Top Ten Reasons I Win At The Track, And You Don't

I've decided to kick off the official PAP Blog with an in-your-face reality check regarding why I make money when I bet horseraces, and why you do not. You won't find much mention of me on various message boards, mostly becuase I've been banned for "troublemaking," such as when I ask the site's sponsors how much they win betting, and if they can prove it with IRS documentation, the way I do on the PAP site.

Over the next several posts, I will count down the top ten reasons losing horseplayers (that's you) give your money to the winning players (that's me and those who use the PAP sheets). I'm not going to reveal your handicapping mistakes, because that would be just plain stupid, but all the other mistakes that set the table for the handicapping mistakes, and the various lifestyle, psychological, and emotional mistakes that cause most every nonprofessional gambler to self-sabotage.

In 1986, the first time I won enough money to pay my bills for a few months or longer, an amazing number of haters felt compelled to "save" me from myself, by "warning " me that "you can't beat the races." The psychological abuse was distracting, and the last thing I needed, having just dropped out of college with a 4.0 GPA, and not having many other options for making money. Making speed-figures was actually very inexpensive, as it took all day, and nothing more than a Daily Racing Form. The money I won was from "thin air" as my starting bankroll was all of $15.00, and worked its way into the thousands.

Eventually, I left Manhattan for other reasons, and it took a while to rebuild my edge in Philadelphia. When I did, in 1990-1991, I banked for almost two years, with Mom and I scoring about $20,000.00+ in profits, according to the "signers" we hit (tax records). Beyer than sold his figures to the DRF, and I did not rebuild my edge until PAP matured about five years ago. After a few bumps, it's been pretty much smooth sailing ever since, and it's getting smoother. In other words, I know my shit, and, if you are like most horseplayers, you do not.

To those who want to try the PAP sheets, we put free ones up on our site, while we sell sheets for any card one wants, though it's pricey. The Price And Probability book explains enough of the method for the reader to implement a profitable version on his own, but I write here for all of those who smugly say that if your picks won, you'd just be betting them and wouldn't have to sell them. Way ahead of all of you on that, but if someone wants to pay me for a sheet I've already done for myself, they can be my guest. I can always hit the pools they don't, or just play another track that day.

When I see horse racing fora online populated by idiots who think anyone with truly profitable information would share it for free, I both cringe and laugh, but mostly laugh, because these are the people who fund my game, and I've learned to bless their ignorance.

Stay tuned for the top ten reasons I win at the track and you do not. Maybe you'll learn something, but I doubt it. Horseplayers are pretty fucking stupid (thank God).

Ray Gordon is a one-time winner of the Handigambling contest in Dan Ilman's Blog on the Daily Racing Form site.