I have pretty much kept myself from betting in poor races these days by this I mean races where there are far to many inconsistent horses in them. It is to hard to work out form or anything in that and even when you do because they are so inconsistent your hard work can still blow up in your face.



A couple of mates of mine use a system and it does filter out alot of horses in races and I do believe it has worked out quite well for them. this is how it goes The horse has to have a win percentage of over 30% and a place percentage over 50% the trainer has to be within the top 10 in the state and the jockey within the top 10 also. I know it can restrict the odds as obviously a horse with those kind of stats will very rarely pay a huge ammount but like I said it is a formula that has worked out alright for them.


Other than that I can only reiterate what a couple of the others have said never bet with more than you can afford and to be on the safe side only ever take what you want to bet with with you leave the loan and rent money at home that is some advice that I should have listened to a few times myself thankfully it hasn't hurt me but it can and it will.

i hope the newbe is listening. the signal some of us are sending is experience.
as a youngster the vital years of life there is so much to do that is life-and character building.
punting the ponies is not one of them. sporting activities, cultural, music, girls and education and a good job.
there's no time to spend hacking race form.
when you get to 50 there will be two things to consider if you did what i suggest you will say i gave it my best shot now i might study the horses.

or if you follow the horses now you will look back and say why didnt i listen.

racing is time consuming, unlikely to be profitable, certainly not in the ways i spelt out above, it will detract from spending time with your children and family and from participating in many normal social developmental activities involving families.
it may even lead to social isolation.
i have said enough have a good life and please make it valuable and meaningful.
good luck.

I'm at the Melb track every Saturday, and love to have a few beers with my mates, my selections don't change or increase with the drink but i think sometimes it might effect the size of my wager. If i was in it solely to make a quid i'd be sitting on my computer all day comparing prices, not really my cup of tea. Besides what fun is winning of you've got no-one there to glout to or shout beer and Jimmy Wongs to after the races.

Very very sound advice.

I guess my final advice to you Ryan, is (without sounding condescending) punting can be full of perils for someone starting out. You can get hooked very easily and spend too much time and money on it, which is what others have said, however, if you have great deal of self control and discipline, then it can be fun and profitable. Although the financial rewards are slim compared to the overall risks.

Some of the negative comments are out of genuine concern for someone of your age, as I remember when I was 18, everything I did was to excess.

You will not become a millionaire from racing and will probably lose, with that in mind, be conservative and stick to your place plan with small amounts, that way you'll get the enjoyment without the stress.

Up ten bucks.
Had fun.

Do that every day and who needs anything else.
If those 2 points don't satisfy you,you really need to ask yourself what's missing?
I don't know if exotic betting is the place to find fun?
Races become numbers games rather than races.

Sorry don't know how this got here it was supposed to be on the water hole thread.

Topsy i think your over exaggerating a bit, the world of having a punt is not the glum, lonely existance you make it out to be. There is nothing wrong with having a punt at a young age, i'm only 20, i am studying degrees in commerce and economics at Uni, work casual 25-30 hours a week, have a girlfriend and great network of mates, play basketball, i am very fulfilled and still find the punt one of my favourite activities.

Good luck Kitch only advice i have for you is have fun in punting and everything else you do.

I agree. Punting is fantastic if you remain disciplined. Discipline is the key to punting. I'm only 20 and a pretty serious punter. My old man is a 'mug' punter from way back. he has pretty much given up winning on a regular basis. But when I analyse his results he should be winning more consistently. he has the knowledge but lacks the desire to reduce his number of bets. But he loves it and doesnt care. He can easily afford it. I mean it's not his aim to lose but when your betting everwhere your increasing your chances of loss not profit.


I would also say that you need to define your punting as either serious or fun. If it is fun set your amount to lose and dont go over it. If it's serious i would be watching the races, invest in sky racing or tvn so you can watch as many races as possible. also do a google on punting advice. some of it will be kukka but lots of it will be very helpful. Work out your max bet so if you have a win you dont lose all of it(i'm guilty of that on saturday, I smashed Alinghi and eremein only to give most of it back during the day. i was on a end of season cricket bash at belmont park so the drink so i broke my rule of not drinking while punting). Talk to any punters you know, learn about pace, weight, distances, track and their effects on particular horses. also learn about value so you know when you should and shouldnt bet. In the end you will work out your own methods and as long as you have fun and don't compromise you standard of living then thats the main thing.

Read as much as you can on the game. i find it the best sport in the world. Moments like Northerly carrying the grandstand to win the caufield cup and sunline braining a cox plate field eclipse most other sporting moments. What sport has a moment more special than Oliver winning the cup for his brother jason on Media Puzzle. I love it.

yes i did lay it on thick. and i did that deliberately. there's a lot to achieve when you are 18 and its a valuable time of life when used well.

there's nothing wrong with studying the horses and betting sensibly but I would be taking up the guitar and getting a degree and opening the batting for my local cricket club. i only played competition cricket for 25 years and loved all of it. after i retired from cricket i decided to get another hobby which turned out to be having a punt and playing golf which got overtaken by working every weekend for 15 years. now back on saturdays having a punt and ejoying it. down here in those days only the rich learned music and went to university but today these things are in most people's reach.


it is not place to lecture people on this forum and i know i appear to be doing that but i feel better for giving the advice.
as i said at the end of my last post best wishes to newby I hope i have helped.

Crikey Mr Ed,
Considering Sat arvo's spoken for and at least part of the evening, plus 25 - 30 hours earning a crust, plus studying for 2 degrees (presumably most of the normal working week and some after hours revision and preparation), plus another evening playing basketball plus time spent with mates and girlfriend I'm not surprised you're feeling fulfilled.
When do you find time to sleep?

Any tips-Racing is .........
 

Determination,with an optimistic attitude,is the key factor for success.

Will