Ya Wanna Bet?

HORSING AROUND

It was mentioned to me a couple of days ago by a colleague that the act of betting horses was something she didn't know a whole lot about but she enjoyed trying to pick the winner of a race. She was at attendance Saturday night at Opening Night at Churchill and proudly told me she picked the winner in three straight races that evening.

Her $2 to win on each horse returned her a total of $47.20. Not bad for $6 wagered. I asked her if she also bet a Pick 3 on those races. She confessed she didn't...and wasn't sure how to do that. An additional $2...bet on the horses she liked...(in this case 8-7-2)...paid $1,034.60

Her eyes flew wide open when I told her that.

And that's why I like the exotics. The Pick 3's, Pick 4's, Pick 5's and Pick 6's.  They are a high risk, high reward venture...but one well placed Pick 4 wager can reap a lot of "benjamins" and absolve a bucketful of race handicapping blunders.

At many tracks...Churchill included...you can bet a .50 cent Pick 3, 4, 5. This is good...especially if you like several horses in a race, or just want a cheap "what the heck" ticket. I have friends who bet their birthdates or street addresses in the pick 3 and 4. Sometimes I'll bet the CARDINAL COUPLE mailbox # (91251) in a Pick 5. If there is a "9" horse in the first sequence, of course.

A popular bet with one of the regular Churchill attenders I know is "buying" a race. Let's say he is betting a Pick 3. He really likes the #5 horse in the first leg and the #3 and #1 in the final leg but can't make his mind up in the middle leg.

He'll take them all. Sounds expensive, right? Not really...he's betting a .50 Pick Three, so the 5 horse in the first leg (X) the eight runners in the middle leg (X) the 3 and 1 in the final leg cost him only $8.00. He's assured at least one winner in the sequence, since he's taken all of them in the middle leg...and if his hunches pay off in the opening and closing leg...he wins the Pick Three!

Taking all the horses in a particular leg is also known as "hitting the Schrupp button" so named after a horse-racing analyst on one of the horse-racing channels who is fond of "buying" a leg in the sequence.

The horses are running today at Churchill. I can't go, because of work...but if I were out there (or what I am going to do on my on-line wagering account with Twinspires) is bet the early Pick 3. It'll be a .50 wager with the 1,4,5,8 in the first leg, 2,3,6,7 in the second leg and 3,6 in the final leg. This will cost me $18. If I hit, and I think a have a real good chance of doing so...it should reap me a nice profit on the $16 I'm forking out.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: The first PK3 was 1=6=3. It paid $36. We made a $18 profit on the .50 PK3 wager which cost  us $18. We doubled our money. Not bad....)

No one wins every race, of course. Most people lose more than they win at the track...so responsible wagering is important and a good bit of advice to follow. Bet only what you consider disposable income. I like to call it "steak money".

If I were to take the wife, mother-in-law and I out for a nice steak dinner...with appetizers and maybe a few drinks...I'm figuring on tossing down about $100 bucks or so when I pay the bill.

This is also the limit I will lose at the track. After that, I shrug my shoulders, mention to my buddies that I should have gone for the steak and leave or watch without wagering.

I seldom lose $100 at the track.

I had a substandard Opening Night at Churchill. I made six wagers total...two Pick 4's, three Pick 3's and a exacta. My total outlay was $210. I won $245. After paying for food, drinks and tipping my bartender...I left a $15 loser.

$15 bucks isn't bad for 5 hours of entertainment, food and beverages for two adults.  

Sonja...not into her wagering mode just yet...is a win, place and show or exacta bettor. She placed only three bets all night...all to show. Her $25 wagered got her $41 back. That's a 64% return on investment and most financial advisors would sell their soul to the devil to find a consistant profit grabber like that to peddle to their clients.

Combined...she and I made $1 for the evening.   

So, if you go to Churchill (or any other track)...have fun, be responsible and remember that Churchill has a long, long final stretch. Keep an eye out for those closers.