When it comes to horse racing, it\’s extremely difficult to accurately predict the winner of a race. Thankfully, there are men and women who dedicate their lives to studying and understanding race horses and their associated connections. These people are called professional handicappers. And, for a price, some of them will give you their professional opinion about which horses they believe have the best chance to win a race. These people are called Tipsters.

Learning how to handicap the races takes years. Sometimes it takes decades. And while everyone wants to win money betting on the ponies, very few people are willing to invest years of their life into studying and understanding horse racing in all its complexities.

Are you a part time gambler? Do you work during the week and visit the race track on the weekends for fun and enjoyment with the slight hope that you might actually win money while you\’re there? If you\’re one of those people – which most people are – you\’re best shot at being successful at the track is to purchase professional advice from a Tipster that has a proven track record of picking winners. Then, with his or her advice in hand, you can go to the track and make wagers based on the Tipster\’s recommendations. Even if you decide to handicap the races yourself, you\’ll be armed with a second opinion from a dedicated professional. His or her advice mixed together with your own analysis may prove to be a winning combination and ultimately result in a profitable day at the races.

As with any trade or profession, not all handicappers are alike. And while some will undoubtedly be better than others, all of them will have their strengths and weaknesses; it\’s rare to find a handicapper that is equally skilled at picking winners in all types of races. Some will be great at analyzing maiden races and others will be fantastic at picking winners on the grass. The only way to figure out a Tipster\’s strengths and weaknesses is to study his or her track record.

Some people scoff at the idea of purchasing information from a Tipster, thinking that any advice bought from a handicapper can\’t be worth the purchase price. Their reasoning is an age old argument: if the handicapper is really good at picking winners, why would he or she sell the information to begin with? If a person is great at handicapping the races, he could earn millions of dollars a year by betting on the horses. Sounds like a logical argument, doesn\’t it? Well, it isn\’t.

Investing in horse racing is similar to investing in stocks, and that\’s exactly how you should look at gambling on the horses; it\’s no different than buying and selling stocks. Look at it this way: the chance of an investor buying a single stock and making a million dollars off that one stock purchase is slim to none. The same can be said for horse racing; you\’ll never make a living off a single wager.

The path to success at the track lies in being able to consistently pick winners with an eye toward long-term results. To put it yet another way: how much money can you expect to earn on a yearly basis in the stock market? Ten to twenty percent? If you have a phenomenal year, maybe thirty percent? In that respect, when looking at results over a yearly basis, there are many Tipsters who produce yearly returns of well over 100% on your invested money. What would you think of a stockbroker that could double your money every year? You\’d think he or she was pretty amazing. Likewise, you should respect any Tipster that can produce steady, long-term profits from horse racing.

Tipsters do not provide guarantees with their selections, nor should they. As with any form of investing, there is inherent risk involved. You could lose some or all of your money. That\’s the cold reality of gambling: it\’s a form of high risk investing that offers the potential for a high rate of return for those willing to participate. Some gamblers will win, some will break even, and some will lose their money altogether.

When considering purchasing advice from a Tipster, you should be able to look at his or her month to month results, and you should pay particular attention to the Return On Investment, which is a percentage rating. That\’s all that really matters when comparing one professional handicapper against another: what is the historical percentage return on a handicapper\’s previous selections? Much like analyzing and comparing Mutual Funds, every Tipster should have his or her track record visible to the public.

Winning at horse racing is no easy task, but it\’s possible. More than anything else, you\’ll need reliable information from which to base your wagers. You can either learn how to handicap the races yourself, which can take years, or you can simply purchase advice from a trusted handicapper. Which option is best for you? Only you know the answer to that question.

Chris Ortiz, also known as Christian Blake, is a professional handicapper and author of several handicapping books. You can learn more about his insights into the game of horse racing and view samples of his books at his website: financial betting.

Chris Ortiz, also known as Christian Blake, is a professional handicapper and author of several books about horse racing. You can learn more about his books at his website http://www.HowToPickLongShots.com.

Author Bio: Chris Ortiz, also known as Christian Blake, is a professional handicapper and author of several handicapping books. You can learn more about his insights into the game of horse racing and view samples of his books at his website: financial betting.

Category: Recreation
Keywords: horse racing tipsters, professional horse racing handicappers