at) because it's easier on us psychologically. We all have days like the ones described here, and those "I should have bet the exacta" moments are rough....but constantly zigging and zagging between bet types and missing each time is more mentally draining. The rest is just the cost of playing a very difficult game.

I always find it hard when I am on track. This past year my wife and I are down at Monmouth. I only bet the exchange and usually bet against. So I am hating a chalkie in a MSW. So I am betting against.

My wife really doesn’t understand the exchange and likes exactas and tris. Asks me what firsters I like. And I tell her three. She boxes them in exactas and tris. The three I give her run one-two-three. Exacta pays 47.80 tri pays 374.

She comes back with 4 c-notes in tow. I come back with some minor lays bets on the 3-1 chalkie. Ouchie.

Btw it was the meru race on July 13 if anyone wants to know what pain is.

Allan

[castaway01]

Originally Posted by biggestal99

I always find it hard when I am on track. This past year my wife and I are down at Monmouth. I only bet the exchange and usually bet against. So I am hating a chalkie in a MSW. So I am betting against.

My wife really doesn’t understand the exchange and likes exactas and tris. Asks me what firsters I like. And I tell her three. She boxes them in exactas and tris. The three I give her run one-two-three. Exacta pays 47.80 tri pays 374.

She comes back with 4 c-notes in tow. I come back with some minor lays bets on the 3-1 chalkie. Ouchie.

Btw it was the meru race on July 13 if anyone wants to know what pain is.

Allan

We're not taking any bad-beat stories that involve winning $400. Try again.

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by AndyC

I prefer horizontals because for me it is much easier to identify win contenders than it is to identify who will finish 3rd or 4th in a trifecta or superfecta. I can easily eliminate horses who can't win but it seems pretty difficult to make a case for a horse not to be able to finish 3rd or 4th.

Exactly. And when you identify the win contenders in a race...you realize from the start that boxing these win contenders isn't the proper way of constructing a trifecta or a superfecta wager. Every different wager type has its own betting idiosyncrasies.

[46zilzal]

THE NUMBER ONE problem of most players. They spend countless hours splitting hairs on the evaluation process and they spend 30 seconds on wager creation..

It took a switch to HSH before I was able to balance that equation. I was overwhelmed by the discovery that vertical exotics had become my strength....I never would have guessed that pre HSH