Perfecting the Craft

Being successful is always a work in progress. Below are listed some ways in which you can improve your horse betting skills.

• The best way to improve and keep yourself honest about your handicapping skills is to keep detailed records. This is where your improvements will come from, since you will have a clear and precise record of all of your mistakes, and all of your triumphs. By studying your past wagers, you can improve future ones by using your strengths and avoiding your weaknesses.
• Another exercise is to perfect your betting strategy. Author Steven Crist writes that how you bet is just as important as whom you bet. The “King of the Pick 6,” Crist argues that straight exacta boxes are not efficient since they weigh each outcome the same. Rather you should wager more or less depending on the odds of the outcome. This is along the same general principal as the Kelly Criterion. If something has a more probable outcome, you should wager more on it. This way you are not making a bet and then hoping for the least possible outcome because all of your outcomes will pay roughly the same.
• Look for carryovers. Some of the biggest payouts in pick 6 races oftentimes do not have a winner on a given day, so the track officials roll the winnings over to the next day. Although the Pick 6 is a difficult bet, carryovers make it a much more attractive option because of the inflated payouts.
• Learn to create a line yourself. The morning line is usually fairly accurate, but the better you get at creating your own line for a race card, the more profitable you will be. This involves a lot of practice and a lot of study, but it is worth it if you want to be successful. Handicapping truly is an intellectual task, the more you analyze, the better you will get. This is studied in great detail in one of our college courses.
• You should go to the track as often as possible. Watching the simulcasts is fine for a casual bettor, but you are at a distinct advantage if you go to the track. There is just more information that you can get from being there live and in person than you can get from watching the race on television. Simulcasts can be useful if you don’t live near a track, but if you do, take full advantage of the opportunity.

I hope you enjoyed Horse Racing Hottie’s School. The thirteen lessons taught here are meant to help you prepare to take your race analysis to the next level. If you found this useful, you will definitely find our college level courses even more so. While there is no exact system that predicts outcomes, these classes will help you to determine which factors do contribute to a winning horseplayer and how to act upon those factors in the best way possible.