How do you handle an early score?

[Ron]

You're at the track or simulcast facility armed with printouts that you spent several hours working on the night before. If necessary, you're prepared to stay and work these races for 5-6 hrs. with the intent of turning over a decent profit for the day.

However; good fortune comes your way quickly and after only being there for less then an hour you find yourself up enough money that if it were the end of the day, you'd consider it to be a satisfactory amount for your efforts.

What works best for you at this point?

[CAL]

Still waiting for that to happen!!!!!!!!!! I work at it from a different angle.

I bet only to win. But if 4 horses in a row don't hit the board I walk out the door.

[Carl]

My gambling has changed completely the last few years. Not sure if it is just "getting older" or because now internet and phone betting have become "the way to go" for me.

I now can and pretty well do
1) Bet horses every day except Christmas.
2) Bet virtually any race at any track I want.
3) And start off the next day with the same opportunity to do (1) and (2) again.

Hence, all sense of urgency to bet is gone for me and I have a real sense of the game being on going . Like if I don't get a bet up today, so what? I'll get one up tomorrow. Eventually I will lead to where my spot plays are taking me.

And if my spot plays can show a 15% win rate and a 20% profit, I will eventually own the half of the western hemisphere that Bill Gates does not. My sense is I have time, time is on my side........ and I am back up to $10 bets after a few good days this past week and feeling good about IMPACT, watch out Billy boy!

later,
Carl

[Donnie]

Ron--
Good question, but I am gonna answer here instead of on the poll. I guess the answer is how much is "decent profit". There was a time in my life where $50 up at the third race meant it was time to leave the track and head for home. Now I don't think I would do that unless I was at least $100+ up! Nearly all of my play has been at a casino as of late. I walk thru the floor and see these people who think they are going to take the casino home in their back pockets! Like Carl, I realize tomorrow brings another opportunity. If I am down at the end of the day, I would hope that I had kept my senses enough to not chase after my losses. I can't ever remember doing that. Keep in mind this is coming from a $2 bettor! So I am not going to worry about -$20 on any given day. I don't attend often enough for those types of losses to amount to much! Being up $100 at the end of the day for a $2 bettor tends to get a guy up on his toes as he leaves the track! Unlike Carl, give me a good race on Christmas day and I'll bring the whole family along!! But I think that's exactly why they don't run a whole lot of races on Christmas Day! You would understand if you met my family!! :eek:

[MikeDee]

I'm really in the same boat as Carl. I play from home where I can pick my spots and fit it in with golf and the daliy activities. I don't worry about missing plays either at home, races are like buses (always be another in just a few minutes). And each wager its just one continual series of wagers.

Going to the track is more like a event ...a days entertainment. At the beginning I ration my bank roll so I won't run out if I have a real bad day. I don't bother with any complicated money management kinda thing, I'm there to have fun not to do a lot of math. If I get ahead then I will jsut go the the qusto on a couple of tri's. The most fun at the track is cashing tickets in the signer line.

[hurrikane]

That's a good question Ron-
I usually play from the computer like Carl and Mike and a lot of the people up here. I place my bets many times all at once sometimes I watch as the day progresses and see what scratches effect or bet exotics. I always play with a certain amount of bankroll so I don't play everything on one race and lose the farm. On the flip side, if I win a big race I don't let it effect my original betting strategy I started the day with. If I win a lot on a race I don't go betmore than I would have originallyl on the next one...I bet what I had decided before I walked in the track. I try not to mix winnings with the bankroll until the end of the day. That way you don't go away broke after being up a couple of hundred. You may lose all you came to bet with origianally but you won't lose anything you win.
Kind of like trolling for Tuna....if you catch a 84 lb citation yellowfin like I did Monday...how do like the way I rolled that in there :)... you don't stop fishing and you don't cut him up for bait either.