Gambling and discipline

For people who are new to the idea of trying to win money on horse racing, it may be worthwhile pausing for a moment or two to consider exactly what your plan of attack may be - and the discipline needed to carry it through to a hopefully successful conclusion.

For others that have been around the game for a while may be also a worthwhile moment to make sure you have adopted an approach that will stand the test of time.

In my opinion, and bear in mind I am wrong more times than I am right, you simply HAVE to know every bet you are going to make for the day BEFORE the day even gets started. A far wiser man than I once said "failing to plan is simply planning to fail". This all comes to the fore again after watching and listening to good old Sky Channel yesterday afternoon and listening to the talking head in the studio waxing lyrical about big jackpots coming up on this weekend's Sydney racing on trifectas and first fours. "Million dollar jackpots- great opportunity - what a great giveaway by the TAB" etc etc etc. Umm - no - they are not giving away anything. They are merely redistributing other people's money after taking their hefty chunk of the action.

The people at Sky Channel are of course dependant on increasing turnover to keep their well paid jobs bubbling along nicely thank you. They NEED you to bet more than what you had otherwise planned to so that turnover / percentage cuts keep escalating. It's a lot of the reason why they keep harping on about oh, there's been a good move on course for this and more money on course for that and what great value this is on the tote, etc etc etc.

All aimed at encouraging the unaware to fork out another tenner or twenty on these "movers" that you hadn't probably even considered as a strong chance up until that moment in time. And if you don't personally believe it IS a strong chance, why the hell would you be putting your money on it.

Similarly, with all the wonderful "jackpots" and special "this weekend only bonus trifectas / first fours" etc etc they grind away at, ask yourself this: do you NORMALLY bet on trifectas and first fours? If so, then there is a marginally better offer there than what you may normally expect. If you don't normally chase the exotics, why on earth would you start now?

ALL these promos and pre-race chatter are designed to increase your turnover / their take - nothing else. Repeat - NOTHING ELSE. You winning or losing doesn't matter a damn to them. The game is turnover.

If you have determined at the start of the day that there are three or five or seven - whatever - number of bets that you are going to have, determined by your analysis approach, stick to that. DO NOT deviate from it. Don't be swayed by the "wow, there's a big trifecta jackpot on the next at Hawkesbury" and then find yourself trying to do worthwhile form analysis on the run to get your wonderful trifecta jackpot chasing bet on before they jump. It is highly unlikely to be a winning bet.

Don't be swayed by the urgers. There's a wonderful button on my TV remote control. It has a symbol of a loud speaker with a cross through it. Yes - correct - the "mute button". You will find over the period of time this is a very handy innovation. It means you don't have to absorb all these audio sales messages being beamed your way by people who want you to make those random bets that rarely win and increase the tote turnover. Use it.

Every day, by 10am, I know EXACTLY which horses I am betting on for the day. I don't deviate. The only difference will be if I am betting level stakes set and forget or chasing race to race - all depending on which approach I may be using to achieve a desired result. As time goes past I drift more and more to the set and forget approach - probably because I am time poor at the moment and find the set and forget a better alternative for me and my punting lifestyle. Every punter will be different from every one else.

The one thing that is for sure is this - if you are swayed by these "huge trifecta jackpots", "great first four jackpot" sales messages when they are not your every day normal "go", if you are talked in to these "big move for this on course" without knowing anything about it, you will almost certainly lose over the long term. It's why they employ talking heads to deliver the sales message.

Have a plan. Stick to it. If you're wrong, well, you're wrong. If your right, your end result will not be depreciated by silly random bets along the way.

It's called discipline, Joyce!