I hope to post some of my handicapping so you can see how things progress with me as I strive to become a Professional Gambler this year. I will tell you that I’m not a horrible handicapper but I think we will all agree that each of us could use some improvement…I mean, given enough time and a couple of pints I’ve always been able to tune out those around me voicing their opinion of the next race and asking me what I was going to do….and on a winning night I usually don’t have trouble in passing on a race that doesn’t seem quite right to me…and if things turn really bad I don’t have a problem with saying “Sorry…I’m done for the night”

My problem has always been achieving that delicate balance of having my wits about me while being relaxed enough to see the whole picture when I look at the racing form. On these occassions I can usually pick two or three trifectas with two of them being winners….but when I overhandicap and try too hard (or drink too much lager, on the other end of the spectrum!) I wind up trying to find a good bet…and that always winds up biting me in the arse!

I am enjoying this process of working through Michael Wilding’s Puntology…and if you’re game I’d welcome anyone who wants to work through it with me. We can either communicate through email or create a group of some sort….a “study group,” so to speak! I was thinking of asking Michael if he would be interested in starting up a message board of some sort on his site that could be accessed by those of us who are reading his lessons. The only problem that I can think of is that it is human nature to want to read ahead and rush things which I think might hurt more than it would help.

Let me know what you think and in the meantime check out Puntology and think seriously about getting your education in punting.

Pioneer of the Nile has a shot at it I do believe and he is one of my picks just because I think he’s a great horse. If I had the money and felt confident in betting on such contentious races I would probably box a exacta between Pioneer of the Nile and Rachel Alexandra…I would want Rachel Alexandra to blow away the field, of course, so I could see history in the making and give the filly her due respect…and fillies in general.

Now…everyone is almost writing off Mine that Bird but I would probably count him on being there in the end somewhere. The Derby proved that he does have what it takes to go the distance and is in the proper condition to have plenty of gas in the tank at the end. If you get a chance to see the replay of the Derby from an overhead shot you will see this horse absolutely take off like a Ferrari when Calvin asked him to. No, Calvin isn’t riding him today but Mike Smith definately is a world class jockey and that is why I count Mine That Bird in as part of a good solid trifecta. He has shown what he’s got and this horse has a lot to offer and Mike is the guy to get the best of out him…

I think if I were to want to play the Superfecta I would put Papa Clem in there somewhere also. He was another horse that I really liked for the Derby so I wouldn’t count him out.

One thing I’ve noticed about Rachel Alexandra from looking at her and Calvin’s performance at The Oaks and comparing that to a couple of other races is that she seems to run faster if she isn’t whipped. Now, I am not opposed to a jockey whipping a horse. I don’t believe that it’s the same as whipping a human or something like that and I see the value in whipping with the right horse….but it’s rare to see a horse destroy a field like Rachel Alexandra did at the Oaks and Calvin didn’t touch her…the two or three other races that I saw he did use the whip…she still won but not by 20 1/4 lengths….just some food for thought and I could be wrong but I think that Calvin has this filly figured out and I wish her and him all the best today at the Preakness.

We’ll see how it all plays out but I do believe that we may see history being made today in Maryland. And as much as I love to be right and how much I enjoy winning, I wish more than anything that all the horses and jockeys arrive at the finish safe and sound…safety above all else…

This is why I am working on a review and testing of “10 Cent Superfecta” which is a betting system that the author says will help you become more consisitant at winning the superfecta. I’ll tell you…I’m pretty excited about this one. I mean, winning any bet is a thrilling thing but, like the author Joey Scags explains, there isn’t anything quite like winning an exotic…trifecta or superfecta! You shake and almost feel like you’ve been caught stealing or something! You can’t stop smiling and that feeling just lingers!

So with that being said, I’ll let you know how the testing goes. I have to run and look over the form for the Derby tomorrow! No…I’m not telling you who I got!

In the meantime, if you want more information on the book 10 Cent Superfecta just click on the link….lots of good information and a really great deal that Joey has there with all the bonus stuff, 30 days free access to The Horse Racing Life pick service (I’m not a big fan of pick services but if it’s free I’d check it out) Plus you can check out the 10 Cent Superfecta risk free…doesn’t get much better than that, friend.

I have to say that up until recently I had never considered betting on the ponies for a career…and as a matter of fact, when I was younger I used to answer “Professional Gambler” when people I didn’t know asked me what I did for a living, but I was a wise crackin’ young kid. But even back then I never thought that I would seriously consider the possibility of working in that direction nor did I think that it would even be a possibility! I had no idea that folks actually made a living betting on horse races.

All of that changed not too long ago and I can’t even remember how I came across this information and began looking deeper into punting or betting on horse racing in order to make a full time living. Even writing this it sounds absurd but there are indeed untold numbers of ordinary folks just like me and you that are doing just that. How you ask? Well let me fill you in a little bit on my past…

When I was younger I always enjoyed going to the races with my father and his buddies. My Dad was pretty good at handicapping and liked to bet on trifectas and other exotics. He was the one that taught me about how to lay your bets…how to box a trifecta and what the daily double was and he would almost think out loud and this is how I learned. It wasn’t too often that we went home empty handed and on the rare occasions that we did he would say “well, I look at it as paying for a good night out” if anyone remarked that he lost at the track.

Years later I had occasion to go to the track from time to time with friends. Some were better punters than other and some were just plain lucky….but I always managed to walk away with a little bit more than I went with and people were amazed that I could pick trifectas like I did. That was years ago though and I know now that my system wasn’t anything great. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t a system at all! I would read the racing form and look at the past performances as if it was a novel. I would sit and just run all the information through my head and I would get a “feel” for how I felt the field would finish. Like I said, I had no real system…

These days, as I ponder actually building a betting bank and learn about money management and the like, I look at a racing form a little different. I have a plan…I am looking for certain things in a horse’s past performance before I lay my money down. It is no longer a gut feeling or any sort of “feeling” at all any longer. Yes, different factors are taken into consideration as I read over the form…some of the indicators that I used to look for are a part of my “betting system” and each of them carries a certain amount of weight. You see….I am no longer really gambling, as strange as that sounds. Yes, technically I am gambling but not in the traditional way that most of the general public would view it. I am not looking for that long shot that is going to pay a big dividend. I am looking for a horse that is almost a sure thing. I am looking for a low risk, low reward horse that can almost guarantee me a return on the money I lay down. My profit margin may not be huge but I would rather make ten bets where I make a little than make ten losing wagers as I wait on that longshot to run into money. Those horses are few and far between indeed.

So I hope you will follow me as I learn more about this exciting past time and live the dream that I never thought I would have the opportunity to follow.

By the way…the system that I use now is called How To Place Bet on Favourites For a Living or “How $15 Safely Makes $157.28″ It is a very simple system and is perfect for both novices and those that have been around for a while. You can actually try it risk free from the publisher, Mohammed Ali at www.PublishersParadise.info