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View Full Version : Are we Investors, Gamblers, or Kids Playing Games?


clickety
3rd May 2005, 03:53.36 AM
Hope nobody minds if I try to take the pulse of the group on this point.

Probably everyone is aware that you can't get any good prices at the CA tracks these days. From what I see, and I review this a great deal, the payoffs at CA tracks are pitifilly small, leaving very little cushion to absorb mistakes or losses. AQU/BEL is a little better, but not much better, and mostly pitifully small as well.

Returns can be increased by simply making higher bets, I suppose... but when payoffs are small a series of losses can be difficult to recover from, whether you've bet $2 or $200, since the winnings have to also recover the losses. If they don't, we're wasting our time. NOBODY can win 100% of his wagers.

And I cannot understand why anyone in his right mind would play Gulfstream at all. Just bring up the GP charts in HTR, scan thru a bunch, and what you'll see is nearly 100% large fields, extreme uncertainty and risk, backed up by no money. In most of those races I see no relationship at all between the data and the outcome of the race: it's an Unpredictable Random Event. Ken has a good discussion of this in the April newsletter, where users have sent in "systems," but upon analysis it's no different than "random" would produce. This is also known as "spinning the wheels." Or, "Paper, paper everywhere and not a buck was made."

CD is just getting started, but it's already looking like another GP: small payoffs. So why invest there when the pickings are so much better at other tracks, such as HAW? AP should be fairly good as well. With the marvelous improvements in simulcasting and the internet only in the past 3 years, there is no need to be locked into tracks that don't pay much. For those in restricted states with too much hassles, there is Pinnacle. And with the trends towards much longer meets, HTR has the chance of much better analysis and results, except for tracks with "no money."

TUP has gone downhill in terms of small payoffs as well. I have archived results and charts on this computer going back to 1998, and earlier on disks; and seven years ago there were all sorts of boxcar exactas, etc. but not today. As to KEE, meet just ended again... the problem with this place is by the time the handicappers figure out what's going on and what's working, the meet is over!

I am an investor, not a gambler or kid playing games. And I'll say right off that we investors are rather horrible people; all we look at is numbers, stats and financial reports; and the horses are all just numbers in the computer these days. I haven't watched a horse race since last year's Derby.

Thus, why are we here and what are we doing? The only thing I'm interested in is PROFITS. If these are not to be had, and in substantial amounts, there are other things I can do with my time, or if all else fails, put on a good movie.

Comments, anyone?

c.

hurrikane
3rd May 2005, 06:10.17 AM
Hey Click.

I don't mind your questions. You will likely not like my response.

I disagree with just about everything you have said.
First let me say that I am likely all 3. On a daily basis I am an investor. It is all about the dollars and I just post the bets and a lot of time I don't even look at the results until the next day.

When I 'go live' and I am at the track or sitting playing I am likely a gambler and usually play all exotics, a few long prices to win.

Kids playing games. If you're not having fun...quit.

On your statements. My records show that SA, BM, KEE, TUP and GP are the some of the most profitable tracks for me this year. I absolutely loved GP and had many signers there this year. I was sad to see it go.

At the Orleans the key to the tourney were the races at SA at the end of the day. A lot of long prices.

You say why would anyone bet these tracks. have you bet them . What do you records show? Is it just your opinion looking at the result charts that these are not good tracks? I guess the bottom line is if you look at every race you may be correct. But if you take 2 races from SA, 2 from BM, 2 from GP 2 from KEE and 2 from TUP you have a full card. I'm sure you can find 2 races a day you could play at these tracks. i am having no problem finding them.

Good luck

fred4now
3rd May 2005, 10:06.09 AM
I too look at this as investing, but if it wasn't a little fun there are a lot of other easier ways to make money. I usually just put my bets in in the morning and don't check back until later in the day, but if I happen to catch a race on the web or TV it is fun to watch. Haven't been to a live race in about 2 years. I really do look at all the factors in HTR as just numbers, put them in the right combination and you get profits. I think the real reason I do this though is the satisfaction I get from beating a game that most can't. Probably feeds my ego.

MikeDee
3rd May 2005, 07:14.32 PM
I think a trip to the dicitionary is in order here.

from Britannica on line

Investment
Process of exchanging income for an asset that is expected to produce earnings at a later time. Investment may be influenced by rates of interest, with the rate of investment rising as interest rates fall, but other factors more difficult to measure may also be important—for example, the business community's expectations about future demand and profit, technical changes in production methods, and expected relative costs of labour and capital.

Gambling
Betting or staking of something of value on the outcome of a game or event.

Commonly associated with gambling are horse racing, boxing, numerous playing-card and dice games, cockfighting, jai alai, recreational billiards and darts, bingo, and lottery. In most gambling games it is customary to express the idea of probability in terms of “odds against winning".

You can call what we do investing if it makes you feel better but it's still gambling pure and simple.

I agree with you click that we are seeing more races with short fields and low payouts all over the country, but I don't play at just one track or the other.

I lookfor a race that meets my requirements, when I find it I will wager in it. I think that is a big benefit of HTR, it really helps me zero in on the just the races I want to play regardless of the track. And, the internet makes it easy to watch and wager in the races I want.

Am I interested in profits? You bet I am. But it is more then that. I enjoy the challenge of trying to beat the crowd in a very tough game.

tomcat
4th May 2005, 08:01.35 AM
Whatever you call it, it is still trying to predict the future.....the unknown.
So, if you call it investing and that makes you feel better, that's what you should call it.
Some days it is investing because the outcome justified our numbers, some days it is called gambling because the outcome doesn't make any sense.

Hurricane is correct, we should all call it FUN!