Customer Reviews

Money Secrets At The Racetrack

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is a clear and well written book devoted to the premise that the way to prosper at the racetrack is to seek value in your betting methodology. It is one of those books you read and afterwards say, "Of course, that is so obvious." The only criticism I have is that it really doesn't give you much insight into learning how to assign probabilities to the various horses in any particluar race. You are told this is vital to your success or failure but are not given a methodology designed to help you assign those probabilities. Still this is one of the best books ever written about parimutual gambling.

I have read every serious book on handicapping I can find, and most of them end up gathering dust on the bookshelf after one or two readings - but not this one. This book is about money management and mathmatical probabilities of horseracing and for most horse players - that's where their game needs improvement. Afterall, if you handicap it right, and bet it wrong, the return will still be zero. Buy the book and then follow the advice - especially for Pick 3's, which is terrific.

This is absolutely essential reading for anyone who is seriously trying to win money at the track!Barry touches on a subject that is the most neglected part of the game-getting down the right bet at the right time! This is not a "how to pick'em book. God knows that subject has been covered to the hilt.This book gives you sound advice on how to play the horses for "value." Meadow covers every type of bet and then discusses the optimum situations under which to make exacta plays, place and showbets, the exotics etc. Includes charts that are easy to understand and thankfully bypasses the complicated mathematical analysis that sometimes weighs down other books that deal with the subject.

Another view that many handicappers, make that most handicappers don't fully utilize. Barry Meadows spells it out, and shows the bettor how to get the most money for their money wagered. I have noticed a better return on my winnings since I have read the book.

After you strip away that which is intuitively obvious...there's not much here. There are some betting strategies if you're the type to bet $300 on a Pick 3 or $2,500 on a Pick 6. Otherwise, I'd give this book a miss.

For a serious starter in horse racing, this book tells you how you should manage your wagering money and how to bet effectively and efficiently. However, this book will be too simple for a horseplayer who has been serious in horse racing for quite a long time.

Meadows helps to boil down some complex calculations (that you can use in the 30 minutes between races) to help serious bettors make smart plays, especially on exactas and other exotics. He provides convenient, reproducible charts that help you see at a glance which exacta combos make sense for you. He also gives you a way to find show and place bets with value, something many other books ignore or only give lip service to.

Don't expect much from this book if you're not a handicapper who makes your own line, all the management comes from the difference in your odds and the public's. And he doesn't show you how to make a line - there are plenty of other books that help with that.

For those reviewers who were put off by the larger bankrolls Meadows uses in his examples, the strategies work just as well for a $2 bettor as a $200 one, it's just a matter of moving the decimal point!

This is one of the best three horse racing books I've read. This book is not filled with pages of re-prints from the Daily Racing Forms or selection-oriented analysis. Instead there are a number of useful tables and charts. If you are a value-oriented handicapper, this book is for you. This book walks through the math of track payoffs and shows the reader where there may be overlooked opportunities. Bet this chalk, it's a sure thing!

Barry Meadows statigies for Win Place Show, Daily Doubles, Exactas, and Pick-3's were excellent. The charts he has availble for the reader are very handy for these types of wagers. When I make these bets these are the only methods I use.

The Trifecta techniques were so-so, and I was very disapointed that the book didn't cover the Superfecta. I also would have liked it, if the Place Pick All were covered, but I haven't found a book yet that gives advise on this type of bet.

The Pick-4 and Pick-6 Templates are great. I always refer to the templates when I have to bring the cost of my ticket down. It's quick and easy.

Barry Meadow's "Money Secrets At The Racetrack" is the best book ever written on the subject of money management and the science of betting on horses, in my opinion. He covers every aspect of wagering and has used extensive research to formulate his ideas. In the parlance of racing, this book is a "sure thing" to improve the success of every bettor, whether novice or veteran.