I've decided to quit betting racing

[Half Smoke]

............................


I've bet on racing for many years
the last several years have been winning ones for me
I'm not saying that to brag, just for explanatory purposes

but my winning % has been so small that I would have to bet a gigantic amount for it to have a significant impact on my finances
and I'm not willing to do that
even though I easily have the means to do it, it's just not in my blood to make 2K bets

one possible solution to this would be to bet the extreme exotics (pick 6, etc.) but I'm not comfortable with those types of bets

so what exactly is my ADW doing for me?
basically, all they're doing is keeping score
and I can do that myself

I enjoy handicapping and I will continue by making paper bets only

I enjoyed gambling the most when I was much younger, and my financial situation was more precarious and I could positively impact it by a significant amount (as a blackjack AP)




*

[v j stauffer]

Originally Posted by Half Smoke

............................


I've bet on racing for many years
the last several years have been winning ones for me
I'm not saying that to brag, just for explanatory purposes

but my winning % has been so small that I would have to bet a gigantic amount for it to have a significant impact on my finances
and I'm not willing to do that
even though I easily have the means to do it, it's just not in my blood to make 2K bets

one possible solution to this would be to bet the extreme exotics (pick 6, etc.) but I'm not comfortable with those types of bets

so what exactly is my ADW doing for me?
basically, all they're doing is keeping score
and I can do that myself

I enjoy handicapping and I will continue by making paper bets only

I enjoyed gambling the most when I was much younger, and my financial situation was more precarious and I could positively impact it by a significant amount (as a blackjack AP)

Have you ever heard the term pari-mutual?

[The_Turf_Monster]

There’s simply too much chalk hitting because racing secretaries are struggling to fill races. Throw in that you need an advanced degree to read at least half of the conditions on a card and to figure out how they fit into the class scale at a track, and it’s not worth my time outside of a handful of races a year at the highest level. I’d rather handicap a football game and play any series of the myriad of bets offered and kick my feet up for a few hours and know what I’ll get paid if I hit

[MONEY]

I quit for good at least three times a week.

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by Half Smoke

............................


I've bet on racing for many years
the last several years have been winning ones for me
I'm not saying that to brag, just for explanatory purposes

but my winning % has been so small that I would have to bet a gigantic amount for it to have a significant impact on my finances
and I'm not willing to do that
even though I easily have the means to do it, it's just not in my blood to make 2K bets

one possible solution to this would be to bet the extreme exotics (pick 6, etc.) but I'm not comfortable with those types of bets

so what exactly is my ADW doing for me?
basically, all they're doing is keeping score
and I can do that myself

I enjoy handicapping and I will continue by making paper bets only

I enjoyed gambling the most when I was much younger, and my financial situation was more precarious and I could positively impact it by a significant amount (as a blackjack AP)




*

I don't understand. You say that you easily have the means to make gigantic 2K bets...which means that your financial situation is solid. If this is the case, why do you need this game to have a "significant impact" on your finances right now? A winning player doesn't have to rush to make uncomfortably large bets.. He could put up a more modest bankroll and make smaller bets, and then increase these wagers over time, as his bankroll increases. Why rush things when you are already in a good financial position?

[dilanesp]

If you are this good, get investors or sell your picks.

[castaway01]

It must be nice to have to quit wagering because you're only making "some" profit and not becoming life-changing rich overnight. A problem so many of us have to deal with every day....

[Half Smoke]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

If you are this good, get investors or sell your picks.

I don't consider myself to be all that good

I consider the really good or great players to be those who sometimes have gigantic scores in the extreme exotics

I haven't done that and don't think I have the temperament for it

I don't think I can explain it any better than I have tried to

there's just no joy anymore in winning these small amounts

it's such a small amount - what's the difference if it's real money or paper bets?
to me - no difference



*

[Poindexter]

Originally Posted by Half Smoke

............................


I've bet on racing for many years
the last several years have been winning ones for me
I'm not saying that to brag, just for explanatory purposes

but my winning % has been so small that I would have to bet a gigantic amount for it to have a significant impact on my finances
and I'm not willing to do that
even though I easily have the means to do it, it's just not in my blood to make 2K bets

one possible solution to this would be to bet the extreme exotics (pick 6, etc.) but I'm not comfortable with those types of bets

so what exactly is my ADW doing for me?
basically, all they're doing is keeping score
and I can do that myself

I enjoy handicapping and I will continue by making paper bets only

I enjoyed gambling the most when I was much younger, and my financial situation was more precarious and I could positively impact it by a significant amount (as a blackjack AP)




*

Interesting problem. You are about 10 lengths ahead of the crowd, you enjoy the process, you just don't see the point in making wagers even though you have made money the last "several" years. First obvious question are you making profits because of rebates, if not that would obviously open up a huge window for you, assuming you can get them(maybe you can't in our screwed up game-but there is always offshore). Second have you tried the tourney sights. I would imagine if you are profitable you will will do well at those and they may be more your speed. Third, have you tried round robins. Since you are above break even you would be compounding your roi and would only be making large bets when you are on the houses money. Might be a better alternative to the super exotics that may have you betting a number of races you do not like and take away your edge.

The other option just post your posititive expectation plays in the selectiions form and let us less fortunate horse players elevate our game.

[johnhenry81]

Couldn't help but be reminded of LLoyd Bridges character in the movie Airplane...

Airplane quotes
Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue. Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking. Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking. Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines.

[Nitro]

Originally Posted by Half Smoke

............................
I've bet on racing for many years
the last several years have been winning ones for me
I'm not saying that to brag, just for explanatory purposes

but my winning % has been so small that I would have to bet a gigantic amount for it to have a significant impact on my finances and I'm not willing to do that even though I easily have the means to do it, it's just not in my blood to make 2K bets

one possible solution to this would be to bet the extreme exotics (pick 6, etc.) but I'm not comfortable with those types of bets

so what exactly is my ADW doing for me?
basically, all they're doing is keeping score
and I can do that myself

I enjoy handicapping and I will continue by making paper bets only

I enjoyed gambling the most when I was much younger, and my financial situation was more precarious and I could positively impact it by a significant amount (as a blackjack AP)

Sorry to hear that, but I’m not surprised because I’ve heard it more than once before. In fact 15 years ago I was in the same basic position. The only difference was that I also considered the time and effort that was required to stay ahead of the game. That was time taken away from my friends and family. So I had to make a decision. Fortunately, it was around that same timeframe that came across a totally different approach to a game that I came to enjoy so much. Of course, at first I was highly skeptical, but as I became more and more familiar and saw how well it performed I decided to go all in. And I’m glad I did!

Today the total time spent on my contemplating any given race is the 3 Betting intervals prior to post time. (15 / 7 / 4 mins). I also don’t have lots of horse’s names jumping around in my head to sway me one way or the other.

It sounds like you’re a reasonably good handicapper. Based on what you mentioned, you might just need a change of venue from stateside racing. I say that only because I’ve found that the racing and results from playing Hong Kong racing (over the last 6 years) are substantially more rewarding (and a lot more fun). There are a number of very plausible reasons for this, but I believe its caused primarily by the consistently large fields in nearly every race.

Good luck in the future.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by v j stauffer

Have you ever heard the term pari-mutual?

Isn't that what we used to have before the CREW teams and computer programs were granted access to pools no ordinary bettor could ever hope to compete with?

[Tom]

Originally Posted by The_Turf_Monster

There’s simply too much chalk hitting because racing secretaries are struggling to fill races. Throw in that you need an advanced degree to read at least half of the conditions on a card and to figure out how they fit into the class scale at a track, and it’s not worth my time outside of a handful of races a year at the highest level. I’d rather handicap a football game and play any series of the myriad of bets offered and kick my feet up for a few hours and know what I’ll get paid if I hit

90% of the races run suck.
The other 10% have jockeys that grab or herd.

The tracks have so little more to offer than a change machine does.

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by Half Smoke

............................

but my winning % has been so small that I would have to bet a gigantic amount for it to have a significant impact on my finances
and I'm not willing to do that
even though I easily have the means to do it, it's just not in my blood to make 2K bets

one possible solution to this would be to bet the extreme exotics (pick 6, etc.) but I'm not comfortable with those types of bets

*

I can understand quitting if getting meager returns requires an enormous of work and you aren't comfortable betting large sums, but if the workload is minimal and you enjoy the sport, I don't see why you would quit.

[NorCalGreg]

Originally Posted by Tom

Isn't that what we used to have before the CREW teams and computer programs were granted access to pools no ordinary bettor could ever hope to compete with?

Well said, brother