We’ve all read about great handicappers who can make a living betting on horses, but how many people know what the life of a professional horse racing handicapper is really like? Many people fantasize about being able to earn a living by going to the race track. Some people think gambling or gambling is a fun way to live, but nothing could be further from the truth.
While it can be rewarding to be a professional handicapper and you really have to love it to be successful, it is also very hard work. There are days when it’s not fun being a handicap. There are days when you lose every final photo, when recreational punters do better than you, when things just don’t work out.
It’s a long drive home from the race track after a week of losing races. One theme is constant in the life of a horse player. Over and over he or she must ask, “What’s going on?”
The reason is that things are changing and you can’t stay stuck in this business and make money. The angle and information that worked to give you a 10% profit last year or last track probably won’t work today. So you have to constantly look at the notes you took last month, last week, last year, to figure out how the track is changing or even how the game is changing.
It’s called the curve and handicappers try to get ahead of it. Just as speed figures were once a gold mine for the few who knew how to use them, every innovation in handicap starts with a few really good handicaps, but then it catches on and the next thing you know, the advantage you had with your new angle it no longer works
The biggest secret to making money at the racetrack is to work hard and always question reality and what you are observing. That means you need to take good notes, not just on the horses, but also on how the crowd is betting and how the track is being played. You must constantly ask: “What is happening?” You then need to find a way to exploit that information before the crowd takes notice.