newspaper prices!

[hermes]

Baghwan and others,

I have taken to heart Baghwan's enthusiasm for newspaper prepost prices. He suggested recently that nearly every sysytem can be improved by limiting bets to $4-9 prepost. I don't doubt it.

But today I remembered why I phased out newspaper quotes ages ago. The Melbourne Herald Sun today have prices for one meeting out of five! That's hopeless! Bahgwan says he runs 100 systems concurrently based on newspaper prices seven days a week. What, on 8 races out of five meetings on a mid-week????

I'm sure its been asked before - where can you get RELIABLE meeting-to-meeting pre-post estimates for all TAB races???? Don't tell me the morning newspapapers.

I agree systems will work better with a price filter, but where can you get one without watching the betting?

Correct me if I'm wrong about this but isn't it the case that the newspaper pays some guy to go through the form and frame a likely market converting proabilities to prices? Why only on one meeting?

The same goes for the Sportsman. Oodles of data but few approximate prices. Where can you can reliable pre-race estimates?

All I want really is an estimate of the really short-priced and the really long-priced runners. Why is it such difficult info to obtain?

I was only buying the Hun for pre-race prices. One meeting in five! There are a thousand reasons not to buy the Hun; this is the best of them. I'm not buying it again.


Hermes

[slapstick]

hermes, I know that in WA we have the TABform which gives you approximates for every race that the Super TAB allows you to bet on. This may exclude a number of the meets you wish to bet on, it may not, but it is calculated via a computer system and not some random guy taking a stab at it. It is a reliable source for the reasons you wish to use the information. Just ring up the Subiaco Newsagency, I'm sure they will deliver :razz:

[Shaun]

I have bought a lot of different papers for races and i can tell you the tab form is the best value around if you just want form and no fancey selections.....and they even have a free website with the same form...check it out prices and all.....only thing i don't like is it is udated after every race and displays win divis....but thats ok for you eastern states crowd cause of the time difference http://www.tabform.thewest.com.au/jspcontent/TFFrameset.jsp

[slapstick]

Yeah it is a pity it shows the results after the race and doesn't keep the form up there. It is linked to ozbet.com.au which is designed and maintained by Vivid Design who are really good, so people are better off getting results from there. Hopefully they change that soon. But it solves hermes problem non the less, giving prices and form.

[Shaun]

Slapstick...have you noticed how slow the WA tab site is for there results and price changes...i use the QLD site for the results even thought the prices are different....what is the best site to get the prices from

[slapstick]

Well I thought ozbet.com.au was reasonably fast for results as it posts interims pretty much straight after the event. As for updating the divi's I thought it was reasonably fast for that too! I'm on an extremely fast connection though, this may help what I'm seeing. I find the tabform site extremely slow no matter what connection I am on, though.

[Shaun]

well sometimes i don't even see results or divis for about 10 minutes after the race and that is even if i leave the site and come back....not sure why that is

[hermes]

Thanks for all contributions to this thread. Solves the problem.

TAB websites vary in quality, don't they? Although I live in Vic I also use the QTAB website for easy of use, their ratings are better and fairly quick interim results. The only annoyance is in photos. At the end of the race you get no result, just notice that its a photo finish. Between whom? At this point you have to flick on the radio.

While we're about it, I also want to whinge about Skychannel's presentation. They don't show you the whole field in one screen, for a start. Then there is simply too, too many races covered and it jumps from track to track to track, soimewtimes superimposing prices from the dogs somewhere over a gallops race, or whatever. I find it a mess and useless as a punting tool. I don't know how people bet from watching those screens.

Hermes

[sportznut]

Hermes, I've found the Courier Mail/Sunday Mail here in Qld to be pretty good regarding pre-post prices. It's pretty rare for them to include a meeting without any pre-post odds. I can't believe your paper did that with 4 meetings out of 5!!!

Like the other guys said, the WA Tabform site is pretty good. After all, it's free and a lot of the papers use exactly the same odds that they do.

By the way, I definitely agree with Bhagwan about system results improving simply by including a pre-post price limit.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: sportznut on 2004-01-22 11:31 ]</font>

[hermes]

Wow! The WA site is terrific. Price forecasts for all runners! But why only on the WA site? As if the TAB in Vic. doesn't calculate prepost estimates? So now to bet on a race in SA I get my rating info etc. from Queensland, my prices from WA and I can only bet legally in Vic. Its a muck around.

More and more I realise that this game isn't about horses. Its about the control of information.

I snuck a free look at the Herald Sun again this morning. They did it again. Prices only for the Vic meeting. Same story in the Melbourne Age too. Very poor. And Melbourne is supposed to be the "racing capital of Australia"!!! The two morning newspapers only give prices for the local meetings! I think they've failed to notice that we now live in the Internet age and punting isn't a local thing anymore. Punters in Melbourne would be better ordering the morning papers from Queensland or WA. How ludicrous!

Actually I don't think the format of the Herald-Sun racing guide has changed in forty years, and probably the editorial staff too. Amazingly, 90% of punters in Vic buy the Hun. Probably because its a dollar a day. They even pin it up on the walls in TAB shops. At the track, everyone is carrying the Hun race liftout. Today again, prices for one meeting in five. There seems to be the assumption that Vic punters will only really be interested in the races at Ballarat and have only a passing interest in interstate races. This is 2004, not 1945!

Hermes

[slapstick]

hermes, just move to WA and you will be set!

[Ron50]

Hi Folks,
As a resident of Melbourne I have been disgusted with the Sun for some time,but I guess in the year 2004 we can not expext a great deal for $1.00.I am sure the TAB enjoys keeping us guessing.

I do enjoy this forum and the search for the "Holy Grail" by all.

Cheers,
Ron.

[sportznut]

I'm stunned! The Courier Mail only costs $1 and they wouldn't dream of only supplying pre-post prices for Qld meetings. That's just ridiculous!!! I personally would be lost without pre-post prices as a guide.

[Shaun]

ithink the tab Torm in news paper version is 80c to day and $1 on saturdays might be a little more....the form is not the best for all meeting but it is ok by my standard...at least it gives a rundown of the last couple runs....they have a good friday night lift out as well....and if you get saturdays edition it covers sunday.....the internet site is the best.....i bet at sportodds..read WA form...check prices at QLD site and listen to local racing radio....where would we be with out the PC...lol

[Bhagwan]

Thanks for the feedback Hermes & Sportznut,

The pre-post I use is the one that comes with the TRB GTSi program, whereby one downloads all the info for the day in one go.

I beleive they syndicate those prices to various newspaper groups, like the Courier Mail.