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For some time now, America's number one greyhound racing
handicapping authority, Bill McBride, has been writing the
occasional feature article for PPM.
Our dog racing fans have welcomed his thoughtful
contributions.
Eighteen years ago Bill authored the Guide to Greyhound
Racing,
a worldwide bestseller in its field. Now retired from his sporting
goods business (he was named Ohio's Small Business Person
of the Year in 1988), Bill has put his expertise to work to come
up with a new book aimed at providing greyhound fans with a
blueprint to craft their own profitable plans.
The book is called How To Beat the Dog Races and,
believe me,
it's a goldmine of advice and information.
Let's face it, good books on greyhound racing are thin on
the
ground. I don't think we've seen one here for more than 25 years.
And as for a book solely on greyhound handicapping... well, if
there is one, no-one's told me about it.
The United States has a struggling greyhound racing industry,
but quite a number of books are published each year offering fresh
insights into handicapping. Most are $10 20-page stapled jobs.
This is a great pity because there is much in dog racing
which
offers an enormous challenge to the 'thinking' punter. Any
edge
you can obtain over your fellow punter can mean cash in your
pocket. This, after all, is what any form of racing betting is
about,
securing that little bit of extra information or insight that your
rival
punters do not have.
Reading up as much as you can on as many aspects of dog racing
as possible is a sure way to give yourself a start on your
opposition. Sometimes all it takes is the advantage of one
isolated angle to give you that head start.
Bill McBride's book should be required reading for any dog fan
with a penchant for 'getting it right' more than getting it all
wrong.
'Bad Bill,' as he's affectionately known, covers all the angles
with
great care.
His chapter on 'developing the most opportune wagers' is
an
example of Bill's ability to zero in on a subject and analyze
and
dissect the ins and outs of it. He is adamant that a punter needs
to
fit his betting with his handicapping.
He sums it up this way: A) your wagering must be fitted to
your
handicapping skills, B) your bets must be made to mesh with your
handicapping accuracy, C) you must customize your wagering
approach to your own handicapping results.
Bill writes: Hundreds of times, in interviews, talk shows,
etc., I've
been asked what is the best pool to bet in. Win? Place? Quinella?
Trifecta? Or what?
'No-one, including me, can answer that, for another person. I
do
know what's best for me under certain circumstances. That's how
I make a profit!
'But I can't tell anyone else what would work best for them,
nor
can any other teacher. For example, if I could pick 8 winners
out of ten, I might decide that a win bet is my best choice. If
I
told you to bet only for the win, and you could only pick four
winners out of ten (not really too bad), the same bet would
not
work at all well for you.
"By the way, I can't pick eight winners out of ten in dog
racing,
and don't think I've yet met the person who can.
"Or, in another case, if I told you that you had to reach
clear down
to your sixth selection when betting trifectas on Grade D races
and your own handicapping skills made that unnecessary, then my
approach would increase the cost of your wagers needlessly.
Bill explains that what he can do is tell punters how to find
out
what their best pool and wager opportunities are.
The McBride Formula, as I like to call it, is spelled out
clearly
in each chapter of this book. I like very much his thoughts on
trifecta betting.
Now, Bill McBride has been handicapping the dogs for some 25
years and writing and teaching on the subject for the past 16
years, and he readily admits he would have a hard time landing
a straight 1-2-3 trifecta in one of 100 races.
He writes: "I'm not particularly embarrassed by that
because
I know that dog races work out that way. So if we would say
that my inability to predict any better than this is a weakness,
then
I have had to learn how to play with my weakness.
"So must you. Pride is commendable and I like to think
that the
handicapper is a craftsman who should rightfully be proud of his
or her skill. But, this is one trade in which it is virtually
impossible
to reach perfection.
"Too often, as we feel that we're getting pretty darned
good at
handicapping, we find it hard to swallow our pride and concede
that a dog we have rated as our fifth or sixth selection just might
finish far better than that.
"So, in our pride, we hesitate to put any of our money on
this
inconceivable possibility, and leave those dogs out of our wager.
Often, this costs us a win. We may still have our pride, but we've
got yet another losing ticket.
Although Bill McBride's book is written with US dog racing
experience, the fact is that dog racing there and in Australia have
much in common, so just about everything he writes about is
relevant to the Aussie dog bettor.
America has eight-dog races, just as we have. Much of
our
betting is now via the tote, as is all betting in the States.
We like to concentrate on the exotics, especially trifectas,
and so
do the Americans.
Covering everything from grading and favourites through
to
statistical and situational handicapping to money management
and systems, How To Beat the Dog Races is a welcome addition
to the ranks of greyhound racing literature. It's good,
intelligent
reading for both novice and experienced greyhound handicappers.
Even if you only end up using tidbits of advice from 'Bad Bill,' I'm
sure your betting will benefit.
-- GEORGE 'BARKER' BELLFIELD
If you want to WIN
you can't do without Bill McBride's HOW TO BEAT THE DOG RACES.
To order:
Pay
by credit card by clicking here.
Or send check or
money order for $23 (Shipping via U.S.P.S. is included) ($30 total
outside the US) to:
Bad Bill's
Publishing
59 Dover Ct.
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 |
Questions? E-mail:
BADBILL507@aol.com |
