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Old 01-02-2013, 11:57 PM   #1
thaskalos
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You are mentoring a promising beginner...

A bright, financially responsible beginner comes to you and asks you to play a major role in his development as a horseplayer...and he will not be dissuaded by your advice that this game might no longer be worth getting serious about. He sees you as a winning player, and asks you to be a mentor of sorts to him.

He is looking for something a little more substantial than book recommendations and trite advice -- like "play on paper until you prove you can win"...or "stick to win bets, and leave the exotics for later on".

He wants you to take him by the hand, and guide him through the early, highly impressionable stage of a horseplayer's education.

What do you tell him?
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Old 01-03-2013, 12:14 AM   #2
LottaKash
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thaskalos
He wants you to take him by the hand, and guide him through the early, highly impressionable stage of a horseplayer's education.

What do you tell him?
I would teach him what the 4-most important handicapping components are...

Ability; Form; Angles; and Value;.....And, I would show him my way of mastering each of those 4-major components....

And, along the learning trail, I would advise him to "Play Only What You Know and have Learned"....

I would emphasize that there is a difference between Handicapping Factors and Handicapping Situations or Categories, and knowing which Factors fit best in which Category, are key...ONe size does not fit all....
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Old 01-03-2013, 12:50 AM   #3
atlasaxis
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I've actually had someone come to me with this request. I simply pointed him to where I received most of my "education", the person who could explain it better than I ever could. LottaKash hit home with his advice as it seems his source is the same as mine, Dick Mitchell. I am not associated in any way with Cynthia Publishing except I am a very satisfied customer. I have no problem pointing a beginner or a seasoned player to their site & strongly suggesting they get their product called the DVD Dozen. http://www.cynthiapublishing.com/dvdclub.html
Invaluable information imho.
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Old 01-03-2013, 12:56 AM   #4
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As a college student getting more serious in the game I am intrigued and will be following this post, can always use more knowledge.
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Old 01-03-2013, 03:20 AM   #5
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I would say that the most important considerations are:

1. Picking good contenders
2. Knowing what the definition of value is. (Don't think for a minute that players do.)
3. Learn how to "exploit a race" properly.
4. Learn how to manage one's money.

This is a 10,000-foot view. Obviously, there is a lot involved to actually accomplish these steps.

My methods for accomplishing these 4 things are would be considered somewhat abnormal to most players. I can only assume that the naysayers here would tell me why my approach(es) cannot possibly work. LOL


Just my opinion.

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Old 01-03-2013, 03:34 AM   #6
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Specialize,become expert in certain categories/subsets of the racing game,and understand them deeper,that creates natural limits,which prevents the dreaded overshoot where the bankroll gets eaten up by churn.
Less is more,when you find an ideal situation,back up the truck and fire away,get as much as possible out of the potential.
Avoid becoming an action junkie,this is the biggest reason many horseplayers walk around with holes in their shoes.
Enjoy the sport,attempt to achieve profitability,but don't become consumed with it,have clearly defined parameters,stick to them,and practice moderation.
When the "scores" happen use the proceeds creatively,don't feel guilty and send them right back,do something different,expand skills in other areas/fields too.
Good luck...
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Old 01-03-2013, 04:27 AM   #7
thearmada
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Quote:
Originally Posted by freeflow
As a college student getting more serious in the game I am intrigued and will be following this post, can always use more knowledge.
Same here. Should be a good one.
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Old 01-03-2013, 07:23 AM   #8
lamboguy
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i would teach him that in the year 2013 to learn why horses act the way they act. such as when horses are turned out in a field there is always one that is the leader of the pack no matter how big the pack, he will lead and others will follow.i would go from there and teach him that for a horse to perform well he needs to be comfortable. some horses need to be in front while others like to be behind covered up and chasing the pace.
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Old 01-03-2013, 07:42 AM   #9
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I was thinking about finding a mentor for myself after my results get into a database. (It has been hard to find the time to build the database. ) A second set of eyes, if I find the right mentor,should help me improve my game.

The problem of mentoring is trust. How much info gets shared. Would a mentor give away his cherrished secrets? The stuff a mentee really wants to know. I don't know if I could give away my hard fought lessons to a stranger.
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Old 01-03-2013, 08:03 AM   #10
Johnny V
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In addition to some of the points mentioned so far I would tell him to be diligent in keeping careful betting records. I think this is one area often overlooked by handicappers.
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Old 01-03-2013, 08:07 AM   #11
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If your a successful gambler I would tell him there is more to the game then cappin and show him how to come up with a wagering strategy, in other words teach him the gambling aspect of the game, there are lots of good cappers that lose money because they dont know how to wager.
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Old 01-03-2013, 08:14 AM   #12
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I would tell him to have a mind of his own and truly learn as you go.
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Old 01-03-2013, 08:41 AM   #13
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I would tell him he is a fool for even considering it.
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Old 01-03-2013, 09:02 AM   #14
Robert Goren
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First and foremost, this is game of more DON'Ts than DOs. Tell him to watch the races bets and then watch the replay a couple of more times. Watching replays is huge. Watch it once with an eye on the horse he bet. Watch it again with an eye on the horses he thought about betting. And if none of them was the winner,then watch it again with eye on the winner. Go back to the form and see if can figure why each horse ran the way it did. If he is at the track(and should be at the track if he is first starting out),hang around the paddock even before the horses arrive and after they leave. Keep your eyes and ears open and eavesdrops on trainers when ever you can. Take notes while there. Stick to one track/ circuit until you are showing a profit. The most important single thing to teach him is about is lone speed. When to bet it and even more importantly when not to. Make sure he knows how to read the the form. You amazed at the number of people who don't know what every column is and what all numbers and symbols stand for. Teach him to look at the distance between the place horse and the show horse. That is the most over looked number on the form. If you are at non major track teach him about difference in older bottom claiming races. the NW in 6 months, NW of 2 in 9 months etc. maybe more latter.
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Old 01-03-2013, 10:35 AM   #15
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who can win

I don't know if this falls under trite advice, but I think a big trap novice and casual handicappers fall into is worrying too much about picking a winner.

Not picking winners because ultimately you do have to have some opinion on that, but save the "on top" selection for the tip sheets and focus on how you can make the most money off each wagering opportunity (and sometimes that includes keeping money in your wallet).

I think poker literature does a much better job explaining this. It's not about winning the hand or folding losers. It's about winning as much as possible per pot/session (or, again, avoiding losing situations).
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