What gets YOU high? Is it when you Win??

[Robert Fischer]

set this up in the corner, as it's a psychology thread, and it's not going to be for everyone...

Q: What gets YOU high? When you win?? When you land a long shot on your spread ticket?? What gives you your thrill??


A: if you want long-term success, the best approach is to get your kicks from selecting a good race and making a good bet. Not the result. The "process".


Easier said than done. However, this isn't knowledge that I read as frequently as I feel it should be.


Thoughts?

[FakeNameChanged]

Originally Posted by Robert Fischer

set this up in the corner, as it's a psychology thread, and it's not going to be for everyone...

Q: What gets YOU high? When you win?? When you land a long shot on your spread ticket?? What gives you your thrill??


A: if you want long-term success, the best approach is to get your kicks from selecting a good race and making a good bet. Not the result. The "process".


Easier said than done. However, this isn't knowledge that I read as frequently as I feel it should be.


Thoughts?

Robert, I hear what you're saying, but believe a person's personality type will dictate how high or low they get. Whether it's a full-blown WOOHOO, dancin' in the aisle celebration on a 6/5 winner or a morose, curse-laden blame the jockey announcement when the same horse loses a close one. A little alcohol exacerbates either reaction as well.

A great mentor in the financial industry used to preach: try not to get too high on a big win or landing a big account, and then your lows won't be too extreme as well. I use that same philosophy at the track. While this may not be what you were looking for: I think my mood was almost as high, when after getting my racing form and settling down in the evening getting ready for the next evening's races. Hitting a longshot or a longshot exacta combination was always a nice high. I remember the feeling of spending several hours handicapping a whole card and then going to the track on Friday evening only to see all my picks are one of the favorites. That was not on your high scale.

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by Whosonfirst

Robert, I hear what you're saying, but believe a person's personality type will dictate how high or low they get. Whether it's a full-blown WOOHOO, dancin' in the aisle celebration on a 6/5 winner or a morose, curse-laden blame the jockey announcement when the same horse loses a close one. A little alcohol exacerbates either reaction as well.

A great mentor in the financial industry used to preach: try not to get too high on a big win or landing a big account, and then your lows won't be too extreme as well. I use that same philosophy at the track. While this may not be what you were looking for: I think my mood was almost as high, when after getting my racing form and settling down in the evening getting ready for the next evening's races. Hitting a longshot or a longshot exacta combination was always a nice high. I remember the feeling of spending several hours handicapping a whole card and then going to the track on Friday evening only to see all my picks are one of the favorites. That was not on your high scale.

that's exactly what I was looking for - some discussion, not necessarily any right or wrong 'answer'.

[jay68802]

The days seem the same a lot in this game. Looking at races again and again. You get into a rut, seeing the low price favorites, short fields, unplayable races where you have no opinion. Then you find something. Take a closer look, and start asking questions. Why the high odds on this horse? Am I missing some thing? You keep looking, the distance is right, with the running style and post he gets a good trip. You wait till race time, follow the betting, looking for how the horse is being played by others. What the probables are, is he cold on the board? Are the probables lower than expected? How do you play him? You finally figure out your bets, and take one more look at the race. Go time, place your wagers and then sit back and watch. The race unfolds exactly as you saw it. Two horses hook on the lead, your horse sits right behind the pace, in the clear. You watch your pick the whole way, see the way he is running. The duel starts to affect the two front runners, your horse closes the distance with out trying, swings out in the stretch and responds to the jockey. You look to see if any one else is coming, and no one is, then you smile and think that was fun, lets do it again.

[TheOracle]

Originally Posted by Robert Fischer

set this up in the corner, as it's a psychology thread, and it's not going to be for everyone...

Q: What gets YOU high? When you win?? When you land a long shot on your spread ticket?? What gives you your thrill??


A: if you want long-term success, the best approach is to get your kicks from selecting a good race and making a good bet. Not the result. The "process".


Easier said than done. However, this isn't knowledge that I read as frequently as I feel it should be.


Thoughts?

Hey Rob,

There was some study done a few years ago where they had people play video poker to monitor their brain activity during the game.

One of the things that they found was that, whenever someone won it set off some chemical endomorphin within the brain of the participant.

They said winning, plus the combination of the chemical set off in the brain, helped to induce the participant to bet more when they won no matter what their balance was and it got to the point that people were betting all of their money on subsequent hands even though they continued to lose heavily.

It seems when the winning stopped the player bet heavier to get that 'high' from the win.

I guess for some people the thrill or high comes from winning and the hopes of getting that win but it can cause irresponsible wagering and that's most likely what the house wants.

As far as the house is concerned, here's a few bread crumbs now empty your wallet.

So yes, the approach should be systematic but it's very difficult to stay disciplined.

[Nitro]

Originally Posted by Robert Fischer

set this up in the corner, as it's a psychology thread, and it's not going to be for everyone...

Q: What gets YOU high? When you win?? When you land a long shot on your spread ticket?? What gives you your thrill??


A: if you want long-term success, the best approach is to get your kicks from selecting a good race and making a good bet. Not the result. The "process".


Easier said than done. However, this isn't knowledge that I read as frequently as I feel it should be.


Thoughts?

The best “high” that I’ve ever felt was witnessing the horse I really liked win a very competitive race. Of course, this was the emotional “fan” side of my horse racing experiences which have dwindled substantially over the years.

My primary goal for getting into horse racing was to make money. So today, the thrill I get not only depends on how much I’ve put down on a race, but the conviction I felt in placing my wager. Sure, it’s a wonderful feeling to see the bank roll increase and have additional funds for life’s many desires. But for me, I believe that the emotional reward I feel now after a winning play is based not just on the amount of money won, but the confirmation of the confidence I placed in making the bet to begin with.

I certainly don’t look at playing the horses like trying to make a big lottery score.

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by jay68802

The days seem the same a lot in this game. Looking at races again and again. You get into a rut, seeing the low price favorites, short fields, unplayable races where you have no opinion. Then you find something. Take a closer look, and start asking questions. Why the high odds on this horse? Am I missing some thing? You keep looking, the distance is right, with the running style and post he gets a good trip. You wait till race time, follow the betting, looking for how the horse is being played by others. What the probables are, is he cold on the board? Are the probables lower than expected? How do you play him? You finally figure out your bets, and take one more look at the race. Go time, place your wagers and then sit back and watch. The race unfolds exactly as you saw it. Two horses hook on the lead, your horse sits right behind the pace, in the clear. You watch your pick the whole way, see the way he is running. The duel starts to affect the two front runners, your horse closes the distance with out trying, swings out in the stretch and responds to the jockey. You look to see if any one else is coming, and no one is, then you smile and think that was fun, lets do it again.

says I " must spread some Reputation around before giving it to jay68802 again." , that was a nice rundown of the thought process

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by TheOracle

Hey Rob,

There was some study done a few years ago where they had people play video poker to monitor their brain activity during the game.

One of the things that they found was that, whenever someone won it set off some chemical endomorphin within the brain of the participant.

They said winning, plus the combination of the chemical set off in the brain, helped to induce the participant to bet more when they won no matter what their balance was and it got to the point that people were betting all of their money on subsequent hands even though they continued to lose heavily.

It seems when the winning stopped the player bet heavier to get that 'high' from the win.

I guess for some people the thrill or high comes from winning and the hopes of getting that win but it can cause irresponsible wagering and that's most likely what the house wants.

As far as the house is concerned, here's a few bread crumbs now empty your wallet.

So yes, the approach should be systematic but it's very difficult to stay disciplined.

you are one of the players from PA that came to mind while creating the thread. You seem to enjoy delving into the statistics.

the psychology and the brain chemicals and subsequent betting patterns are interesting.

A win can put a player into irrational territory (over-confidence).

A loss can also cause irrational territory (https://janav.wordpress.com/2013/04/...tion-syndrome/)

Then you have crowd stuff like red or black being 'due' in a roulette game...

seems like a minefield

[TheOracle]

Originally Posted by TheOracle

Hey Rob,

There was some study done a few years ago where they had people play video poker to monitor their brain activity during the game.

One of the things that they found was that, whenever someone won it set off some chemical endomorphin within the brain of the participant.

They said winning, plus the combination of the chemical set off in the brain, helped to induce the participant to bet more when they won no matter what their balance was and it got to the point that people were betting all of their money on subsequent hands even though they continued to lose heavily.

It seems when the winning stopped the player bet heavier to get that 'high' from the win.

I guess for some people the thrill or high comes from winning and the hopes of getting that win but it can cause irresponsible wagering and that's most likely what the house wants.

As far as the house is concerned, here's a few bread crumbs now empty your wallet.

So yes, the approach should be systematic but it's very difficult to stay disciplined.

Having said all of the above, I took a look at Morning Lines ending with 5 (1/5, 2/5,,,,9/5) at Belmont in Claiming races on the Dirt from September 9th until yesterday



Although a very small sample, but so far, it seems Morning Line Favorites ending with 5 have been struggling in Claiming races on the Dirt

Less than half of them are even hitting the board but it’s very difficult for people, myself included, to lay off of the MLFs ending with 5 in this situation especially if you had money on the last winner

It’s very difficult to lay off and try to beat the Favorite so in this instance winning is the high

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by Nitro

The best “high” that I’ve ever felt was witnessing the horse I really liked win a very competitive race. Of course, this was the emotional “fan” side of my horse racing experiences which have dwindled substantially over the years.

My primary goal for getting into horse racing was to make money. So today, the thrill I get not only depends on how much I’ve put down on a race, but the conviction I felt in placing my wager. Sure, it’s a wonderful feeling to see the bank roll increase and have additional funds for life’s many desires. But for me, I believe that the emotional reward I feel now after a winning play is based not just on the amount of money won, but the confirmation of the confidence I placed in making the bet to begin with.

I certainly don’t look at playing the horses like trying to make a big lottery score.

The last 2 big thrills that I had from the game were very different scenarios

1. I went 'all-in' on Switzerland in the De Francis Dash and he won
2. I felt I had found a really good play in the Sleepy Hollow Stakes at Belmont

With the first, I was on 'tilt' and was over-betting my bankroll and I needed the win. A loss would have been just as low as the high. It was a heck of a thrill, but I know that if I try to live on the edge that eventually I will crash.

With the second example, I was happy that I had found something good. I didn't much care if the horse actually won or not. I found satisfaction in the fact that it was the type of play where - if I could consistently find them, I'd come out well ahead over the long-haul. Wasn't as exciting as the 'all-in' wager, but it was a feeling that I want(ed) to reinforce.

[thaskalos]

Losing race after race, with my betting selections often beaten soundly...but all the while maintaining my composure...with no tilting...no chasing...just sticking to the gameplan throughout the day's action. That's what gives me the greatest "high", because it proves to me that I've really matured as a player, by refusing to beat myself...and making this game even tougher to beat than it already is.

[Dave Schwartz]

When I make a withdrawal.

While I do admit that I really get pleasure watching my house draw away, and there is great excitement in watching my long price roar down the lane, it is really the receiving of money that I enjoy most.

[lefty359]

I try not to get to high or too low when I win and when I lose. I see people jumping up and down when they win and pounding the table when they lose. I don't want to be like those people.

[Tom]

When I go to the track bar.

[ReplayRandall]

Having the All-Ball in the last race of a Pick-whatever, with the largest payout finally getting the win....