Busting out of a Slump at the windows. What do you do to bust out of it?

[Afleet]

Originally Posted by Andy Asaro

I must confess I need a new slumpbuster remedy.

The one that worked for years was new shoes with new socks and baby powder in the shoes. Gotta have happy feet when you gamble.

It hasn't worked lately so I gotta come up with a new one.

Any suggestions?

always press the all button on the 3rd line of your tri wheels-if you are a trifecta player

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by Afleet

always press the all button on the 3rd line of your tri wheels-if you are a trifecta player

Is this how you get OUT of a slump...or INTO one?

[Afleet]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

Is this how you get OUT of a slump...or INTO one?

probably both

[classhandicapper]

I'm never confident when I'm in a downturn. As far as I'm concerned it's impossible to know whether you're going bad due to randomness or because the ground is crumbling under your feet.

Trainer patterns I exploited profitably years ago do not exist now.

There are fewer and typically less severe track biases now than there were years ago. They are also a LOT tougher to find because half the races are on turf. That means there are smaller samples for making judgments.

Everyone has speed figures, pace figures, and replays.

High IQ individuals with advanced math degrees and databases are constantly pouring through data looking for inefficiencies and betting large sums of money.

I think you have you to just keep playing until you find out where you stand now because the competition keeps getting better and the game keeps changing.

[dilanesp]

Slumps cause self reflection, which is good.

Where gamblers really screw up is in NOT engaging in self reflection while they are winning.

In any event, the answer is to just be disciplined and play the exact same way as if you were winning. If the slump isn't busted, that's life.

[v j stauffer]

Originally Posted by Afleet

always press the all button on the 3rd line of your tri wheels-if you are a trifecta player

Hello Mr. Mutual Clerk.

I'd like to knowingly but one winning and 11 losing tickets please.

Thank you.

[AJanks]

Usually to get out a slump, just put $10,000 to show on a 1/5 shot. Works every time.

[PIC6SIX]

Yes Vic, making the CORRECT BET speaks volumes to me. How many times does our handicapping prove valid and true but somehow we end up betting into the wrong pool. You have to maximize profits in this game when you can. Like they say in golf, "Drive for show and putt for dough $$$$"

[Inner Dirt]

Originally Posted by v j stauffer

I never believe in taking a break. The play to break me out of my slump may present itself and be missed while I'm re-grouping.

If you DON'T have some prolonged slumps you're not making the correct plays. This is not a game of cashing tickets, picking winners or even being right. It's about making money and even more importantly continually making the CORRECT bet.

Trust and remember you've been an elite player in the past. That fact is what carries you through the tough times.

Nothing wrong with putting in more hours of prep work. Double and Triple check. That will solidify the decisions you make as being sound.

Don't panic. This is a VERY long gamble. Not days or months but years.

The horses have ZERO idea you're in a slump. You're one race away from it all being turned around and forgotten.

Fire away!

Great post! Kind of like a scorer in the NBA, they keep shooting and figure those shots will start dropping in again like they did in the past.

[Afleet]

just take a poll

YouTube

[Afleet]

this should help

https://www.tvg.com/handicapping/tal...rfr=2_002_0254

[098poi]

Originally Posted by v j stauffer
I never believe in taking a break. The play to break me out of my slump may present itself and be missed while I'm re-grouping.

If you DON'T have some prolonged slumps you're not making the correct plays. This is not a game of cashing tickets, picking winners or even being right. It's about making money and even more importantly continually making the CORRECT bet.

Trust and remember you've been an elite player in the past. That fact is what carries you through the tough times.

Nothing wrong with putting in more hours of prep work. Double and Triple check. That will solidify the decisions you make as being sound.

Don't panic. This is a VERY long gamble. Not days or months but years.

The horses have ZERO idea you're in a slump. You're one race away from it all being turned around and forgotten.

Fire away!




This is the most important thing. Not taking it personally. Golf and racing are similar in that respect. Once you beat yourself up about a shot or a wager it only compounds and affects future shots and wagers. It may seem like the racing Gods bat us around like mice but I don't think that's how it really works.

[Robert Fischer]

I 'live in' the process, so results don't mean much to me.

However part of that process is finding good plays before the race, and the doing a post-mortem after the race (not looking at whether I should've bet the 7 instead of the 3, - but looking at whether I did in fact have a bet that was in fact within my circle of competence and good value).

When I'm struggling it's usually because I'm suffering from man-with-a-hammer disease. Everything looks like a nail (a potential play). I'm getting away from semi-rare real value plays that jump out to me, and my brain is 'finding a way' to play virtually any race that is coming up and is somewhat interesting. A the natural human bias to act.
I've stepped out of the process and I want a result, NOW!

[Franco Santiago]

Depends on the what the definition of slump is.

If it is losing despite making optimal wagers, then as Vic says, press on.

If it is breaking down mentally and making sub-optimal wagers, stop and regroup.

Of course, the former can certainly lead to the latter, but the latter is far more ruinous, obviously, and requires serious self-reflection and possible re-training of your thought processes and state of mind when adversity hits.

Your decisions control your destiny. Your state of mind controls your decisions. Your state of mind is controlled by your physiology, your language (yes, the language you use...."i.e. this game sucks, this game can't get beat, this game is crooked, I am the unluckiest person in the world, and I am in in a slump"), and your core beliefs (i.e. if you look in the mirror and see a fat person, then, you have no chance of becoming un-fat - until you see a person that is slimming down...same with betting...if you believe you are a loser, well, you will be).


All of the above is easier said than done, and I have a very hard time applying it to myself (I am my own worst success and performance coach). But I know it works because I do coach a person (but not in the technical stuff of his game, but rather, in the mental stuff above) and he has done very well.

And lastly, just about every person that was or is great at anything had or has a coach. Perhaps someone that will simply hold you accountable will do the trick. It is my experience that most horseplayers never had a coach, so to speak. Not sure why....maybe it's the ego, who knows.

Great thread, though, and there is some fantastic info.

[Nutz and Boltz]

If my handicapping has gone sour, this happens usually when I start taking short cuts to do my figuring, I then go back and get myself back in line.
The worst is when it's not a problem with my handicapping, but pure lousy luck, such as when your longshot gets caught at the wire it seems like continuously, that's the real killer for me ! Then I back off for a while because that's when the depression sets in.