G'day guys, newbie here!
 

Howdy everyone!

Anyway I just turned 18 and have found myself down at the TAB quite often, betting on sports and or the races. Good fun and so far I'm about even all up.

I was just wondering what tips you had for a beginner at betting? I like going for the place because obviously the higher chance of getting a return, but I know most people on here back winners, yet I don't have to knowledge or background information on the horses to make that call.

So yeah just any tips, whether or not it is ever worth going for the place or any systems which you think would work would be greatly appreciated.

Take care,

Ryan

i know you will think this advice ungracious but from an old punter who has spent many years of playing around and enjoyed it my advice would be to take up golf.
welcome to the forum. please be careful with your hard earned and make sure you put money away for your future and only punt for fun.

This is good advice from Topsy99. But if you are keen to learn and practice on punting without doing your dough each week I'd suggest joining some of the various tipping competitions on this forum.

The competitions provide valuable practice because you need to study the form carefuly to make your competition selections but you have the added advantage of not needing to place actual bets on these selections at the TABs if you don't want to or can't afford to.

And as to betting on Place don't worry there is a saying "Select to win but punt for the Place" this means that you may not get rich dividends but you won't lose as much either

Welcome Ryan (kitch).

You are 18, so have plenty of time to fully enjoy betting, racing and making a profit.

I wish I were 18 again and starting with the knowledge I have now.

A couple of suggestions:

Start off with very small interest bets, do not bet up big after a win or a loss UNTIL you are confident that you have a winning method over a long period of time, not just today's meeting.

RESEARCH!

As with any financial investment, you need to research data and history to see trends and winning strategies.

However, if you just want an interest and a bit of fun, then devote a small amount to betting and when you win, go have a nice meal and a few beers and enjoy it.

Hey Kitch!

Never take more money to the TAB than you are prepared to lose.
VERY IMPORTANT.

And if it's no longer fun,WALK AWAY.
ALSO VERY IMPORTANT.
There will be more races tomorrow.

Restrict your bets and you might win overall
Dont bet on Maidens
Dont bet on Mondays,Tuesdays,Thursdays,Fridays ,Sundays
Dont bet on Basketball,Baseball,Restricted Margin Betting in Rugby League ,i.e. 1-12,
My Dad used to say Why dont you go to the TAB ,work out how much your prepared to lose,give it to the man behind the counter ,then go do something else.(bit negative)
Seriously though be a bit choosy,dont take short odds,listen to other punters and you,ll have fun.Dont get in over your head or you'll be like the ********head who has his first hangover ,saying they"ll never drink again
Cheers

Thanks guys I appreciate all the advice.

Was at the TAB today placing small bets on places. Ended up $10 up and had good fun.



I was just wondering if anyone could help me out with the following?

How do you bet on trifectas and quinellas...and what are exactas? Also how do I bet on races with fixed odds...I always get burnt by late changes in the odds arghhh lol.

Also what exactly are the SKY ratings and are they a worthy guide?

Where is the best place to research horses?

Thanks, peace out.

[QUOTE=rabbitz]Restrict your bets and you might win overall
Dont bet on Maidens
Dont bet on Mondays,Tuesdays,Thursdays,Fridays ,Sundays

Hi rabbitz!
It just goes to show how fickle racing can be!?
Agree on Tuesday and Sunday but my best days are Monday and Friday also I love Maiden races, provided there are no first starters in the race, they can really upset the applecart.
Must have to do with my rating.
Cheers

stay well away from the sky ratings!

It,s amazing how we all have different ideas and methods, I personally don't bet sats as it has over a long period been my worst day.
I think every day is the same as the other depending what your method is, and I really don't understand this time ever adverse distinction against maidens.
More favs in maidens in the bush win more than any other favs.
A $3 winner at bullamakanka is as good as a $3 winner at Randwick and personally I think they are easier to find at bullamakanka than they are at Randwick.
Local knowledge will win over form every day of the week.

Kitch,
If you like place betting, try this when at the tab or wherever, with about 10 mins to the jump look at the 3rd and 4th fav and look at the one that goes OUT in the betting, if they both go out back the one that goes out the most.
Sometimes your selection will finish up the 5th or 6th fav but DONT change your mind.
Look at it for a while you might get a pleasant suprise.

An absolute perfect example was the last at Bunbury with about 12 mins to go Corporate Dash was the 4th fav at $6.9 it actually won ( which always gives me the ********s) but finished up paying $18.1 and $5.5 place.

On a sat you wont get this movement in price because of the size of the pools.

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

Here we go, it's not as hectic as it sounds it's all pretty laid back.

Uni - Monday through Thursday 9 - 4 give or take (all study inclusive on campus)

Work - (Altona RSL) Monday, Wednesday, Thursday night from 6 till around 11, Work Friday day from 9 till 6, By the time i get home from work i usually spend 1 - 1.5 hours on here looking at fields, form, you guys etc. Bed by 1, up @ 8ish.

Basketball + Beer Tuesday nights.

Giving me, Friday night and the weekend free. I find alot of people waste so much time at Uni lazing around waiting for classes to start, i only have 12 contact hours a week, and generally study whilst on the internet keeping an eye on results etc the rest of the day. I find about 10-15 hours of Uni study a week a copious amount and there is no need to burden yourself with it on weekends, until a month or so b4 exams then can jack it up a little.

Back to the horses i really like Perusen today R5 No. 1 at Werribee, drawn perfectly, his last few have been excellent, should go close.

Thanks Kenchar I will try that one friday night ;)

Thanks a lot for taking the time out to have a say in here, I really appreciate it...just a few more things (sorry im hungry for knowledge)

Are trifectas...quinellas and exactas worth it? And what exactly are they...

And I have been told to take Sky Ratings not too seriously...is this correct?

Thanks!!

trifecta: pick the first three placegetters (not necessarily in order depending on how much you want to spend)

quinella: pick the first two placegetters, doesn't have to be in order

exacta: pick the first two placegetters in order

i don't particularly think quinellas are great value, i'd much prefer look at tris and exactas

Beg to differ on that one, Chuck. I find that quinellas, especially including the shorter-priced horses, are consistently returning great value (compared to theoretical dividends based on starting prices). Could well be the same with trifectas, but I gave them the flick because the losing runs are too long. In smaller pools I divert some of my quinella bets to all-ways exactas to try to preserve the dividends, but the exactas seem to regularly under-pay.

Depends what horses you pick, I guess.

Cheers,

H.

yeah, thats always been my problem!