Horseplayers seem to be mentally superior to other gamblers

[adwplayingfool]

Always wondered why I had so much trouble beating the ponies even though I had decent experience and knowledge of tracks/trainers and jocks and always blamed it on the takeout, as a long time horse/sports/casino gambler I have seen ups and downs in all forms yet have had the most trouble maintainng consistent profit on the ponies....... This forum seems to be fillled with very smart people... math/stat, language, and common knowledge: are horseplayers superior to other gamblers?

[Overlay]

I don't think that it's a matter of superiority. As has been noted on the forum, the down side to handicapping, as far as attracting "new blood" is concerned, is the time and effort involved in absorbing and synthesizing the amount of information needed to reach a point of consistent proficiency or profitability. The up side to that is that those who do choose to make that effort would be naturally predisposed to being more analytical and "cerebral" (if you will)(attributes that are often popularly equated with mental acuity) than those who are drawn to other forms of wagering, especially those where pure chance determines the outcome, and there's nothing that bettors can do to influence the outcomes of individual wagers, or the long-run results (which are always negative for the player). The inherently competitive nature of pari-mutuel wagering also contributes by placing a premium on being more knowledgeable than the person next to you. But the skill set is not limited just to handicappers. I would imagine that anyone who is adept at any wagering game where individual ability plays a part in the outcome (such as poker or blackjack) would have much the same attributes.

[WinterTriangle]

Originally Posted by adwplayingfool

This forum seems to be fillled with very smart people

Historically, I bet almost every member here has been called an idiot, imbecile, moron, or buffoon (at least once) by another member

Please, stick around. You're so refreshing!

[LutherCalvin]

I thought that I made a mistake once, but I was wrong!

[rrbauer]

Just ask them!

[EndlessSportsPicks]

Well I for one DISAGREE

[Fingal]

Are horseplayers mentaly superior ? Not necessarily. They for the most part have found out through experience what is important & what sounds important but is just noise. Take the successful football bettor- they have taken the time too. I would say that any bettor that has put in the time is- those that are willing to take the time to do the research, to go back over the results from the day, week, month, etc. are. Those that treat betting like any profession, in that how successful is the doctor who after getting their medical degree doesn't keep educating themselves ?

[badcompany]

Originally Posted by adwplayingfool

are horseplayers superior to other gamblers?

Apparently, you've never been to a New York City OTB.

[macguy]

I think perhaps on average you will find that the more cerebral bettors tend to migrate towards horse racing and sports betting.

Generally these types of wagering are based more on statistics and past performances. It's handicapping the games as apposed to straight gambling.

When you play roulette, slots or the lottery, the previous outcome has no effect on future outcomes. In sports betting or horse racing, often times by studying the past you can manufacture pretty good theories as to how the future race or contest will play out.

I don't look at horse players or sports bettors as "mentally superior" gamblers, but I do look at slots or lotto players as "lazy gamblers." Pretty near anyone can sit in front of a machine and mindlessly pull a handle for hours on end.

[Sekrah]

Originally Posted by adwplayingfool

Always wondered why I had so much trouble beating the ponies even though I had decent experience and knowledge of tracks/trainers and jocks and always blamed it on the takeout, as a long time horse/sports/casino gambler I have seen ups and downs in all forms yet have had the most trouble maintainng consistent profit on the ponies....... This forum seems to be fillled with very smart people... math/stat, language, and common knowledge: are horseplayers superior to other gamblers?

Based on my experience on internet forums, Poker players are generally the brightest minds when it comes to math, odds, and gambling.

The best sports bettors on the internet can be found on sub-forums of a Poker message board. The worst tend to huddle around forums intended for Sports Gambling.

[therussmeister]

I think generally all players of games of skill are superior to the pure gamblers.
As far as horse players specifically, I can point you to a different forum that would quickly disabuse you of the notion that horse players have superior intellect.

[Stillriledup]

Thanks for the compliment, i think so.

I feel that many years of predicting the future have made me 'one step ahead' of non horseplayers in every day life activities. Horseplayers, for the most part, are 'smarter than the average bear'.

Good post.

[JohnGalt1]

Depends on the day.

Some days I'm smarter than Einstein, MIT grads, and everybody on this board.

Other days, I'm dumber than an igneous rock, NYRA, and everybody on this board.

[Bochall]

The smartest gambler is the one who's winning, and the dumb one is the one who keeps playing the same game and keeps losing.....oops, pardon me while i go punish myself for insulting myself...

[CBedo]

Until we have the gambling olympics, I don't think it really matters which gamblers are "smarter." What matters is structurally, how difficult the game is (takeout and other factors) and your relative "intelligence" versus the rest of the players of the same game.