The Bottom Line
An excellent book for horseplayers who are considering either a full-time career as a professional, or at least vastly increasing their level of participation in the betting pools. The professionals interviewed for the book make it clear that this is not an easy, glamorous life, but can be a profitable one for people with the intelligence, the bankroll, and the patience required. Casual players can learn a lot from these men and women.
Pros
- A first-person look at the winning strategies of professional horseplayers
- Useful lessons for recreational bettors to incorporate into their play
- Despite vastly different handicapping and betting strategies, they have much in common
- Interview answers presented as the "six secrets", listed below
- Surprisingly, professional players were very willing to discuss what works for them
Cons
- Not meant to be a handicapping book. Reader should have some knowledge.
- Would not interest racing fans who do not wager
Description
- They're not really gamblers, but entrepreneurs whose business is betting
- They may the best use of available resoursces and process information in an elegant way
- They only bet when they have an edge
- They manage their money to maximize their advantage
- They know how to handicap themselves
- They know how to handle their emotions as well as their money
Guide Review - Review: Six Secrets of Successful Bettors
In their latest book, Scatoni and Fornatale look at the strategies of professional gamblers. Most racing fans bet recreationally, making small wagers hoping to turn a profit on the day, but if one is not realized, the loss is simply budgeted as the cost of entertainment. Professionals, however, bet horses as a full-time job, their primary source of income. Obviously their strategies must be profitable for them to continue. Through hours of interviews will well-known pros such as Beyer, Davidowitz, Mazur, and even pros of other forms of gambling, such as poker champion Clonie Gowen and sports betting linemaker Roxy Roxborough, the authors found that they all had the same six criteria that lead to their success. They called these their Six Secrets, which are listed above. Each pro uses different handicapping (speed, pace, angles, class, etc) and wagering (win, trifectas, pick sixes, etc) strategies from the others, but each turns a profit year after year, because of the six secrets. A recreational player can learn a lot from the pros, incorporating those secrets to result in a profitable year despite a smaller bankroll. In the last chapter, the pros discuss some of racing's contemporary issues: betting exchanges, computer team bets, and rebating. It is worth noting that the pros support lower takeouts for all bettors rather than selfishly supporting rebates for themselves only. Despite these new issues in racing, they feel that profits are still possible
