1. #1
    eyeball
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    Newbie question.. I need help

    Is it true that the odds on paramutual racing are so much against you that a player can never win. I play sports and wanted to start learning about racing but I read that the vig is like 20% Or is this a case of dont believee evrything you read?

  2. #2
    UltimateSelector
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    Quote Originally Posted by eyeball View Post
    Is it true that the odds on paramutual racing are so much against you that a player can never win. I play sports and wanted to start learning about racing but I read that the vig is like 20% Or is this a case of dont believee evrything you read?

    Hello Eyeball & Welcome! ...

    This is by far the toughest game in town. The usual track take is anywhere from 14 -20% on W-P-S wagers. I would suggest you read & learn everything you can about horse racing. I mean learn the structure of wagering & money management, along with the know how & understanding the "Arithmetic" of racing. Its's a very big puzzle with many variables. Go slow and see if it's what you really like & want to do. Once the bug bites you you are hooked! I've been doing this for over 30 years! I hope I helped you out some. Feel free to ask anything you like in the future!

    Best of Luck to you! ...

    Ultimate Selector!

  3. #3
    DukeJohn
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    Follow Ultimate's advice.

    Here is something to begin your strategy studies on. It will force you find past performances and learn more about the sport. It will also appear to be profitable. The catch is actually being able to implement it. Ultimate should have a better grasp of it, since this is his domain.

    Can't Lose System
    Bet $150 on favorite to show w/ 5 or less horses in race. Then bet $2.00 on all others.

    You can find more on this particular system by searching around, so enjoy the new and exciting road you are beginning.

  4. #4
    cobra_king
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    Eyeball

    The vig is very high, especially compared to sportsbetting, but you can make money at this game. The one advantage that horses have over sports betting is that you can find legitimate contenders at relatively high odds, high odds meaning 8,10,12-1. The other main difference is that when you find an edge in sports betting, the edge is usually no more than 3-5%. In horse racing, you can find edges much much larger than this, even factoring in the higher vig. The reason for this is that you are playing against the public and not a professional oddsmaker.

    Good luck to you.

  5. #5
    cobra_king
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    Quote Originally Posted by DukeJohn View Post
    Follow Ultimate's advice.

    Here is something to begin your strategy studies on. It will force you find past performances and learn more about the sport. It will also appear to be profitable. The catch is actually being able to implement it. Ultimate should have a better grasp of it, since this is his domain.

    Can't Lose System
    Bet $150 on favorite to show w/ 5 or less horses in race. Then bet $2.00 on all others.

    You can find more on this particular system by searching around, so enjoy the new and exciting road you are beginning.


    Please don't bet actual money doing this.

  6. #6
    DukeJohn
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    Quote Originally Posted by cobra_king View Post
    Please don't bet actual money doing this.
    Yes, I was hoping he would figure that out in the long run. He would have won some and eventually lost a couple and probably only broke even, but he would have learned a lot.

    Here is the problem with this: Mathematically you will find many studies done that will state a positive return. It looks good on paper. If you research it, you will also discover a positive return. The problem is this. The favorite can change at the last second and if you back test it, you will not know if that happened or not. Furthermore, it would require you to keep a vigilant for the start of each race to see if there were scratches that brought you into the magic 5 or less zone.

    Now Ultimate or anyone who watches every start of most of the races may be able to add this somewhere in his handicapping, but to only rely on this, in the end you would be worn out and just plain tired of staring at the computer and going none stop all day. Like Ultimate does now. He is a machine.

    Oh, here are a couple of information and results sites:

    http://www.tvg.com/Open/RaceInformat...sultsOpen.aspx

    http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/instant.cgi?type=inr

    http://calendar.ntra.com/

    https://www.ebetusa.com/ebetusa/racing?m=POC

  7. #7
    gambleonclaimers
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    This is definetly a case of don't be;lieve everything you read you can definetly make money in this game you are playing against the other cappers and not not betting with a book, there are real opportunities in this game you just have to pick and choose what information to absorb and what is useless dribble. Don't get too caught up in past performance data and countless subscriptions to data.. Really think about who would know the most about an animal and what their intentions are.

  8. #8
    exstatman
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    While takeout can be higher at some tracks, the one thing that can never be established 100% correctly is the true odds of any horse winning. This is the way to make money at the races, bet on horses going off at higher odds than you believe they should be. If you figure a horse should be fair value at 3-1, but is going off at 8-1, it shouldn't matter what the takeout is, that is a good bet.

  9. #9
    eyeball
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    So far i like it ..I am hooked..I used to go(sneak in) to the tracks in Miami when I was 17-18. But through the years I moved away from there but it still is in my blood.

  10. #10
    eyeball
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    So I have an account can i start palyig Ultimate Selections picks today for a buck or two? But do I play them all or just soem of them?
    Thanks

  11. #11
    UltimateSelector
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    Quote Originally Posted by eyeball View Post
    So I have an account can i start palyig Ultimate Selections picks today for a buck or two? But do I play them all or just soem of them?
    Thanks

    Feel free to do what you want. Start out slow & remember ...

    Play at your own risk! I at times am like a boat & I couldn't hit water if I tried. But at other times I can buy a new boat!

    I will do my best! ...

  12. #12
    INVEGA MAN
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    Learn to read the racing form. There is a lot of good info in the drf to find a long shot.

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