Is It impossible to win at OTB. At Horses in General??

[midwestmonster]

I have lost 200.00 5 straight trips to OTB. I am not a big horse better. I am new to it. I dont know Jockeys. I don't buy the books or forms. I bet based on Odds and tote boards on screens. What should I be doing or is it just too hard to win??

[John Kelly]

The learning curve in horse racing is steep.

Beginners have little or no chance in a game which holds 20 cents on the dollar.

Learn the game before investing your next $1,000.

[midwestmonster]

I bet only 20.00 win tickets. No Horses larger than 7-1. I like the second favorite a lot. Sometimes Box my lucky number which is 17. So I will exacta box 1 with 7 if one of those horses is favorite for 5.00 exacta box.

What is the game to learn? Should I be heavy into those forms??

[Heim]

20 percent breakage and Beyers speed figs will put you in the poor farm
sooner than later.



PS. Plus information beats anything you see in the form....tough racket for
a newbie

[John Kelly]

I would start by reading a few books by authors Andy Beyer and Steve Davidowitz.

Then graduate to the gambling/handicapping blog by Steve Crist at www.drf.com.

Avoid listening to a radio show hosted by Roger Stein.

[dinkenson]

many books on the subject...at all levels....the takeout is pretty high if you are just guessing...

[brians]

I love horse racing. But at this point it's nothing more than a guilty pleasure because I wasn't good enough to win consistently. Satisfying feeling when you sleuth out a winner though.

[2W2P2S]

Then graduate to the gambling/handicapping blog by Steve Crist at www.drf.com.

Eff him. Piece of garbage.

[midwestmonster]

Its diffucult admitting how green you are on something. The way I am betting I feel like such an amatuer.

[brians]

Eff him. Piece of garbage.

Really? Pray tell

[William Lee]

Sounds like a Ray Luca thread.

[2W2P2S]

Really? Pray tell

He's a liar and fraud, and as a guy that pretends to be a friend of the horse player, a complete scumbag who watched the NYRA steal money while agreeing to keeping his mouth shut for good buddy Charles Hayward and political reasons. His follow up statement afterwards was filled with lies, as if he didn't know his emails with Hayward were made public. He should be gone from the DRF and it's despicable he's allowed to continue there. If Crist had to rely on betting horses for his income, he'd been homeless many years ago.

[brians]

He's a liar and fraud, and as a guy that pretends to be a friend of the horse player, a complete scumbag who watched the NYRA steal money while agreeing to keeping his mouth shut for good buddy Charles Hayward and political reasons. His follow up statement afterwards was filled with lies, as if he didn't know his emails with Hayward were made public. He should be gone from the DRF and it's despicable he's allowed to continue there. If Crist had to rely on betting horses for his income, he'd been homeless many years ago.

Thanks for the info & warning. Maybe there really are no good guys in this gambling thing of ours?

[2W2P2S]

Thanks for the info & warning. Maybe there really are no good guys in this gambling thing of ours?

There are a lot of them, but the ones I know well have nothing to sell. And there are just a few I know that receive money for gambling related information I consider "good guys".

[mazeltrick]

couldn't agree more about Steve Crist. was horrified by the recent allegations regarding his involvement in the NYRA takeout fiasco. His tacit approval of stealing from his own customers makes me sick to my stomach.

on the subject of horse racing- it's an incredibly inaccessible sport for newcomers, which is one of the reasons it's hard to attract new fans. The takeout, as mentioned by many, is stratospherically high and your maiden experience is shared by most, I'm sure. I was fortunate to have a good tutor when I first got into the game, but, ultimately, there is no substitute for experimenting with what works best for you. the books John recommended are good places to start. Just go in with your eyes open- you're going to be playing into pools where the recreational players are mostly just passing through the revolving door towards spontaneous bankroll combustion and much of the remaining competition in the handle will be sourced from very sharp players.


once you've got the basics down, keep detailed records of what you bet for a few years (software on all the ADW platforms now makes this easy) and concentrate on the situations where you have the most success.

[Whoson1st]

Play numbers and always play the same numbers..regardless of odds... You don't need to buy books and handicap...If any software existed that could beat the game, it would be over.

Oh yeah read the books...at the library...

[trytrytry]

stay far away form OTBs the track, online racebooks and parimutual race sites..dont read any books, watch the derby once a year and be done with it..





now on to Indiana Downs RACE 3...a Perfect horse to wager on here for the horse racing gambler..

Ticket Description Amount
May-14 IND R3 333.00 USD Win 2 MAGNIFICENT WRECK

[steak tartar]

its easy..i won three weeks just last year

[Viejo Dinosaur]

There are a lot of them, but the ones I know well have nothing to sell. And there are just a few I know that receive money for gambling related information I consider "good guys".

great post...

[Viejo Dinosaur]

its easy..i won three weeks just last year

You got me by a week....and I CAN read a racing form....

[Jeff Jones]

I have never seen a more unhappy group in a sports/race book than horseplayers. Loser after loser, and the outcomes just keep bombarding them all day long, everyday.

Every race begins with a carefully calculated racing program statistical solution. Horseplayers pour over that stuff. But then the race starts and the wheels come off. What happens in the last twenty seconds of a horserace probably produces the greatest string of public profanity in a public book besides a rap song.

But then the out-of-control loser simmers down within five minutes and says, "So, who do you like in the next race?"

Horseracing lets you win enough to stay hooked. It's some sort of gratification through misery.

Kinda like all gambling.

[Chessman]

I have never seen a more unhappy group in a sports/race book than horseplayers. Loser after loser, and the outcomes just keep bombarding them all day long, everyday.

Every race begins with a carefully calculated racing program statistical solution. Horseplayers pour over that stuff. But then the race starts and the wheels come off. What happens in the last twenty seconds of a horserace probably produces the greatest string of public profanity in a public book besides a rap song.

But then the out-of-control loser simmers down within five minutes and says, "So, who do you like in the next race?"

Horseracing lets you win enough to stay hooked. It's some sort of gratification through misery.

Kinda like all gambling.

Insightful and hilarious.

[O'Royken]

Get a job at local track working the stables picking up horse shit and you have a better chance at winning then reading any books, forms or tout sheets as long as you bet only at the racetrack you scoop the horse shit at.

[William Lee]

Get a job at local track working the stables picking up horse shit and you have a better chance at winning then reading any books, forms or tout sheets as long as you bet only at the racetrack you scoop the horse shit at.

I had a friend who worked at Monticello Raceway's stabile when I was young, he stood in the paddock and pointed his fingers down with the # of a horse to bet. He gave me 8 out of 10 winners. So yes working their helped.

[ScreaminPain]

Play numbers and always play the same numbers..regardless of odds... You don't need to buy books and handicap...If any software existed that could beat the game, it would be over.

[roach23]

I would start by reading a few books by authors Andy Beyer and Steve Davidowitz.

Then graduate to the gambling/handicapping blog by Steve Crist at www.drf.com.

Avoid listening to a radio show hosted by Roger Stein.

hahahah

[midwestmonster]

Going to Arlington park Saturday for Preakness. 82 and sunny. Hoping to have a blast!!

[Whoson1st]

One simple rule...limit your plays each day....preselect your horses... don't play the toteboard watching game....

[kinosh]

Odds-wise, the track is bad, but OTB is worse! The track takes 15-20%; OTB takes more on top of that!! If you have to bet horses, search some online shops. Some, like sportsbook.com, pay track odds plus give you a 3-6% rebate.

[scrimmage]

horseplayers who study the past performances expecting more of the same,aren't seeing the
future results....

[Whoson1st]

horseplayers who study the past performances expecting more of the same,aren't seeing the
future results....

Well to an extent, you are right.

[scrimmage]

Well to an extent, you are right.

it's a way to play this game,and eke out a profit[with rebates]....

[Tyrone]

Without a rebate you have ZERO chance and then its still slim to none. There are far less people who make a living betting horses than who make a living betting sports. Good luck its fun but its harder than Chinese arithmetic to make money on a consistent basis. How are you going to handicap this:

Three Year Olds And Upward Which Have Never Won Two Races. Three Year Olds, 118 Lbs.; Older, 124 Lbs. Non-winners of a race since April 17 Allowed 3 Lbs. Claiming Price $5,000

or

Three Years Old And Upward Which Have Never Won A Race Other Than Maiden, Claiming, Or Starter Or Which Have Never Won Two Races

and there is 9 or 10 horses that fit this criteria in a race.

[Whoson1st]

Without a rebate you have ZERO chance and then its still slim to none. There are far less people who make a living betting horses than who make a living betting sports. Good luck its fun but its harder than Chinese arithmetic to make money on a consistent basis. How are you going to handicap this:

Three Year Olds And Upward Which Have Never Won Two Races. Three Year Olds, 118 Lbs.; Older, 124 Lbs. Non-winners of a race since April 17 Allowed 3 Lbs. Claiming Price $5,000

or

Three Years Old And Upward Which Have Never Won A Race Other Than Maiden, Claiming, Or Starter Or Which Have Never Won Two Races

and there is 9 or 10 horses that fit this criteria in a race.

Not talking about "making a living playing the horses". Like in sports betting, winning requires discipline and to a higher degree than sports betting.. One race a day is something most horse players would never dream of doing... They want action Jackson...lol