In the last two parts of this series, I’ve taken you through 26 areas which pinpoint ways you can give your betting an extra edge, enabling you to hit top gear. This third and final article in the series provides some more ideas.

(27) CHECK OUT THE CHARTS
What do I mean by the charts? I’m talking of the turn-and-finish pictures in the Sportsman, which cover Melbourne and Sydney city meetings, and any results charts you can obtain, with full finish positions.

You can learn so much from looking at the camera charts. Where was a horse on the home turn, and where did it finish? Check out the stewards’ report for the race, and, if you can, take a look at the video replay.

You’ll soon have a full idea of what went on in the race and which horses you should be looking out for next time around.

(28) MAKE UP YOUR MIND
One of the first lessons I learned in betting was to make up my mind and not waver at the last minute. Those collywobbles just before the "off", which often see punters change their minds, and their bets, can, in the long run, prove disastrous.

I recall in the late '70s changing my mind with a couple of minutes to go, and running off to bet the favourite instead of the 12/1 chance I’d been intending to back! No need to tell you which of the two ended up the winner.

(29) CLOSE YOUR EARS
Never listen to "advice" from someone you’ve never seen before, like the bloke in the pub who earbashes you.
Why should you listen to him? For all you know, he’s lost a fortune betting on the races.

(30) BET WITHIN YOUR MEANS
Never bet beyond your means. Simple as that. It’s something that needs to be said twice in a series like this one, because it’s so important. Once your betting gets out of hand. . . it means trouble.

(31) PATTERN SEEKING
Try to work out patterns in a horse’s form. It’s amazing how many horses have their various campaigns worked out in the same fashion and how often they manage to stick to the script!

(32) KEEP A JOURNAL
Most people can’t be bothered keeping a diary. Serious punters should make themselves work at such a thing.
Having a day-to-day diary of your betting adventures will ultimately prove enormously useful. Write down what you bet, why you bet it, and what happened.

You’ll soon begin to understand yourself more as a punter and be able to correct the mistakes that will leap out of the page.

(33) BODY LANGUAGE
Why not make more of an effort to understand the physical complex­ities of the racehorse? If you can look at a horse and know when it’s fit, then you’re giving yourself a nice edge over the crowd.

(34) HANDLE LOSING STREAKS
Make yourself aware of the perils of the losing run. Even if you have a win-strike rate of 25 per cent, there’s a 5 per cent chance that you will encounter losing streaks of at least 11 and a 1 per cent chance of a losing run of 17 or more.

(35) SYSTEM WATCHING
Don’t be like some people and dismiss systems out of hand. All approaches are systematic to some extent. Systems, even very simple ones, can be effective. Why not test out this one: If the favourite is unraced, back the next horse in the betting that has raced.

(36) KEEP UP YOUR SPIRITS
Don’t fall prey to pessimism when you’re on a bad trot. It’s important to be optimistic, positive and ready to take risks at any time in your betting life. Black moods, feelings of hopelessness are of no use. If you get really down in the dumps, stop betting for a while, think about other things, refresh yourself.

(37) SINGLE WIN BETS
For the simplest approach, stick to single win bets at level stakes.

(38) MINIMUM ODDS
The great UK professional Alan Potts says you should maintain a minimum acceptable price of 2/1, and this advice makes good sense. He also says you should think twice about any bet at under 4/1.
Potts wins big money year in, year out; he knows what he’s talking about.

(39) DISTANCE BETS
Why not concentrate on a distance range? Many professionals say they bet only on races at 1600m and further. They claim you need a lot more luck in sprint races, while in the longer races something can go wrong but a horse has the chance to overcome the trouble and win.

(40) AVOID THE FIRST RACE
Why consider letting the first race go by? This gives you the chance to observe the going and any effect of the barrier draw, especially on days when the track is affected by rain.

(41) NO BETS, NO PROBLEM
Alan Potts is a great believer in this maxim: No bet is no problem. Unlike most punters who seek action in every race, serious bettors know there is no problem in missing a race, even missing a meeting. As sure as the sun rises, there’ll be more race meetings, and easier targets than the ones you have missed.

(42) SMALL BUT USEFUL
Don’t ignore the minor trainers who take on the "big boys" in major races . . . give them respect. The logic is simple: The small man needs winners to make his name and to retain his owners and to simply survive.

(43) NEGATIVE LISTS
We all know it can be very helpful to keep a list of horses to follow but it’s also a good idea to keep a list of horses to oppose!

Some horses are born losers but they run well enough without winning to keep punters coming in on them time and again. Check out these non-winners and put them on a blacklist.

(44) CHECK YOUR APPROACH
You really need to set up a proper approach with proper goals for each year’s betting. Think about the following:

(a) What are your profit expectations?
(b) How many bets will you have?
(c) How many losers can you afford?

(45) MONEY SKILLS
Develop your money skills. That is, your money management skills. The punter MUST manage the money, not the money manage the punter.

Placing of bets and the amount of the stake must be decisions taken in isolation and not based on the results of previous bets, says Alan Potts.

(46) REALITY CHECKING
In the move from mug punter to professional punter the hard part is always facing up to the reality that there will be more losers than winners, more losing days than winning days, more losing weeks, and so on.

Understand this. Record all your bets, analyse them and put everything into perspective.

(47) BIG-RACE CHECK
Some professionals never feel happy if they bet on a big race and leave out a really great jockey who is riding everything to victory. I know pro’s who will always take savers at least on big-race riders.
An example was in the Melbourne Cup: A professional friend backed Jardine’s Lookout but took savers on Glen Boss and Damien Oliver. It paid off. "I just couldn’t not back these blokes in a major race," he says.

(48) PICK 'EM BLIND
My pal The Optimist says he never looks at pre-post prices when he is working out the form. It’s something for everyone to consider.

"It influences the thinking too much if you see the market beforehand," says The Optimist.

(49) PLACE HAS ITS PLACE
If you’re a punter who hates risk, then go for place betting. Go for doubles and trebles, and consider using The Patent, an English method of 3 singles, 3 doubles and a treble.

(50) THE FINAL AIMS
So, these 50 points come to a conclusion. Bet safely, but don’t shy away from a risk or two, pick your betting spots carefully, have a proper approach with a proper target in mind over 12 months, study the form . . . and make your decisions with care and good sense.

Click here to read Part 2.
Click here to read Part 1.

By Richard Hartley Jnr

PRACTICAL PUNTING - JANUARY 2004