Horse Racing AKA And They're Off!

MarcusNoble

Something I'm curious about, is anyone else in the forum into horse racing. Also, if you are, what tracks do you like to watch or bet on?

I usually go to the track local to me Laurel Park and bet on live races there, and simulcast races fed from New York race tracks (Saratoga, Belmont, or Aqueduct). I do make some pretty good picks based on what I read of past performances in the Daily Racing Form and their recommendations as well. I find that even on my worst days, I end up breaking even.

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Gambling's a stupid waste of time and money. As for just watching horses race, eh, I'd rather ride a horse myself again.

MrRoboto

Gambling's a stupid waste of time and money. As for just watching horses race, eh, I'd rather ride a horse myself again.

You'd be surprised at how many people make a really good living out of gambling.

Andrew

Every time you go gambling, set aside the amount of money you are willing to play with and say "I'm guaranteed to loose this". View it as a payment for entertainment instead of some form of investiture which will pay back later. Not only will this prevent you from spending more than you could afford, but you will also feel better when you loose it. ~_^

Apreche

It's strange how some people think that paying money to play games in a casino is bad, but paying money for something like Super Mario Galaxy or World of Warcraft is just fine. Either way you are paying money to play a game. At least the casino gives you some very small chance of getting your money back, and maybe even more money. Blizzard or Nintendo aren't going to give back one red cent.

Now, the major problem with gambling is that it's hardly ever entertaining. A few slot machines are really cool, like that Monopoly one. But once you play them a couple times, you've seen all their shininess. Also, playing something like craps or roulette can be kind of fun because there are dice and all sorts of archaic mechanisms in play, but it gets old fast.

Obviously gambling addiction is a major problem, but gambling itself is just meh. As long as you don't spend more than you can afford, and you're getting your value in entertainment for the money you've lost, it's no different than paying for any other entertainment.

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You'd be surprised at how many people make a really good living out of gambling.

Oh, that I know. I was just making a general statement. Your average Joe will only lose money.

Kate Monster

The Saratoga Racetrack is only 15 minutes from my home. I have never felt compelled to see a race, though.

Geo

My mentor once went to see a horserace, and she was totally unaware of who was sitting next to her. I think his assistant was sitting next to him and said in a joking voice "Want I should get you something, Captain Kirk?" She turned around and sitting right next to her was Shatner himself. Apparently he goes to horseraces around New York quite often, so that's pretty awesome.

Funfetus

I basically grew up at the racetrack. Every other weekend when I was a kid (woo, visitation!), my dad would take my brother and I to the Santa Anita track, and we'd play at the (admittedly pretty awesome) playground in the infield while he gambled. That wasn't so bad, except it got pretty boring being there all day. But when the races were being held at Hollywood Park, and Santa Anita was just satellite betting, the infield would be closed, and all there was was a super crappy arcade that we'd be stuck in all day. The best game they had was "try to put the plastic chairs by the radiator so it melts without the attendants noticing" -- I think it was a Namco game. Anyway, fuck the track. My dad did hit the pick-six once, though.

Kilarney

Horse racing can be an incredibly fun exercise for the brain. If you choose, you can put a lot of mental energy into handicapping. The problem is that you'll never make much, if any, money. When the house takes out upwards of 20%, you aren't going to win. And before people get confused, you aren't betting against the house. You are betting against all of the other gamblers. As the sport shrinks, the pool of bettors becomes more knowledgeable, since the diehards remain. This makes winning even harder.

Even the best handicappers have an absurdly low rate of return.

But for pure entertainment, it can be quite fun. I go once every couple of years for an afternoon. It's cheaper than dinner and a movie.

Apreche

In related news, the New York OTB is having serious trouble.

“I tell you what,” said a man with a long gray ponytail who would identify himself only as George, “my bookie in the Bronx don’t have this problem. He always has money. Nowhere else in the world does a bookie lose money.”

Rym

Horse racing aside, I have never seen a happy person entering or leaving an OTB. It's not a place happy people go, and it's not a place unhappy people will become happy.

Churba

The only time I bet on horses is at the Melbourne cup, and that's never more than twenty bucks. It's just a national tradition, really, but it's brought me a few bucks here and there.

TheWhaleShark

Horse racing aside, I have never seen a happy person entering or leaving an OTB. It's not a place happy people go, and it's not a place unhappy people will become happy.

My grandfather used to go to the OTB every day, and bet $1 on his favorite horse in a single race that day. He used the OTB as an excuse to socialize with friends and family. That's pretty much the only use I can see.

I've been to the Saratoga race track on big race days. It's a lot of fun to grab a table, throw down a bunch of food, drink and eat all day, and watch some horses run around in a circle. Park yourself next to the winner's circle, and you can watch them parade the horses around.

MarcusNoble

I generally don't go overboard with it. I usually find I'll bet no more than $20 in a day, and even then I'll only go up to Laurel Park every two or three weeks when they've got some promotional event going on. Coming up they're a big series of races called "The Maryland Million". While they will be having a live performance by some country singer they're going to have all kinds of food and drink specials, and be giving away free hats.