"Pick the Ponies" horse handicapping tournament at the Las Vegas Hilton completed day 2 on Friday with another day of relatively short odds. Average Day 3 winning total is $10,552 with today's winner only reaching $6,895 which again is a new record LOW (old record low was $ 7,470) for Day 3 of the 16 contests that I have participated in the past 11 years.
The overall 3 day tournament total was close to the average over the past 11 years of $18,440. This years top 3 finishers were:
# 148 Mandanrino $ 17,835
# 49 Minton $ 15,070
# 47 Panaggio $ 13,980
The 30th and final money prize went to:
#15 Chin $8,935
Given that each entry was given $ 9,000 in hypothetical money at the beginning of the 3 day contest, two people earned prize money for not even breaking even on their contest bets. First time in my 11 years that this has occurred.
HRT411 earned only ~$2,000 on Friday for a 3 day total of $7,000 to finish in the top 70 but out of the money.
As usual, it was a great contest hosted at the Hilton by Rosemary, Jay and their staff.
Thanks and see everyone next May !!!!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Day 2 - Pick the Ponies
RETURN to "Normal"
"Pick the Ponies" horse handicapping tournament at the Las Vegas Hilton completed day 2 on Thursday with a more "normal" contest day after a record chalk day 1. A number of long shots were scored including a 36-1 horse at Churchill in the slop.
The 3 Daily Price winners were:
#51 - $9,650
#131 - $9,545
#136 - $8,825
Average for Day 2 over the past 10 years has been $8,577.
Cumulative leader after day 2 is #148 with a total of $12,305
HRT411 collected just over $4,000 to move into the top 100. Need a big day on Friday to get in the money.
Day 3 of Pick the Ponies is always exciting as contestants "swing for the fences" on long shots in an effort to catch the leaders.
Pick the Ponies XLIV Friday session includes the 5 races from the Breeders Cup (schedule HERE) from Churchill Downs.
"Pick the Ponies" horse handicapping tournament at the Las Vegas Hilton completed day 2 on Thursday with a more "normal" contest day after a record chalk day 1. A number of long shots were scored including a 36-1 horse at Churchill in the slop.
The 3 Daily Price winners were:
#51 - $9,650
#131 - $9,545
#136 - $8,825
Average for Day 2 over the past 10 years has been $8,577.
Cumulative leader after day 2 is #148 with a total of $12,305
HRT411 collected just over $4,000 to move into the top 100. Need a big day on Friday to get in the money.
Day 3 of Pick the Ponies is always exciting as contestants "swing for the fences" on long shots in an effort to catch the leaders.
Pick the Ponies XLIV Friday session includes the 5 races from the Breeders Cup (schedule HERE) from Churchill Downs.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
DAY 1 - Pick The Ponies - Las Vegas Hilton – November 2-4, 2011
Chalk Rules !!!
Today's tracks of CD, DEL, HAW, LRL were the chalkiest of all tracks that I have seen in my 10+ years at Pick the Ponies. The longest pay I saw was 21.00 to win.
Stats for day 1 were:
1st $ 4,820
2nd $ 4,440
3rd $ 4.060
To provide some context, the 14 contest that I have entered over the past 10 years and have stats for the AVG day 1 #s were:
1st $ 8,407
2nd $ 7,273
3rd $ 7,040
So nearly 50% of the normal totals of day 1. Remember that Pick the Ponies is a $100 WPS contest, so every contestant wagered $3,000 in the 10 races they bet.
Congrats to the daily prize winners contest #s of 49, 5, 148 who won $2,500, 1,500 and 1,000 respectively.
Good Luck to the other 165 contestants who have a chance in Days 2 & 3. (Even the 25 entries who were shut out on Day 1)
BTW - HRT411 had less than $500 in day one but is ready for day 2 !!! Longshot systems do not always work :-(
BTW 2 - Rule 3 in Prep - Mindset - had a great time with Magic and Mona tonight !!!
BTW 2 - Rule 3 in Prep - Mindset - had a great time with Magic and Mona tonight !!!
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:
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:
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)
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 | |||
Friday, September 16, 2011
Fall Classic at the Orleans
The next horse racing tournament in the Coast Casinos Handicaping Championship Series is the "Fall Classic at the Orleans" scheduled for October 13-15, 2011 @ Orleans Hotel & Casino.
Top 25 contestants qualify for the 2012 Coast Casinos Horse Player World Series
This a "WIN" wager only contest. So unlike some other tournaments that allow wagers on Win, Place or Win, Place, Show or even Exotic wagering, this tourney requires you to pick horses you are confident can win the race.
This a "WIN" wager only contest. So unlike some other tournaments that allow wagers on Win, Place or Win, Place, Show or even Exotic wagering, this tourney requires you to pick horses you are confident can win the race.
Details of the contest are:
Entry Fee = $ 500
Wagering = Win wager on 12 selections per Day
Races = Any Race at designated track
Designated Tracks = Belmont, Calder, Laurel, Woodbine, Keeneland, Hawthorne, Santa Anita
Races = Any Race at designated track
Designated Tracks = Belmont, Calder, Laurel, Woodbine, Keeneland, Hawthorne, Santa Anita
Contact = 888-566-7223
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