<TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt" id=yiv1967143261drftMsgContent _yuid="yui_3_1_1_3_1309740985626136">My introduction to serious gambling took place at five Chicago-area racetracks -- Arlington, Sportsman's, Hawthorne, Maywood and Balmoral -- in the late 1970s.
I was 16 when I gained employment at Andy Frain, Inc., a family-owned ushering business headquartered at 1221 North LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago. Andy Frain ushers were paid a starting wage of $3.65 an hour and they were responsible for escorting sports fans and concertgoers to their seats at most every arena and venue in the Windy City.
I ushered events in the company's signature blue-and-gold uniforms at McCormick Place, Arie Crown Theater. Orchestra Hall and the International Amphitheatre before receiving in the mail (no e-mail in 1979) the assignment sheet that would alter the course of my life forever.
On a beautiful August day, I was given day-night doubleheader duties at ARLINGTON PARK from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and SPORTSMAN'S PARK from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. I still remember the capital letters on the sheets of multi-colored, legal-sized paper used by the assignment desk at Andy Frain.
I also recall my boyhood excitement and unbridled enthusiasm after witnessing thoroughbred racing action at Arlington Park and thrilling harness racing under the lights on the five-eighths mile oval at Sportsman's Park.
I was fascinated by the huge crowds attending the events, captivated by the horses and humans competing every 30 minutes and mesmerized by the bright lights of the toteboard situated in the racetrack's infield with the numbers changing every 60 seconds in clear view of the gamblers milling around the grandstand apron.
I was eager to learn more about the game and thirsty to soak up as much information as possible. Unfortunately, racetracks provided no publications and scant literature for beginning horseplayers looking to gain the necessary knowledge to gamble and win.
(Thirty years later, racetracks remain clueless on the subjects of customer education and player development.)
Early in my horseplaying days, one truth became obvious: those in the know rarely talked and the players talking were either broke or clueless, or broke and clueless.
Misinformation was rampant among horseplayers; therefore, independent study was required to uncover the racetrack secrets which allowed you to win more while risking less.
Listed below are 10 sayings heard throughout my 30-plus years of gambling observation and participation, the first five rules or maxims are widespread quotes with which I largely disagree, while the last five phrases are authentic lines I've embraced and endorsed. Here we go:
You can beat a race but you can't beat the races.
Total nonsense. In fact, I believe the opposite is true. Anything is possible and nothing is guaranteed once the gates open for a single race or one-time event. But the smart horseplayer, armed with a creative wagering strategy and the talent to evaluate a horse's chances of winning against its projected post time price, has an opportunity to overcome the racetrack's onerous 20% takeout and become a winning horseplayer in the long run.
Double your wagers when you have the bookmaker's money in hand.
Legendary gambling figure "Pittsburg Phil" gets credit for this quote and while I agree with the sentiment of the line, I disagree with the semantics. Increase your wagers when winning, but don't indiscriminately double the size of your bets. Doubling your bets while winning is nearly as dangerous as doubling your bets when losing. Oh, by the way, when the bookmaker's money is in your hands, it's no longer the bookmaker's money.
Bet with your head, not over it.
Catchy line promoted by New Jersey's gaming industry to help problem gamblers from self-destruction. For gamblers who are not compulsive in nature, I prefer the line, "Bet to your edge, not over it." And if you have no edge, which is the case for most recreational gamblers, then don't bet.
I'd rather be lucky than good.
Hogwash. Short-term winners utter this line after a lucky score or fortunate hit. Long-term winners understand the fickle nature of Lady Luck, considering luck or chaos or randomness to be the enemy. I'd rather be good than lucky.
Trust your instincts.
This is terrible advice for the beginning gambler. The newcomer either has no instincts or cannot trust the few instincts he possesses because his initial instincts about gambling are usually wrong.
Win with class and lose without excuses.
This is my favorite line for gambling and life in general. Steer clear of gamblers (or people) who claim they're losing (or troubled) because they're unlucky. Many bettors classify their losses as unlucky and credit their fortunate wins to skillful handicapping. They don't understand the vagaries of chance and it's likely they never will.
If you're sweating too much, you're betting too much.
Finding the proper-sized bet for your risk profile/personality is a personal choice. I'm comfortable betting 1-2% of my gambling bank on any one result. Here's the tricky part: on a Saturday during college football and basketball seasons, I could have as many as 10-12 outcomes pending. In such cases, I rarely risk more than 10% of my bank in any single session.
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It's better to know 100% of 50 teams rather than 50% of 100 teams.
Be a specialist. Know what your betting and put your money where your knowledge is. We see gamblers at EOG succeeding by sticking to their specialty (for instance, KingRevolver on tennis, Railbird on college baseball, David Glisan on boxing/MMA, TimelyHero on pro basketball and John Netto on Pac-12 football).
Always be on the lookout for your next wagering opportunity.
The shrewd gambler is constantly searching for his next wager. While watching Week 1 games in the NFL, the smart handicapper already has the lineup of scheduled games for Week 2 in front of him. The sharp bettor sees the handwriting on the wall before there is handwriting on the wall.
Big money is not always smart money, but smart money is always big money.
Five or six-figure wagers are made routinely without the proper research or handicapping edge. There's no direct correlation between the size of the wager and the sophistication of the handicapper. That said, I cannot define or defend gamblers who make $50-100 wagers as smart-money wiseguys. After all, if they're so smart, why aren't their bankrolls -- fattened by successes of the past -- calling for wagers that approach or reach the maximum limits set by the house?
MONDAY'S BEST BET.....Play "OVER" 9 runs in the Kansas City Royals-Chicago White Sox game. The White Sox return to the South Side after scoring only two runs in their last two games at pitcher-friendly Wrigley Field (wind was blowing in both Saturday and Sunday). K.C. recorded a season-high 21 hits in yesterday's 16-8 victory over Colorado at Coors Field. Melky Cabrera and Eric Hosmer each had four hits, while promising rookie Mike Moustakas and steady veteran Jeff Francoeur registered three hits apiece. U.S. Cellular Field plays small when the nightime temperatures in Chicago hit 80 degrees.
COMING FRIDAY.....A list of qualities that make for an interesting and entertaining one-hour sports radio show.
I was 16 when I gained employment at Andy Frain, Inc., a family-owned ushering business headquartered at 1221 North LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago. Andy Frain ushers were paid a starting wage of $3.65 an hour and they were responsible for escorting sports fans and concertgoers to their seats at most every arena and venue in the Windy City.
I ushered events in the company's signature blue-and-gold uniforms at McCormick Place, Arie Crown Theater. Orchestra Hall and the International Amphitheatre before receiving in the mail (no e-mail in 1979) the assignment sheet that would alter the course of my life forever.
On a beautiful August day, I was given day-night doubleheader duties at ARLINGTON PARK from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and SPORTSMAN'S PARK from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. I still remember the capital letters on the sheets of multi-colored, legal-sized paper used by the assignment desk at Andy Frain.
I also recall my boyhood excitement and unbridled enthusiasm after witnessing thoroughbred racing action at Arlington Park and thrilling harness racing under the lights on the five-eighths mile oval at Sportsman's Park.
I was fascinated by the huge crowds attending the events, captivated by the horses and humans competing every 30 minutes and mesmerized by the bright lights of the toteboard situated in the racetrack's infield with the numbers changing every 60 seconds in clear view of the gamblers milling around the grandstand apron.
I was eager to learn more about the game and thirsty to soak up as much information as possible. Unfortunately, racetracks provided no publications and scant literature for beginning horseplayers looking to gain the necessary knowledge to gamble and win.
(Thirty years later, racetracks remain clueless on the subjects of customer education and player development.)
Early in my horseplaying days, one truth became obvious: those in the know rarely talked and the players talking were either broke or clueless, or broke and clueless.
Misinformation was rampant among horseplayers; therefore, independent study was required to uncover the racetrack secrets which allowed you to win more while risking less.
Listed below are 10 sayings heard throughout my 30-plus years of gambling observation and participation, the first five rules or maxims are widespread quotes with which I largely disagree, while the last five phrases are authentic lines I've embraced and endorsed. Here we go:
You can beat a race but you can't beat the races.
Total nonsense. In fact, I believe the opposite is true. Anything is possible and nothing is guaranteed once the gates open for a single race or one-time event. But the smart horseplayer, armed with a creative wagering strategy and the talent to evaluate a horse's chances of winning against its projected post time price, has an opportunity to overcome the racetrack's onerous 20% takeout and become a winning horseplayer in the long run.
Double your wagers when you have the bookmaker's money in hand.
Legendary gambling figure "Pittsburg Phil" gets credit for this quote and while I agree with the sentiment of the line, I disagree with the semantics. Increase your wagers when winning, but don't indiscriminately double the size of your bets. Doubling your bets while winning is nearly as dangerous as doubling your bets when losing. Oh, by the way, when the bookmaker's money is in your hands, it's no longer the bookmaker's money.
Bet with your head, not over it.
Catchy line promoted by New Jersey's gaming industry to help problem gamblers from self-destruction. For gamblers who are not compulsive in nature, I prefer the line, "Bet to your edge, not over it." And if you have no edge, which is the case for most recreational gamblers, then don't bet.
I'd rather be lucky than good.
Hogwash. Short-term winners utter this line after a lucky score or fortunate hit. Long-term winners understand the fickle nature of Lady Luck, considering luck or chaos or randomness to be the enemy. I'd rather be good than lucky.
Trust your instincts.
This is terrible advice for the beginning gambler. The newcomer either has no instincts or cannot trust the few instincts he possesses because his initial instincts about gambling are usually wrong.
Win with class and lose without excuses.
This is my favorite line for gambling and life in general. Steer clear of gamblers (or people) who claim they're losing (or troubled) because they're unlucky. Many bettors classify their losses as unlucky and credit their fortunate wins to skillful handicapping. They don't understand the vagaries of chance and it's likely they never will.
If you're sweating too much, you're betting too much.
Finding the proper-sized bet for your risk profile/personality is a personal choice. I'm comfortable betting 1-2% of my gambling bank on any one result. Here's the tricky part: on a Saturday during college football and basketball seasons, I could have as many as 10-12 outcomes pending. In such cases, I rarely risk more than 10% of my bank in any single session.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
It's better to know 100% of 50 teams rather than 50% of 100 teams.
Be a specialist. Know what your betting and put your money where your knowledge is. We see gamblers at EOG succeeding by sticking to their specialty (for instance, KingRevolver on tennis, Railbird on college baseball, David Glisan on boxing/MMA, TimelyHero on pro basketball and John Netto on Pac-12 football).
Always be on the lookout for your next wagering opportunity.
The shrewd gambler is constantly searching for his next wager. While watching Week 1 games in the NFL, the smart handicapper already has the lineup of scheduled games for Week 2 in front of him. The sharp bettor sees the handwriting on the wall before there is handwriting on the wall.
Big money is not always smart money, but smart money is always big money.
Five or six-figure wagers are made routinely without the proper research or handicapping edge. There's no direct correlation between the size of the wager and the sophistication of the handicapper. That said, I cannot define or defend gamblers who make $50-100 wagers as smart-money wiseguys. After all, if they're so smart, why aren't their bankrolls -- fattened by successes of the past -- calling for wagers that approach or reach the maximum limits set by the house?
MONDAY'S BEST BET.....Play "OVER" 9 runs in the Kansas City Royals-Chicago White Sox game. The White Sox return to the South Side after scoring only two runs in their last two games at pitcher-friendly Wrigley Field (wind was blowing in both Saturday and Sunday). K.C. recorded a season-high 21 hits in yesterday's 16-8 victory over Colorado at Coors Field. Melky Cabrera and Eric Hosmer each had four hits, while promising rookie Mike Moustakas and steady veteran Jeff Francoeur registered three hits apiece. U.S. Cellular Field plays small when the nightime temperatures in Chicago hit 80 degrees.
COMING FRIDAY.....A list of qualities that make for an interesting and entertaining one-hour sports radio show.
