General question: What else do you wager on?

[joeydb]

Horse racing is my favorite. It requires preparation though since I like to handicap like many of you do.

If I'm in a casino and have not prepared to do the races, I'll play Texas Hold 'Em in the poker room, or shoot craps. Slot machines bore me to tears.

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by richard burch

what else do you wager on besides horse racing?
(poker, roulette, craps, slots, etc...)

and is horse racing your first choice when wagering?

what draws your individual interest to horse racing?

Last year I spent time on video poker, blackjack, horseracing, and sports, in that order. My focus depends on what kind of edge I think I have. But I have an interest in horseracing whether I'm betting on it or not.

--Dunbar

[Thunder Gulch]

Football, basketball, baseball, hockey, occasional soccer, canadian football, arena football, horse racing, dog racing, fishing tournaments, golf, craps, blackjack, and a poker game here and there....then there's my day job as a real estate developer.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

I bet on the spelling bee once.

I was giving kids like the one in MaTH's avatar the horns as they appeared on TV... and shouting obscenities hoping they would foul up words I can't even spell. It was pretty sad actually.

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

I bet on the spelling bee once.

I was giving kids like the one in MaTH's avatar the horns as they appeared on TV... and shouting obscenities hoping they would foul up words I can't even spell. It was pretty sad actually.

Thats good to know. If either of them ever make it in I will have you over. It will be good practice for the real thing!
Do you do school plays? The kid up the block who we don't like is in one this week. It is a non betting entity but I would make it worth your while.

Sad, but very very funny.

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by MaTH716

What's a matter a guy can't like cocks?


But to answer your question,
Poker, Craps, Blackjack, Jai-Alai (absolutley love it)

There's an interesting book on betting Jai-Alai. "Jai Alai Wagering To Win", by Don Lostritto (1985). He calculates the inherent bias that the play format imposes on certain exacta combinations. (Even if each player has a 50% chance of winning every point, some exactas are far more likely than other exactas.) If you bet Jai Alai, I'm sure you already know that; but you may not know the degree of the effect. For example, if everyone is of equal skill (and no one is cheating), then it's 10 times more likely there will be a 3-1 exacta than a 6-8 exacta.

--Dunbar

[declansharbor]

Originally Posted by richard burch

what else do you wager on besides horse racing?
(poker, roulette, craps, slots, etc...) Poker and pai gow

and is horse racing your first choice when wagering? No

what draws your individual interest to horse racing? Same as Coach

does Hialeah Park still exist or was it demolished?

thanks to all who may answer.

..

[philcski]

Originally Posted by richard burch

what else do you wager on besides horse racing?
(poker, roulette, craps, slots, etc...)

and is horse racing your first choice when wagering? yes

what draws your individual interest to horse racing? i like horses and i like gambling
does Hialeah Park still exist or was it demolished? yes

thanks to all who may answer.

...

[GBBob]

Originally Posted by richard burch

what else do you wager on besides horse racing?
(poker, roulette, craps, slots, etc...) Blackjack and NFL

and is horse racing your first choice when wagering? Yes

what draws your individual interest to horse racing? The and the sport itself

does Hialeah Park still exist or was it demolished?

thanks to all who may answer.

..

[robfla]

Originally Posted by Dunbar

There's an interesting book on betting Jai-Alai. "Jai Alai Wagering To Win", by Don Lostritto (1985). He calculates the inherent bias that the play format imposes on certain exacta combinations. (Even if each player has a 50% chance of winning every point, some exactas are far more likely than other exactas.) If you bet Jai Alai, I'm sure you already know that; but you may not know the degree of the effect. For example, if everyone is of equal skill (and no one is cheating), then it's 10 times more likely there will be a 3-1 exacta than a 6-8 exacta.

--Dunbar

I used to have a sheet of like 100+ trifecta combos to play EACH game. ( the tellers hated me ) The numbers would hit like 75% of the time and pay 150-250. This was years ago when there was actually money in Jai Alai pools. The numbers NOT on there were like 8-7-6, 8-7-1, and other numbers that based on the rotation rarely came in, but when they did, usually due to a playoff or extremely long or short game, the tri's would pay 700+. There were quite a few people playing "the numbers".

Used to be a fun sport to watch and bet back in the early 80's

[robfla]

Originally Posted by richard burch

what else do you wager on besides horse racing?
(poker, roulette, craps, slots, etc...)

life, poker, sports, horses, blackjack

and is horse racing your first choice when wagering?

the takeout is too high to be. Its a tough game to beat, but the most exciting one

what draws your individual interest to horse racing?

challenge, action

does Hialeah Park still exist or was it demolished?

still exists, don't expect any horse racing there as long as Brunetti is around

thanks to all who may answer.

..

[magic_idol]

Dishlickers allways no 3,Ants walking towards a crack,Female Breasts weather they are fake or not,Rugby usually for beer.
Also had a bet on weather Mr kennedy would beat the undertaker.

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by robfla

I used to have a sheet of like 100+ trifecta combos to play EACH game. ( the tellers hated me ) The numbers would hit like 75% of the time and pay 150-250. This was years ago when there was actually money in Jai Alai pools. The numbers NOT on there were like 8-7-6, 8-7-1, and other numbers that based on the rotation rarely came in, but when they did, usually due to a playoff or extremely long or short game, the tri's would pay 700+. There were quite a few people playing "the numbers".

Used to be a fun sport to watch and bet back in the early 80's

The book I mentioned has tri prob's, too. The most likely tri's (under the assumption of each player having an equal chance to win every point) are 142 and 241 at 0.94% probability. Next is 152 and 251 at 0.84%. And 413 and 423 at 0.81%.

The least likely tri's are 487, 567, 578, 678, and 687 which all have less than 0.005% chance of coming in. (they are listed as 0.00% in the book.)

As you realized back then, there's a humongous built-in difference in each tri's likelihood. The likely tri's were 100-200 times more likely to come in than the least likely tri's (under the same assumptions) A lot of players just played their favorite numbers, and in most cases I think it had little to do with the built in bias.

--Dunbar

caveat: Even though the approach is clearly correct, I've never checked the fig's in the book. It wouldn't be hard to check them, though.

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by richard burch

what else do you wager on besides horse racing?
(poker, roulette, craps, slots, etc...)

and is horse racing your first choice when wagering?

I only bet on the horses.

No football, casinos, etc.

Don't follow any other sport and don't follow other horsie stuff (dressage, etc).

Racing, period.

[herkhorse]

I had a friend once (RIP), who used to take mexican jumping beans (the real ones) into the bar with him and bet on which one would make it outside the circle first. Before he went, he would always take out the liveliest ones for himself. He made quite a bit of money. You'd be surprized how many people are willing to gamble on jumping beans. He was the finest jumping bean trainer I ever knew.

[westcoastinvader]

Originally Posted by richard burch

what else do you wager on besides horse racing?
(poker, roulette, craps, slots, etc...)

and is horse racing your first choice when wagering?

what draws your individual interest to horse racing?

does Hialeah Park still exist or was it demolished?

thanks to all who may answer.

First choice when wagering? Good question. I love thoroughbred racing and undoubtedly get the greatest enjoyment and escapism by watching the races and betting some $$. For me, a great thing about betting on racing is that I can enjoy it with a $10 bet, or a $300 bet. And I probably enjoy it to almost a similar level with no bet, if I'm at a live track.

But first choice for wagering to make $$ would be blackjack. I'm only a three to four hour drive from Tahoe or Reno so do get to play several times a year. I don't play the Tribal casinos. I know things have changed, but in prior years blackjack rules were different in many of those casinos. Fewer double downs, etc.

Things have changed with the years, but a few years ago when dog racing was very well attended in Florida.....and I lived there.....I won a very high % of the time. Now with smaller pools and a changed game, the opportunity is different.

I went to my first thoroughbred race track as an infant, and truly have never had a day at a race track I didn't enjoy.....even if I walked out as a loser.

I used to attend Northfield when I lived in Ohio, and attended Pompano in Florida. These days, no way do I bet horses pulling a sulky.

The only time these days I play pro sports is around the Super Bowl when I'll toss some "BS" bets on several angles just to make the game interesting. Other than that, betting on pro sports just isn't fun for me. I learned years ago that I enjoy a game far more when I can just watch as a fan as opposed.....for example...... to watching some NBA team commit a bunch of last minute fouls that make or break a point spread in a game where the winner has essentially already been decided.

I consider myself extraordinarily fortunate to have been a regular attendee at the Hialeah meets of the late 1970's and early 1980's. The nostalgia and reputation was very much in place, and the racing and crowds were still great....and the track an absolute marvel.

[SilverRP]

Horse racing is by far my favorite. Will play hold em every now and then, but damn it gets boring. Never liked the slots. Never understood how people can sit and push buttons for hours. No thinking, no fun..

Used to bet on football till I found out I had just as good a shot by flipping a coin then actually trying to study a particular game.

The whole "horse racing" experience whether at the track or watching on tv is second to none.

Oh, and probably the thing I love about horse racing the most is that it's not a game for the lazy. You prepare yourself and work at the capping and most of the time you are rewarded. You slack off and bet numbers, and you won't be around long.

[mclem0822]

Played slots, I don't play them enough to say they are boring. It's a fun thing when I go visit my sister, we go to Charles Town racing and slots. Other than a small weekly football pool at work (which I created and run), Horses and a bit of harness are first with me.