What would YOU say?

[CyberChamp]

I think back to a moment about a month ago when Jazz and I were sitting at the bar at our favorite OTB.... A guy pulled up a chair next to us and a conversation began.

This guy was clearly a novice at playing the ponies and he admitted that his gambling budget was $10-$20 for the night. He was there to have a beer and risk a few bucks, but had little to no expectations of winning. He didn't have a program, nor did he know how to read one.

Being polite, we took this as an opportunity to explain harness racing to him, why we like it, and the potential rewards. He quickly gained and interest in it (as much as one can, when they don't know anything about horses), but eventually had to leave about 30 min later.

Question: When you meet a newbie who wants to know more about harness racing, what do you tell him? (What do fans like us say to bring attention to the sport?)





I often tell people that, unlike casino games, you can actually net a long term profit betting on horses...because a horse's odds have nothing to do with his chances of winning...it has to do with what other people think (and bet on). If you can outsmart those bettors, you can gain a mathematical edge.

When asked specifically about harness racing vs. t-breds, many Standardbreds run weekly, so there is plenty of data to judge their current form. T-breds run less frequently, so their form is less apparent at times. I don't like to guess, so I prefer watching harness racing.

What do you tell people?

[tonyb147]

Question: When you meet a newbie who wants to know more about harness racing, what do you tell him? (What do fans like us say to bring attention to the sport?)

I'd be brutally honest and tell him that before he can expect to win consistently he must be willing to dedicate a lot of time studying (reading the program, watching replays and qualifiers, learning things like track bias, etc.). Just like in real life, if you expect to be successful at something you need to put the work in.

A good start for him would be to spend his $10-$20 gambling budget on beers for you and Jazz for the next few months and have you guys teach him everything you know.

[careless hal]

No one can beat those 15-25% takeouts in the long run.  You can outsmart other bettors in the short run, but the mathematical certainty of that % means sooner or later you will crash and burn.  I agree with Tony that it is a lot of work to be a full time handicapper.  The thing of it is, very few can really master all aspects needed to be successful.  Watching replays is in vogue with many.  Very few however can interpret them correctly.It is more enjoyable to me to try to pick some winners and make a few bucks and not spend the hours needed to do a bang up job.It is easier now than in the old days because we have so many more resources available to uu,