Are You A Skilled Punter or Just Chasing a Dream?
Posted May 19th, 2009 by adminAre you a skilled handicapper or are you just chasing after a dream using one betting system after another hoping to find the magic bean that will point you in the direction of winning horses on every race? Do you find yourself frustrated by each and every system that you buy? Are you finding that a system might work really well on paper but as soon as you lay your money down the success that was just there suddenly goes cold?
The fact is that if you ever wish to become a successful punter you are going to have to work in a different direction than you have been. Even if you are seeing some sort of success chances are it will be short lived if you are relying solely upon an “off the shelf” betting system. Betting systems or handicapping systems have their place but only as a tool. You will never be able to call yourself a real punter if you don’t know what makes that tool or system work. On the flip side of that, if you know how each particular system works you will know which one to use given a particular situation. A real punter also knows that no system can ensure a 100% strike rate and when to sit out a race and just enjoy watching the horses run.
The long and the short of it is that if you love horse racing and want to take some pride in your handicapping….if you are into this for the long haul and you want to set yourself apart from the pack there are some things you’re going to have to do.
Educate Yourself – Nothing beats a good education. This goes for any aspect of your life. If there is something that you wish to be good at, whether that be fixing automobiles or painting or picking winning race horses, a good education can give you an edge and make it easier for you to be successful. Educating yourself doesn’t have to be boring although if you haven’t read a book in years you might have some trouble. Many of the books on the market are a good mixture of “how to handicap”, how to use statistics and a good measure of some very interesting stories. Take advantage of those that have gone before you and learn from them through books, magazine, and talking with other successful punters.
Become Absorbed With Horse Racing – If horse racing is really something you enjoy and is your passion, dive headfirst into it. Seek out old timers at the track and folks you see on a regular basis. You might be surprised by who you might meet…trainers, owners, old jockeys….you never know who you’re going to meet….and I’m not suggesting that you befriend people so you can get “inside information” but what you are seeking is guidance. What you are looking for is an inside peek into how the racing world really works. Read up on horses and spend some time getting to know what a good running horse should look like and move like…learn confirmation and soundness and gait. These are things that can only be learned through years of looking at actual horses but given time it will help set you apart from the crowd and make you a better handicapper.
Work On Your Mental Game – There is nothing quite as important as how you deal with the wins and losses as the mental component of punting. It can be quite a roller coaster ride with severe highs and lows and the only thing that is going to keep you from crashing when you come across a long losing streak is how well mentally you are prepared to deal with this stress. You might also want to look into how you are going to deal with the losing streaks financially…will you have money set aside to get you through such times?…will you go on vacation for a bit until the season changes?…will you lower the size of your bets until you feel more secure in your handicapping and your betting system?…or will you become frustrated, like many punters do and either walk away or blow your entire bank trying to recoup your losses? Likewise, big wins and long winning streaks can do the same thing in a round about way. You might feel invincible and start spending money like a rock star or become sloppy in your handicapping. It might feel like the good times will never end but life seldom plays out this way.
The above are a few of the things that you might want to think about and the results should be enough to tell you whether you want to take your handicapping to the next level or if you are just dreaming about what it might take to make a living at betting on horse racing. It definitely can be done but it’s not as easy to get from here to there as most people might like to think…but with a little determination and some passion for the sport you will be successful.
Tags: betting on horse racing, handicapping, horse betting systems, punting, puntology, winning at the track
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