Gee, thanks for that Link CosMos. You have made this thread so readable.

Star

Thanks for your acknowledgement Star, much appreciated

"You will see these men along the rail close to the judge's stand, or up in the big stand with their eyes glued to their field glasses. I have heard the uninformed say, when observing this: "That man is still running the race". It is not necessary to reply to such remarks for time is too precious. I want to know how a horse pulls up after a race, how the effort has affected him, whether he won easily without calling upon his reserve power, or whether he was distressed and all out. Many a time one horse has beaten another by a length or two, but with an expenditure of effort that told, while the beaten horse was not palpably distressed. It will take considerable time for the winner to recover from his effort. The second horse will be improved by the race..." ~Pittsburgh Phil.

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“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

I would say that the reason I use a system is not only to make a profit, but my sole focus is now centred on what filters give me the best POT, and of course they aren't the popular combination of filters. A system has given me the confidence to go to the races and "know" which horses are the best value. I'm not looking so much for Win S/R, but looking at a race with my focus centred firmly on what would put the average punter off from backing this horse, keeping in mind it has to be some chance of winning.

With a system I find I can be far more disciplined, and not chase losses because I know (in racing terms !!!) that a winner is just around the corner, maybe not today or tomorrow, but if the system is proven, then it can be followed with some confidence.

It's a fine line between winning and losing, but you can show a profit if you don't get caught up backing horses where the weight of money has pushed them into overbet territory.

I have really been rethinking my System approach. I had a simple enough system that was going ok. Then I came back here a few months ago and tried to get too cute and everything has gone belly up.

I have been rethinking my approach trying different stratergies and competing against it by selecting the horse I thought could win. My systems failed but my self selections went ok.

Then I read the Pittsburg Phil story and he made a lot of sense even though it was a long time ago. So I thought I would try to come up with something that employed a system value but had some human imput into it as well.

Today was my first day with it and I put $20 into my Sportsbet account and decided 2 1/2% of bank balanced each night for the next days bets. So 50 cents per bet was the first day.

Six bets in total. Surprise the first won paying $8 then a further two giving me three winners a second out of six starters.

My bank is now $25.55. So I won $5.55 on fifty cents bets. Tomorrow my bets will be at 70 cents. actually 63.87 cents but I take it up to the next full ten cents.

That is the good thing about Sportsbet they accept 10 cents minimum bests and they like losers.

I have been trying to work a self selection and a System selection intogether to get rid of some of the hopeless selections they came up with yet still allow me the hope of some good price winners.

I have to thank CosMos for his link, it has helped me to come up with a new stratergy based on a different approach.

Star

Your 1st point comes as some surprise. The second would be why they exist however i.e. as with the bookies - their business model being to make the punter pay, as one learned contributor on here pointed out recently.

LG

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The trick isn't finding profitable angles, it's finding ones you will bet through the ups and downs - UB

LG

You take me too seriously. Sometimes I talk Irish, meaning tongue in cheek. Or as might be said in less esteemed circles as " Taking the .... "

Star

Hi Star, just a point I thought worth making. Nothing more or less than that.

Regards reading between the lines with your posts, which I think you are alluding to here.. what I have noticed about your posting style is that you sometimes fail to read the actual words posted by others or take in the detail provided.

As an example, in your response to my first 1 or 2 posts on this thread you stated that I had answered a question (from you) with a question(to you) and that this was a bit 'clever'. If you re-read my post you will notice that I have in fact offered my own broad definition of what a system is (and why it is important) FIRST and then asked you to offer your version as a good starting point for us all.

Just for the record, I find it a bit irritating that you sometimes miss or gloss over important detail provided in specific posts by others or make general assumptions about where others are coming from (or not coming from), yet you have pulled me up on missing when you are 'taking the ********'.

I have learned to be humble on here however, especially regards posters who have many more years of experience on me when it comes to the punt. But respect should also be given where someone else has started up a thread in earnest looking for input or whatever, in my opinion.

To that effect, I will bow out of this thread and leave you to it. Good luck with finding some answers!


Cheers LG

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The trick isn't finding profitable angles, it's finding ones you will bet through the ups and downs - UB

Ok . This is to kill my new system. Only two bets for Thursday.

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Gold Coast Race 4 no 9 Toy Ruler Bet $ 0.70

Bendigo R7 no 1 Pauline. Bet $ 0.70

Let's see what the curse can do with them.

Star

In reply to LG. Point taken.

Star

Another Pitsburg Phil maxim...

"I picks them to win & backs them to Place."

Now, in the USA, the Place market means 1st or 2nd only & some good divs are to be had
Just have a look at the TAB divs in Aust where only 2 divs are paid on a race

US Show market - means 1st-3rd

He made a fortune betting the horse to run 1st or 2nd (US Place market)

Aust punters could be easily confused that he was betting into an Aust type Place market, where 3 divs are usually paid, where divs are a lot less.

I feel Pittsburg Phil would be struggling to make those profits on the Aust type Place market where 3 divs are paid, where it pays a lot less.

Maybe it could be an interesting exercise to target races where only 2 place divs are paid, to see if it could be more profitable to go that way.

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Cheers.