Pick 4 Budgets

I'm curious to see what pick 4 players spend on the pick 4. What's your budget? I used to only spend up to 100 but I've increased it to around 150 and I've been hitting allot more of them. I play mainly Hollywood but also the major tracks around the country. I wonder what the average payoff for the pick 4 at Hollywood is. That might be a good indicator of how much you would want to spend on the pick 4. Of course the size and competitiveness of the fields has allot to do with how much I spend. If it looks like it will pay good I'll spend a little more. If it looks a little chalky I may play a cheap ticket a few times.

What's your stratagy?

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

playa if i smell chalk wins i tend to scale back...if you track some meets the fall church for instance where the payout average 6000..thats when i get invoved up to 150..or if i see a false fav i know is gonna get pounded and lose...ie artieshiller..i go bigger or at least multipe tix the same..

"if i see a false fav i know is gonna get pounded and lose...ie artieshiller.."

Hooves, that's a great strategy and one I loook for allot. Great example with Artie. He seems to always run 2nd at 4-5.

Just curious, what is your main play at the track? Win, Exacta, Tri, Super, Pk3 and 4's?

When I first started I played everything but I quickly learned that youneed to budget your money if your going to win. I mainly play pick 3's and pick 4's and a win bet if I really like a horse.

Good luck today!

[randallscott35]

If I like it enough I'll pay a Pick 4 for 300. Rather include more than less.

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

sorry i cant answer that , its depends on the card and the play..i like all of them but i tend to do more ex box and p-3 and win place..if i have a watch horse going and like him at ata price ill just win plce him..if i like him alot ill try to take the race out..win plc ect tri super key in pick 3s....no what i mean..

[Thunder Gulch]

I usually try to single one race and play three slots on the others, so $81 would be typical...of course, it varies greatly from $40 up to $200. Anything over that, and I'm looking for other ways to get in a race other than P-4

[ArlJim78]

I size up the races first and try to read what the fields are telling me. How deep do I have to go? If it looks like there is no place to narrow and you have to go 4-5 wide each race, I look for a different PK4.

I also look for races where I have an opinion or an angle that I like to use or a price play that I think is live. I'm basically looking for somewhere that I feel confident. If I can find that then this is where I will make an anchor and build out from there. If the fields aren't very deep and the chalks look unavoidable in at least a couple of the races, I might press those numbers a little if I like them.

Here is why the Pick 4 is my favorite play. I hit last Fridays late pick 4 at Hollywood for 2500 x 2. I played a 72 dollar ticket and a 24 dollar ticket and hit them both. The odds of the horses were not that great except for one race. It was 5/2, 9-1,5/2, 5-1. Anyone else hit this one. I thought it might pay 1000 but 2500!

Anyway, thanks for everyone's input.

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by pk4playa

Here is why the Pick 4 is my favorite play. I hit last Fridays late pick 4 at Hollywood for 2500 x 2. I played a 72 dollar ticket and a 24 dollar ticket and hit them both. The odds of the horses were not that great except for one race. It was 5/2, 9-1,5/2, 5-1. Anyone else hit this one. I thought it might pay 1000 but 2500!

Anyway, thanks for everyone's input.

I didn't play that one but I know from experience how well you can be rewarded even for just avoiding the favorite in a couple of the races. That's why I love the PK4. Many people won't go past 3-4 deep on any race, so if you can catch one of those, the reward is handsome.

Originally Posted by pk4playa

Here is why the Pick 4 is my favorite play. I hit last Fridays late pick 4 at Hollywood for 2500 x 2. I played a 72 dollar ticket and a 24 dollar ticket and hit them both. The odds of the horses were not that great except for one race. It was 5/2, 9-1,5/2, 5-1. Anyone else hit this one. I thought it might pay 1000 but 2500!

Anyway, thanks for everyone's input.

You should set your budget based on the risk v reward factor. I have no problem betting $200 on a pick 4 at any track. But if you find two singles, heck single them and go all and all. Construction of the ticket is much more important that the budget. For example, if I like 6 horses in a 9 horse field, I will select ALL. Why take a risk on one of the 3 I dont like coming in. Construction of ticket outweighs the budget.

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by eurobounce

You should set your budget based on the risk v reward factor. I have no problem betting $200 on a pick 4 at any track. But if you find two singles, heck single them and go all and all. Construction of the ticket is much more important that the budget. For example, if I like 6 horses in a 9 horse field, I will select ALL. Why take a risk on one of the 3 I dont like coming in. Construction of ticket outweighs the budget.

VERY VERY TRUE!

Originally Posted by eurobounce

You should set your budget based on the risk v reward factor. I have no problem betting $200 on a pick 4 at any track. But if you find two singles, heck single them and go all and all. Construction of the ticket is much more important that the budget. For example, if I like 6 horses in a 9 horse field, I will select ALL. Why take a risk on one of the 3 I dont like coming in. Construction of ticket outweighs the budget.

Great point!!

[Gander]

I have a friend who is so good he bets $100 straight pick 4's. There are days where he only has 3 singles out of 4, and wants to use 2 horses in one race, so he has to spend $200. I've seen this guy hit a pick 4 that paid $165 having $200 straight on it. His name is Ted. We call him Teddy K Shagbark after an old harness horse.

[Suffolk Shippers]

I range anywhere from $40-$200, usually. If I really like it, I can go to $400.
Someone said they spend a hundred or few hundred on the Hollywood pick 4's and I gotta say, thats nuts, they rarely pay. Better of using that money elsewhere.

If you are gonna do a Hollywood pick 4, pay a small ticket, like $16 and maybe punch it a few times, hope you get a little above the chalk.

Originally Posted by Suffolk Shippers

I range anywhere from $40-$200, usually. If I really like it, I can go to $400.
Someone said they spend a hundred or few hundred on the Hollywood pick 4's and I gotta say, thats nuts, they rarely pay. Better of using that money elsewhere.

If you are gonna do a Hollywood pick 4, pay a small ticket, like $16 and maybe punch it a few times, hope you get a little above the chalk.

I've been playing Hollywood since they started simalcasting. I know the track jockeys and trainers so I feel the most comfortable their. In the last month I've hit for 2500, 1100, 890, 500+ twice. Yeah, sometimes they do pay small but you can usually tell when that will be so I play a smaller ticket and hit it a couple of times.

[packerbacker7964]

I know I'll get slammed on this one but here goes ya'll. Gander I'm calling bull**** on the $100 straight pick 4's.

[ateamstupid]

I usually try to keep each ticket at $50 or lower...I think playing anything (other than a Pick 6) for more than $50-$100 is pretty dumb, but that could be because I'm not rich.

[Pointg5]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

I usually try to keep each ticket at $50 or lower...I think playing anything (other than a Pick 6) for more than $50-$100 is pretty dumb, but that could be because I'm not rich.

Ateam,

I am not rich by any means, but the older I get, the more bet, it boggles my mind what I bet now and it's probably nothing compared to what some of these guys bet.

As for budgeting Pik 4's, we usually play the guaranteed pools and go deep. My buddy and I hit the Pik 4's leading up to the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont. We basically bought them, our Derby Pik4 cost $268 for a $1, Preakness was $236 for $1, and Belmont was $368 for $1, we got back a total of $2503 with a total investment of $872 giving us a profit of $1603. That's probably not the wisest bet, but we knew it was a guaranteed pool and there would be alot of money, so we played it.

I just started reading Steve Crist's book and he gives some ways to construct Pik4's, we have been playing them entirely wrong, we should have had a $2 ticket on the Derby and Preakness, not the Belmont. I would reccommend the book to someone learning like myself.

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

I usually try to keep each ticket at $50 or lower...I think playing anything (other than a Pick 6) for more than $50-$100 is pretty dumb, but that could be because I'm not rich.

I disagree. If you only spend 50 your not going to hit it too often. When you do it's probably not going to pay that much. Now with that said I hit a 1100 dollar pick 4 a few weeks ago with a 40 dollar ticket but I loved my single and he came through then I had a 11-1 maiden winner in the last leg that boosted up the prices. You really have to pick you spots. If I don't like the series of 4 races I will not play.

As for the pick 6 I hardley ever spend over 50 on it unless I'm going in with some friends. With the 2 dollar bet the ticket adds up quick. That's why I like the pick 4. You can get a ton of coverage if you can find a leg to single or double. Now, because I don't spend allot on the pick 6 I've only hit it once and that was last year with a 24 dollar ticket. It netted 6G's. I've been close a few other times. I actually changed my ticket once and I would of had it if I stood pat. And it would of paid 40G's!! Oh well. Never second guess yourself!!