Countless people have tried to beat horse racing and countless people have failed. It\’s not an easy game to win. In fact, I believe it\’s the most difficult game in the world. But that doesn\’t make it unbeatable; it just means you need to do your homework before you head to the track with your hard earned cash.

Horse racing is one of those sports where the moment you think you\’ve figured it out is the moment you lose all your money. In my opinion, it\’s the most difficult game in the world, and I don\’t believe there is a handicapper on the planet that can, day in and day out, beat every race he handicaps. It\’s impossible. However, that doesn\’t mean you can\’t win consistently at the track. I firmly believe anyone willing to learn the game can make a living betting on the horses. The trick to winning consistently is knowing when to wager and when to keep your money in your pocket.

Contrary to what most people think, winning money at the races involves much more than just knowing how to handicap. There are three aspects of the game that you must become proficient at in order to win: handicapping, money management, and wagering.

Let\’s talk about the first area of expertise: handicapping.

While reading the racing form requires only a basic understanding of the game, decoding the enormous amount of information inside its pages and successfully transforming it into a logical conclusion requires in-depth knowledge of horse racing. In short: it\’s extremely difficult to handicap!

There are many, many strategies that can be used when trying to find the winner of an upcoming race. Here are a few of them: lone speed horses, lone closing horses, class droppers, first time starters, route to sprint, turf pedigree, speed figures, layoff horses, pace scenarios, trainer patterns, troubled trips, shippers, jockey and trainer combos, and first time Lasix. If someone were to ask you about any one of those topics, could you give a detailed answer? If you can\’t elaborate on every one of those topics without having to reference a handicapping book, then you\’re probably not as well versed in horse racing as you might think you are.

There\’s only one way to become a proficient handicapper, and that\’s through experience. There are no shortcuts to learning the game. You must invest hours upon hours studying the racing form, watching video replays, watching live races, and analyzing the results. You should also read as many handicapping books as you can. Buy them used. Buy them new. Collect them and read them again and again. Without exception, every book I\’ve read about handicapping has taught me something new about the game, or at least given me a new perspective.

If you are unwilling (or unable) to invest countless hours into watching and studying the races, I suggest you follow the advice of a professional handicapper. There is no shortage of tipsters available on the internet! No matter what race track you plan on visiting, there\’s at least a half dozen handicappers who will gladly give you their input on the day\’s racing card.

The next element of being successful at the track is money management. This part of the game is the easiest to learn but is the most difficult to implement. I can teach you all there is to know about money management in ten words: never wager more than five percent of your total bankroll! Sounds easy, doesn’t it? In theory, the five percent rule is easy to follow. But ask any gambler if they limit their wagers to five percent of their bankroll and they\’ll likely scoff at such an idea. When it comes to winning at the track, knowing how to properly manage a bankroll is what separates the winners from the losers. Do you want to be a winner or a loser? If you want to win, you must learn how to manage your money.

The third aspect of winning at the track is knowing how to wager. Like money management, this is easy to learn but difficult to implement. The bulk of your wagers should be straight win bets or Win/Place/Show bets. Sounds easy, right? If you like a particular horse, bet it to Win! Unfortunately, with the availability of exotic wagers, most gamblers get caught up in the big payoffs associated with exotic bets. Instead of being happy with payoffs of 2to1 or 3to1 on their wager, gamblers will try to get odds of 100 to1 or more.

The inherent and obvious problem with exotic wagers is the extremely low percentage chance of success. For example, in a ten horse field, if you bet one horse to Win, you automatically have a 10% chance to win your bet. But if you were to play an Exacta which requires picking the exact order of finish for the first two horses, then your chances of winning are reduced to about 1%. While the Exacta payoff often exceeds 50to1 or greater odds, the chances of winning are drastically reduced. Do you want to be successful at the track? Win bets or Win/Place/Show bets are always the best bets.

Don\’t let anyone tell you that horse racing is an unbeatable game. I\’ve beaten it. Making money at the track is possible. If you\’re willing to invest considerable time and energy into learning, you can become one of the few players in the game that earn a living at it.

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 at his website: how to win at horse racing.

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 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 at his website: how to win at horse racing.

Category: Recreation
Keywords: how to win at horse racing, gambling on horses, horse racing tips