MY ADVICE FOR 2009

I believe I am qualified to give some advice having punted on horseracing for more years than most.
Rule 1 Do not bet odds on horses.
Rule 2 Do not bet on every race or even every racemeeting.
Rule 3 Do not bet more than you can afford to lose
Rule 4 Stay away from jockeys tips.Jockeys have buried more punters than those buried by undertakers.
Rule 5 Follow a hot stable as all stables have cycles with viruses etc.
Rule 6 Do not bet on any jockey with a strike rate of 5% or less
Rule 7 Same as above for a stable with a rate under 8%
Rule 8 In Gauteng back Strydom on anything 3 to 1 or better over 1800 or more
Rule 9 Same for Fortune in Cape Town or Kimberley but over any distance
Rule 10 ENJOY

Brilliant post, Geri - could not resist adding to it.

Don't show this to Scotia. He will break down if he sees Rule 1!

Rule 11 Sprints throw up more 'results' than races round the turn ( So refer to Rule 1 again ).
Rule 12 When the 'heart meets the head' you can bet your maximum.
Rule 13 Money cannot buy you a good horse
Rule 14 The horse does not know its price ( That refers to both its sale price as well as it's price in a betting market ).
Rule 15 Two leading trainers - MDK and Mike Bass - do not send out too many first time winners despite what the betting market would have you believe.
Rule 16 Almost anything untoward that occurs in a race will benefit the layer. Finding and successfully punting a winner requires an inordinate number of factors to fall your way.
Rule 17 The moment you start punting for anything other than fun you will probably get sour to the game.
Rule 18 Betting IS an addiction. The only variable is just HOW sick you really are for racing.
Rule 19 Your most memorable racing days may be the occasions where you got out of REALLY BIG TROUBLE in the last.

Been asked that question many times.Last race boet how do i get out?The only advice at that stage i would say is,at the gate boet.

Thought I was the only smart punter!
My greatest lesson,
I was earning about 6000 pa and had a few too many drinks.Fell in for 9000 over a holiday weekend,would have been able to pay ,just.
Got out the last two races and lost the commission to my bookmaker.
Can't remember if it was pounds or rands but it was in the timespan when we changed 1962?

more value betting an odds on winner,than an odds against loser just pick and choose ur short ones

The only reason not to back a short priced horse is if you suspect there may be skullduggery.Taking an R2000/2000 in the 1st and collecting before you take 50000/2000 your roughie in the last means your bet in the last is paid for.There is no problem backing short priced horses,but the problem comes in when you only back short priced horses.

Please God in 2009 let me break square ..I REALLY need the money

Very interesting posts.

I think it is possible to make money from horseracing or any form of gambling in the long run if one accepts and undertands the brutal facts.

1. There is no such thing as luck, certainties and hope, only statistical likelihoods or unlikelihoods
2. The betting market percentage needs to be virtually 100%
3. The more unregulated (crooked) the game the lower the reliabilty of the formbook, the greater the need for information (by information I don't mean opinions/tips)
4. Backing value does not exclude backing odds on favourites
5. A lack of detailed knowledge of all material factors regarding a horse/team's chances make accurately assessing those chances virtually impossible
6. Bookies will not lay odds to punters who win consistantly large amounts, hence the need for large betting pools or Betfair
7. One needs to bet significantly large amounts to maintain a decent advantage, which is unlikey to ever be more than 10-15% of actual money staked
8. The bigger the sample size, i.e. the number of bets, the greater the statistical likelihood of an event happening
9. Emotional/psychological awareness and discipline are as important as understanding the odds
10. Don't quit your day job unless you understand and implement all of the above!