HTR vs HST

[Maxspa]

All,
Interesting discussion regarding the above topic on Pace Advantage-(Software category). I thought some of you might be interested.
Maxspa

[Donnie]

Looks like it's already degraded into another pissing match, Maxspa. This is why I stay close to home. Cage-rattling is pretty much non-existant over here. And when it is done, it's pretty much in good fun and humor. Anybody here use HSH, just outta curiousity? Or better yet, does anyone compliment HTR with another program....and if so, what? I, personally, am 100% HTR. No track program, no DRF, nothing.

And Ken, as per the PA board, sounds like we should be getting email addresses over here...what gives?? :D (just what I need...another spam holder!!)

[AwolAtHTR]

hi Maxspa,


aaah, my thepathy is not working.

Would you post the LINK to the '..interesting...' discussion

Awol

[Maxspa]

Awol,
The link is www.paceadvantage.com -handicappingsoftware!
Maxspa

[Rick]

http://www.paceadvantage.com/forum/

[Maxspa]

Donnie,
You are right, there are some controversial characters that post over there! Sometimes others view you differently than you really are and perhaps that is the case. For example I thought someone would mention the Tournament success that HTR players have had in the past. It had received some D.R.F. publicity a while back.
Maxspa

[Donnie]

I think they have some very sharp players over there. But I, personally, do not like a discussion thread that deteriorates to backbiting and name calling and is counter-productive to the genuine intent of the thread-starter. But I guess for some people, that's entertainment. I started reading the thread but pretty much gave up on it before the end of the first page. Went out to read the HTR monthly newsletter instead. Interesting false favorite spotter with HTR/K-1 discussion.

I was gonna post about the seminar and was gonna invite anybody interested to attend, but that train of thought was lost long before I ever even thought about hitting the second page button.

Don't get me wrong I am not slamming the board at all. And I am not slamming the posters. I enjoy going over there once in a while. Like I stated above, they have some very sharp people over there. And I know a lot of them lurk here. But when they go on and on and on about this guy or that guy ...........................back and forth...................................zzzzzzzzzz z!

(I was hoping to read a true comparison of the two programs)

[km]

Donnie - i want to frame that post - thank you very much

There is very little feeling of competition between the various vendors on HDW and personal animosity is non-existant. I have referred many people to HSH and lots of my customers have tried them before. At least once a month i refer to someone to the Cramer RS-POS report and Ed Bain's trainer PDF and they have done the same for me. I have utmost respect for Dave Schwartz, Bob Purdy and Gordon Pine and have reccomended that people call them to get information when I felt HTR was obviously not their 'cup of tea'.

Each of the software vendors on HDW has a little different perspective and unique tools to offer and they are all very good. It is in our best interest to keep our customers downloading with HDW as we all have a considerable stake in that success together.

As far as the PA board - it has been huge benefit to HTR and any publicity seems to be good publicity. It has definitely been a boost to my business, and Mike, the guy who runs it, will get nothing but praise from me. Last year our HTR contest team finished dead last in the PA board competition (they won it the year before). Glen wanted to apologize to me but I told him that because of the exposure we had signed up several new users and the whole event was actually a windfall for HTR.

All we can do is work hard and try our best to produce a good product and offer excellent customer service. Some people will try to tear you down no matter what.

[MVMcKee]

Darn, from the title of the thread (HTR vs HST) I thought this was about how HTR does at Hastings Park.
I discovered HTR via the PA board, and still peruse both BBS'.
Both great reads, but the PA board does have a tendancy to lose track of the original thread occasionally.

[Donnie]

So McKee...how DID the weekend at the track with your boy go?

[MikeDee]

I lurk at PA, but I stopped posting there some time ago. I don't need the aggravation.

Posting on a BB is a lot like driving your car. Why is it that people who would normally be friendly and courteous to your face have no trouble giving you the bird, if your driving doesn't meet their expectations?

Seems to me that some people over there write their post’s like they drive their car.

I think that it really helps that so many of us have met face to face under such enjoyable circumstances.

[Huguenot]

I'm an active poster over there (except for the notorious "off topic" section) and agree with everyone. I tend to avoid getting involved when the flamers are out as they seem to be recently. Lots of times you get new posters who just want to make trouble or boast about their skills.
I do wish the discussion on this board was a little more active. Seems it's been lighter than ever recently, but I guess that's because we're all too busy researching and handicapping. I've kept a lot of the posts from past few years and refer back to them from time to time. Even if I don't change my style of play after reading them they do make me think in new directions.


:D

[Maxspa]

All,
After sifting through the various comments, this post by Zimal 1, in my opinion has merit. I don't agree with every statement but overall his review is meaningful.

"Back to the original question . HSH has a greater learning curve than HTR. But for queries, and a database approach HSH has a query mechanism built in--a huge project and incredible time saver. HTR requires knowledge of MS Access, but a Tester in the program is gradually growing and allowing more and more sophisticated queries which can lead to spot plays. the support for both programs is excellent, and both Dave and Ken are top notch people.
Both programs have features that allow one to look at other than the more usual pace/speed ratings--for example, HTR has its own proprietary workout rating. HSH allows quick breakdown of performance by odds, etc. Both use data from HDW and build on that.
Cost is a matte of bankroll, how often you play and taste. When I can afford it, I like a good restaurant."
Zim

Maxspa

[MVMcKee]

Donnie,

I know this is off-topic, but here is the blow-by-blow of my son's initial trip to the races (as a player).

Well, the trip to Emerald and the maiden voyage into a racetrack provided my 18 year old with a very serious lesson in money management.
I chose Saturday June 26 as the day (instead of the original planned Sunday the 27th) because I had 5 extremely solid plays for that day (as opposed to Sunday when I only had 2).
We had Mariner's tickets (we called them Padre's tickets, but that’s another story) for Saturday night. Anyway, the game didn't start until 7:00 pm, so I figured we'd just leave early and do EmDowns and the Mariner's in the same day.
So on Saturday I had 5 very solid plays, in races 5,6,8,9 and 10.
My son had $100, and on the way up I explained to him some of the basics of money management, the primary point of which was "it's OK to play a little on the races you don't have a strong opinion on, but make sure you bet more on the races you feel strongly about". I certainly didn't expect him to sit out his first "legal" race, but apart from the basic advice I left him to his own devices/strategy. Anyway, I am sure most of you have a vague idea of what happened (3 of the 5 "strong" plays we were there to bet won, but remember, they were late in the card.
Here is a race-by-race recap of his bets, and what I am guessing was his rationale:

Race 1: "This isn't one of dad's strong plays, and I only have $100. There are 10 races, and dad said to only bet a little and save for the good races, so I'll just bet $10 (100/10)"

Bet:$10 win #1 at 4.0-1
Result: 3rd
Bankroll:$90

Race 2: " Hmm, dad says the 7 looks really hard to beat, but that the odds are way too low to bet, but the 2 has never run before and has good parents. I think I'll sneak in another small $10 bet while he's at the beer stand"

Bet:$10 win #2 at 3.7-1
Result: 3rd
Bankroll:$80

Race 3: "Dad doesn't like this race either, and he's back at the beer stand. Why didn't we just show up later? Well, he said that the 4 sucks the least of all the horses, but that he doesn't think the horse wants to win. I don't think a horse is smart enough to know what winning means. I better stick with that $10"

Bet:$10 win # 4 at 2.5-1
Result: 2nd
Bankroll:$70

Race 4: "Another trip to the beer stand and dad says he's glad he handicapped the late races before we left Portland and that the hotel is only a mile away. I know he said he likes races 5,6,8,9 and 10, I just wish he'd told me which horses in case he passes out before then. Well, said he was gonna take a stab with the 7, hope he was talking about the horse and not his 7th beer."

Bet:$10 win #7 at 11.8-1
Result: 7th
Bankroll:$60

Race 5: “OK, this is the first big race. Dad says that this is the second best play of the day but that the odds are kinda bad. He also said to make sure I kept money because the 1st 4 may lose and the 5th one would win, and I need to make sure I still have money to bet on it. I said that all 5 could lose too. He said it doesn’t matter then, does it. Neither Todd or I understood what that meant, he’s getting cut off. Damn, I can only bet $12 on this one if I want to bet the other 4.”

Bet: $12 win #4 at 3.4-1
Result: 1st
Bankroll: $102.80

Race 6: “Crap, why am I only a couple of bucks ahead? OK, dad likes this race and the horse id 10-1, I have $100 and only 4 races to go, I’ll bet $25.”

Bet: $25 win #7 at 8.0-1
Result: 4th
Bankroll: $77.80

Race 7: “Damn, that sucked. Dad and Todd are at the beer stand again, but they bet a trifecta before they staggered over there. Dad said the only things he knew about this race was that the 2 would not win and the 5 would run 2nd or 3rd. I think I’ll bet the 5 to place and show.”

Bet: $10 Place/Show #5 at 5.6-1
Result:5th
Bankroll: $57.80

Race 8: “We should have gone to EMP and seen the Hendrix stuff. OK, dad says this is the best bet of the day. I’ve got almost $60 left and 3 races. Dad says the only way the 5 can lose this race is if the 6 or 7 fall down at the start. I have no idea what that means, but if him or Todd have another beer they are going to be the ones falling down.”

Bet: $20 Win #5 at 5.1-1
Result: 1st
Bankroll: $159.80

Race 9: “Sweet, I wish I was 21, or that we were in Alberta. Ok, dad likes the 9 in this race, but that it is not as sure a bet as the last race. I better stick with the $20.”

Bet: $20 Win #9 at 6.7-1
Result: 1st
Bankroll: $293.80

Race 10: The inevitable “How long has this game been around?” mind cramp.
“I think I would like to bet $100 on a race.” Welcome to the real world son.

Bet: $100 Win #3 at 3.2-1
Result: 6th
Bankroll: $193.80

All in all, it was a fun day, and bore a striking resemblance to my early wagering habits (or lack thereof). He actually impressed me with the way he took notes on a couple of races and actually wrote down his bets and kept a running balance and counted it against the money in his wallet. He said he bet $100 in the last race just so he could show his friends the ticket. No idea what he would have done if it had won.
I’m feeling like a proud papa, although the 7 Foster’s we consumed at the track disqualify me from any parent of the year awards.

[Donnie]

GREAT story Mc!! Thanks for taking the time to share it!! Has the kid asked for a return visit yet?

[km]

A follow up on the PA board publicity =

Signed up two new customer in the last few days that told me they read about HTR for the first time on that PA board thread. Thanks to those of you that posted and wrote informatively about HTR - appreciate it the exposure and links to our site here.

[hurrikane]

just an aside...I ran into Glen on the PA board and he turned me on to HTR and a lot of other things, That was...not sure...3 yrs?. Since then have run into a lot of other great people with HTR. Look forward to seeing you again sometime Tex! :D