A Day at the Horse Races

For many years now horse racing, and gambling in general, has been thought of as corrupt pastime only followed by gaming addicts and low-life degenerates. It's been that sort of perception that has closed a number of tracks across the US as attendance has slowly dwindled to a point where they simply cannot operate anymore. But the sport is beginning to gain some ground again, thanks in large part to tracks that have added casinos, slot machines, live concerts and other nice incentives to the customers that pass through their gates. There has been an ongoing effort to clean up the sport and it has been successful in as much that a lot more people are being introduced to racing now than ever before.

I have played the ponies and attended the track for as long as I can remember and it's always been a fun experience for me and it can be for you too if you just know a few of the basics to get you started. A good idea to start off with is to determine before you start how much you are prepared, or can afford to lose. I've been playing for years and set my limit at $50. When that is gone, I'm done and I always stick to that. It can be very easy to get sucked in and lose a bunch.

Pick up a Daily Racing Form (this is a newspaper that tells you all the horses that are running at each track, with odds and previous race info etc.) which you can get at the track. Now when you open this up it's going to look like it's written in some kind of foreign language that seems to be algebra based but it also has a page where some of the top handicappers across the country share their selections for each race with a consensus winner for each. If you are starting out and know nothing about reading the form then you can use that to pick your horses. You can usually always find a tips sheet for sale at the track and it's normally only a dollar or two for that. Compare those selections to the ones in the DRF and you should be set. If you really enjoy your time at the track and think that it may be something you want to do more often then there are literally thousands of books available which will teach you, relatively quickly, how to read the form.

Now let's look at some of the bets available to you. A win bet is just how it sounds. The horse you select has to win the race and you get paid depending on the odds. So for example if you bet $2 on a horse that is 3-1, you'll get 3 times your original wager plus your $2 stake returned for a total of $8....very simple. Next is a place bet. With this one the horse you choose can finish 1st or 2nd and you'll get money back but at a fraction of the odds. The show bet means that your horse can finish in the top 3 and you'll get money back but again at a reduced fraction of the odds.
Next up are what the racing folk call the exotics starting off with the exacta bet which requires you to pick the correct finishing order of the first 2 horses, the trifecta which is predicting the correct order of finish of the top 3 and the superfecta in which you have to predict the top 4. There are numerous permutations of these bets where you can factor in any number of horses but it all gets a little complicated and, more importantly, very expensive. It's best to just stick to the basic bets and leave those alone until you know more about the sport.
Also included in the exotics are groups or races where you have to predict the winner in a set number of consecutive races (Daily Double, Pick-3, Pick-4, and Pick-6 being the most common). These are real fun to play and you can do them all for $1 each. The payoffs are generally very large because they are so difficult to hit. A fun thing to do if there are a group of you together is to pool your money together and play different permutations of your horses. It's a little bit like buying a lottery ticket and waiting for your numbers to be called.

When you go to place your bet be sure to do so with plenty of time before the race you are wagering on and know exactly what you are betting. Nothing will upset the regulars more that someone standing at the teller window hemming and hawing and changing their mind with 1 minute to race time. Be prepared for some nasty verbal abuse if you do that. If you are not sure how to bet, talk to one of the tellers and they will be more than happy to explain it to you, again just make sure that you aren't holding anyone up. The best time to do it is right after a race as the lines are usually at their shortest at that time. Other than that, have fun and yell as loud as you can for your horse and jockey. I promise you won't be alone in that. Good luck and I hope you all decide to check out the sport and cash a few winning tickets along the way.