In a slump-what to do?

[upthecreek]

Been a liitle slump lately My horses have been running ,but not quite good enough A lot of 2nds & 3rds On top of that I lost 2 photos costing about $350 and got disqualified out of an exacta So should I cut back,play thru & hope it evens out ,change my wagers(I like pick 3's) Im startiing to lose confidence in my picks and find im torn between too many horses,adding more than i should. Do I go back & re-read Better,Quinn & Davidowitz? Or??? Any thoughts appreciated.

[BELMONT 6-6-09]

Review your records as assurance that this streak is a perfectly normal occurrence in the long-term scheme. This is where confidence plays an essential role. If you can review your wagers during this bad run and actually say that you would make the same wagers again simply continue to play your plan. Psychology beats most of the bettors at some time and the only measure to keep the ship sailing during the rough times is confidence and an adequate betting bank.

[DeltaLover]

Originally Posted by upthecreek

Been a liitle slump lately My horses have been running ,but not quite good enough A lot of 2nds & 3rds On top of that I lost 2 photos costing about $350 and got disqualified out of an exacta So should I cut back,play thru & hope it evens out ,change my wagers(I like pick 3's) Im startiing to lose confidence in my picks and find im torn between too many horses,adding more than i should. Do I go back & re-read Better,Quinn & Davidowitz? Or??? Any thoughts appreciated.

,
What you describe here sounds like the normal routine of the horse bettor (at least fits my own betting experience very well)... Certainly I do not think that going back to the books you are reffering, has anything to do with improving your situation,, Just keep on what you are doing, be sure that you handicapp the whole card in advance and do not go in a race by race fashion, try some different betting tactics like speciailizing in P5 or double betting.. Possibly take some time off, so you can clear up your mind and also boost your bakroll a bit..

[BELMONT 6-6-09]

You say that you like pick 3's, that's fine, however, you might want to cover the key horses in the sequences with a win wager to stabilize the bankroll swings when using the exotics. There is nothing wrong is missing a pick 3 but winning money in the transaction covering a win bet.

[lamboguy]

the thing about horse race betting is that every thing is streaky good or bad. this past week i had 2 horses breakdown, 5 jockey falloffs, 2 takedowns, and lots of horses getting trapped on the rail behind slower horses that i wound up running second with. i still hit a nice sequence at the Meadowlands, thank you Scot Zeron, that made me a huge winner for the week.

my advice to you would be to keep punching away and don't second guess yourself. what has happened to you is all part of the game.

[Tall One]

Originally Posted by BELMONT 6-6-09

You say that you like pick 3's, that's fine, however, you might want to cover the key horses in the sequences with a win wager to stabilize the bankroll swings when using the exotics. There is nothing wrong is missing a pick 3 but winning money in the transaction covering a win bet.

I like this advice, as well as lambo's. Ebb and flow of the game makes us scratch our heads sometimes, but a review of your wagering/ticket structures is always helpful.

Side note--nice one, lambo..

96-1 and I could've bought Campbell's instead of the Ramen Noodles..at least for this week.

[acorn54]

if you are betting at a percentage of bankroll that gives very remote chance of ruin you should not be alarmed.
people who get into trouble in this game are the ones w/out the proper money management planning.

[HUSKER55]

lambo and acorn are correct.

I took a break and I am learning python. That organizes my thinking.

But I reward myself by playing Saturday and Sunday.

My goal is to be back full time by April.

Now.........let us pray!

[LottaKash]

Originally Posted by upthecreek

Been a liitle slump lately My horses have been running ,but not quite good enough A lot of 2nds & 3rds On top of that I lost 2 photos costing about $350 and got disqualified out of an exacta So should I cut back,play thru & hope it evens out ,change my wagers(I like pick 3's) Im startiing to lose confidence in my picks and find im torn between too many horses,adding more than i should. Do I go back & re-read Better,Quinn & Davidowitz? Or??? Any thoughts appreciated.

UTC, perhaps a well needed break is in order..... Or maybe making some "place & show" bets to back up those "almosts", and that may help maintain your confidence factor, that is if you are a good enough handicapper, until the pendulum swings back your way....

[upthecreek]

Originally Posted by BELMONT 6-6-09

You say that you like pick 3's, that's fine, however, you might want to cover the key horses in the sequences with a win wager to stabilize the bankroll swings when using the exotics. There is nothing wrong is missing a pick 3 but winning money in the transaction covering a win bet.

That's one thing I'm bad at-waited all day yesterday to bet the #4 horse in the last @Tampa & I ended playing Exactas & not cashing and never bet the #4 to win who paid $18

Thnx for all the replies!

[arw629]

Don't be afraid to lose....limit your pick 3 horses to the ones you like and dont add a horse bc ur afraid that is the one who is going to beat you.....you can't win them all and there will always be another race

[Overlay]

1. Try to take emotion out of the equation by removing personal opinion or subjectivity from your selection and wagering process to the greatest extent possible.

2. Compartmentalize and quantify your handicapping among the various factors so that you can identify both why and how much you "like" a particular horse, and also which factor(s) is/are associated with results not turning out the way you anticipate, so that you can make necessary changes if warranted.

3. Determine if adverse results that you're experiencing are within the limits of normally expected variation for your handicapping method, or are occurring to a degree that is significant enough to warrant an adjustment of your basic selection or wagering procedure.

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by upthecreek

Been a liitle slump lately My horses have been running ,but not quite good enough A lot of 2nds & 3rds On top of that I lost 2 photos costing about $350 and got disqualified out of an exacta So should I cut back,play thru & hope it evens out ,change my wagers(I like pick 3's) Im startiing to lose confidence in my picks and find im torn between too many horses,adding more than i should. Do I go back & re-read Better,Quinn & Davidowitz? Or??? Any thoughts appreciated.

How good were you doing BEFORE this "little slump"? In exotic wagering, slumps are just the cost of doing business...and the focus remains on the long-term result.

[agameofskill]

Originally Posted by acorn54

if you are betting at a percentage of bankroll that gives very remote chance of ruin you should not be alarmed.
people who get into trouble in this game are the ones w/out the proper money management planning.

excellent advice

[Stoleitbreezing]

Keep doing what you've been doing. Changing your style or your approach is more of a detriment to your overall success. In a game that is very similar to boxing, in that you can lose several (rounds/races) in a row then have that "perfect" round/race to offset your bad run.