Looking Back
 

I remember being fresh out of college, and having devoured "Picking Winners", thinking that by the time I reach the age of 25, I'd be wagering on horses for living. Yeah...that didn't quite work out.

Fast forward 3+ decades, and while I still have a good day job, I'm on year 3 of doing okay in my field of passion. I rarely post, and I don't want sound like I'm bragging. I just want to say that one can improve their game. For me it was hard work and strong record keeping. It's still hard work, but it's not "work" to me.

I'm pretty much the most boring person at the track. I'm extremely selective. Win bet almost exclusively. You will not know if I won or lost if you see me in person when I'm wagering. There is no "thrill" derived from winning, only satisfaction, and that is internalized. Even with success becoming repetitious, I still start each day "worrying" about losing my edge. I think it's my way of telling myself to not become complacent.

Just in case anyone cares, today was a typical Saturday for me. I reviewed race types for most USA tracks (T-bred, most USA + Woodbine). I found 31 races I wanted to handicap. Of those 31, I made 10 win bets. I'll be up early to start again tomorrow.

Looking back might turn you into a pillar of salt.

Looking back...
 

I started betting horses in 1980...at 18 years old. It took me a few years to get "situated" in the game...but at around the age of 25, I decided to get serious. Ever the pessimist...I feared that I would end up with a dead-end job during my working years...with little left in the way of "savings" by retirement age. I always thought that this game was difficult to beat...but I was in no real hurry. I figured that I had 40 years until retirement...and even to a "pessimist", 40 years appears to be enough time to figure a gambling game out, so you can gain some sort of supplemental income from it...to augment the meager social security benefits that I figured to receive at retirement age.

Well...I will be 56 this November...and time is no longer on my side. Retirement is fast-approaching...and success in this game is still as elusive for me as it ever was. Luckily...I have developed a fondness for basement apartments, and eating ravioli out of a can. So...the chances are that I may still make it...if I don't live excessively long.

C'est la vie...

I respect your wisdom Thask and have learned from your words in the brief time here since I joined...was curious...what does "make it" or "made it" look like...? How does one know when one "is there...?"

sha tin tonight could change our lives.

if not, to quote the late and great william murray; "there's always fresh." :)

I thought this thread was going to be a rant about those jockeys that look behind them whilst on the lead.

10 win bets?
Around here, I call that September.

I think 10 win bets is reasonable per day...I'm just wondering what size this wager should be, if this is the case...

I assume it is roughly the same amount each bet...I can easily see how just betting 10 bucks to win each time will get you nowhere, so I'm thinking an "only win" bettor must be wagering at least $100 per wager and more likely 2-4 hundred per wager to make any real dough.

Am I wrong here...?

A little over a month ago you said you made 27 win bets on a typical day. Have you dialed it back to 10 now? What caused the reduction or was that just for harness in addition to thoroughbreds?

Not wrong.

In general terms, things are better for me when I target my strengths. Funds have been re-directed to race types that match my strengths. While some may love to play them, maiden races are no longer on my radar. Another part of it is which tracks are running when. I did not place a wager on KEE or BEL yesterday. As for harness, not one of my strong areas. I stopped trying to crack that nut many moons ago.

i haven't had a winning year in the last 5. this summer i destroyed myself betting into these tough as hell pari-mutuel pools. Keeneland decided that they want me to lose more money faster and they hiked the host fees and takeout. so they succeeded to send me to the bench. they probably don't want me betting into their pools anyway and for that matter other people as well because their handle looks likes its down and going lower for this crummy meet full of fake horses all juiced up that run for big purses.

Lambo,

Appreciate the honest posting

I am so far behind in this exotic betting menu that I virtually avoid it (less an occasional cold double or a 1x2 exacta key), when I have a strong insight for making the wager and it holds value.

In no way am I making a blanket statement about the exotic wagering format. all I can say that for me it has too many variables to deal with and the resulting long run outs would not be the way I would like to play this game. Yes, the rewards are great but the bad beats that occur within the frame can be hard to handle.
Myself, I am a win bettor and this format keeps me firmly in control of my bets and what prices I am willing to accept . With the greed going on today ie Keeneland a player has to be more selective then ever in the pursuit of making a well thought out wager that is considered a good percentage play. Everyday good percentage plays...win or lose that's my plan.

-in today's world as tough as it is to win its even tougher to bet your money into blind pools unless you are one of the very few that have direct access into them.

Agree! You have been around the block Lambo and you speak the truth. I hear so many players brag about hitting a big exotic payoff, when in reality the bet never made up for the losses incurred before the hit.