Monday, October 31, 2011

Pick The Ponies - Pre Tournament Preparation

Pick The Ponies Handicapping Tournament - Las Vegas Hilton – November 2-4, 2011 – Breeders Cup Edition

With only a few days until the beginning of the Las Vegas Hilton Pick the Ponies tournament, what do you need to do to get ready?

Over the past 10+ years that I have been entering Pick the Ponies, I have developed some preparation ideas that I want to share in this post. The 3 areas of focus are:

-  Tools
-  Practice
-  Mindset

The first thing I do in preparing for Pick the Ponies is to ensure I have my handicapping tools ready for the intense 3 day "battle".  The first area I focus on is the physical tools I use to handicap that include multi color pens & highlighters and post it note pads.  These help keep me organized when you have 3-5 races going off at any given time.

The next set of tools are the handicapping tools which include access to include Brisnet tools such as "Winners Choice" reports, the Daily Racing Form and the free tools available from Twinspires.

After I gather all of my tools, it is time to practice.  Tournament handicapping is quite a bit different than normal race handicapping in that you are competing against other handicappers not just selecting a horse you think can win.  The practice I do is looking at race cards at various tracks and handicap for value not just the winning horse.  To win the Pick the Ponies you will need to beat 199 other handicappers.

My practice sessions are reviewing and testing various long shot systems that have worked for me in previous contests.

Mindset is to me the most important of the areas that I focus on in preparation for Pick the Ponies.  As discussed above, tournament strategy is different than handicapping a normal race card.  The mindset I use is to look at each of the 3 days of the contest as an opportunity to pick the best 10 races that have "long shot"potential. If a race has two or three horses that have short odds, I will skip the race and not even watch it and move on to other races.

Another key is to remember that your entry fee has purchased you 30 entries not 30 bets.  I do not consider each entry as a bet as you would at a track or OTB. When the horse you selected does not finish in the money, you did not lose a bet you just have one less opportunity to add points to your overall score.

The last and most important mind set is to have FUN.  You are in Vegas, in a great sports book, take time to enjoy the environment, relax and have a good time.  Life is too short to stress about things you have no control over, once you select a horse for the contest enjoy.

BTW A good book for more information on Horse Handicapping contests is:

Friday, October 28, 2011

Santa Anita Handicapping Contest

Santa Anita is holding a $40 handicapping contest each Friday, Saturday & Sunday during the 2011 Autumn Meet.  The contest requires a $10 entry fee and $30 live money wagering card.

This handicapping tournament is a "real money" contest that requires a $3 Win/Place bet placed in 5  live Santa Anita races on the day of entry. The player with the highest bank roll on their wagering card at the end of the final race will be the winner of the contest.

Prizes are:
1st  = $500
2nd = $200
3rd = $100

In addition the top 3 finishers qualify for the finals to be held on November 6 in which the winner take all prize of  $5,000.

All monies that remain on the wagering card at the end of the race day remain with the player

Up to 2 entries can be purchased at the Thoroughbred Center @ Santa Anita.

Winners from previous weeks can be found HERE

For more information on Horse Handicapping contest, take a look at the following book:

Monday, October 3, 2011

Pick The Ponies - Las Vegas Hilton – November 2-4, 2011 – Breeders Cup Edition

Pick The Ponies Handicapping Tournament - Las Vegas Hilton – November 2-4, 2011 – Breeders Cup Edition
Its time for fall "Pick the Ponies" horse handicapping tournament at the Las Vegas Hilton. Pick the Ponies XLIV is held the same week as the Breeders Cup so you will get to watch and bet the 5 Friday Breeders Cup Races (schedule HERE) while competing for your share of the prize pool listed below.
Pick the Ponies was my first handicapping tournament in May 1999 with a fellow handicapper (NYCapper). This November's tournament will be my 17th Pick the Ponies with 5 cashes including a 1st place finish in 2007 and a 2nd in 2001, I consider this the best handicapping tournament for my money. I have entered many other tournaments around Las Vegas / US, but none come close to Pick the Ponies in terms of value and enjoyment.es is a great handicapping tournament series that is held 3 times a year in May (Kentucky Derby Week), August (Travers & Pacific Classic) and this fall tournament in conjunction with the Breeders Cup.
Pick the Ponies is rated as my “BEST” for a number of reasons:
  • Contest is capped at 200 entrants
  • Assigned Seating in the Worlds Largest Race & Sports Book not a hotel ballroom
  • Multiple big-screens, including a massive 15' x 20' screen & individual monitors at each seat
  • Best & Friendliest race book staff in Vegas
  • Free Buffet @ Hilton Buffet next to Sports Book
  • Vegas Weather is great in early November
Over the next few weeks leading up to Pick the Ponies XLIV, I will be writing a number of blog entries describing the details of this tournament and some tips on how I handicap for this tournament, so check back often.

Pick the Ponies XLIV

Entry Fee = $ 500 ($450 if before October 24)
Wagering = Win, Place, Show on 10 races / day
Tracks = Designated, TBA
Races = Any Race at designated track
Contact = 888-457-3307
(Rosemary or Ray)

Prize Structure (based upon 200 entries)



1st $38,000


2nd $19,000


3rd $9,000


4th & 5th $4,500


'6th - 10th $2,000


'11th - 20th $1,000


'21th - 30th $500







Daily Bonus Prizes (provided by LV Hilton)



1st $2,500


2nd $1,500


3rd $1,000






To learn more about the strategy behind winning a tournament buy the book 
Handicapping Contest Handbook, Revised and Updated: A Horseplayer's Guide to Handicapping Tournaments