[RichieP]

I bet pick 3's and daily doubles exclusively for over 5 years from 1994-1999. I don't ever remember making a win bet. I paid my bills and supported a 15k a year powder habit doing it.

I would play pick 3's only when I could find a single in one race and he was nowhere near being a favorite. The other 2 races I would go 2-4 deep depending on contention/value. This was when I was typing in pace lines from the Racing Form to Pace Launcher 4.

My biggest hit:
It was Breeder's Cup day and i had gone to the Meadowlands to bet it and then take in the live card that night if I was still solvent. I had a $250.00 bank for the day. I bet the Breeder's Cup and got smashed. Had like 20 bucks left at card's end. I was sitting in the Franchises and had a table with this dude Dave (sort of friend at the time). I decided to take a walk outside to get air as I was preparing to pack up and bail.

As I walked out of the Franchises there was a bank of those betting terminals. I heard one buzzing and there was nobody at any of them. I walked over and saw a $192.00 balance showing. Someone walked away from it. I got the voucher went and cashed it and then proceeded to start capping that nights Meadowlands card.

It was an off track. I remember because I found a horse in the very last race of the night named Chinese Checkers at 20/1 morning line. He was like 3 for 60 or something crazy like that. But on wet tracks he was 2 wins and a second from maybe 5 starts. He looked horrible recently flashing speed and quitting like he was shot each time by the 1/2. All the way on the bottom of his pp's showed a slop race where he wired the field at long odds. I used that line and typed it into Pl4 along with the rest of the field. Old "Chinese" was right on top of the pile if he could somehow get back to that long ago line.

I told Dave I was singling him and worked up a ticket going 3x3x1 which was 9 clams for every dollar ticket. I gave him my numbers and went up to bet. I punched the ticket 3 times for a buck each and came back. First leg I get the win at maybe 11-12 beans something like that. The second leg I catch a longer priced horse again. I forget the exact price but it was well into double digits.

I'm psyched cause now I am into the last leg and they flash the $2.00 pay with "Chinese" at well over 3 grand. I'm holding 3 $1.00 tickets on the number. Dave comes up and asks if he is partners with me cause he didn't bet on his own. I laughed in his face and said NO. Silly rabbit.

I went outside to watch the race and Chinese was breaking from the rail I believe. he goes off long odds. Don't remember exact. Gate pops and Chinese goes right to the top as he always did.

Only this time he never stopped and wired the field winning by a neck. I remember running outside down the stretch trying to get him home. Lmao

I had Dave cash the tickets for me threw him like 500 bucks and walked out with thousands where a few hours earlier I was basically busted. True story.

Then I got busted in 2000 spent 2 years away from society to come back in May of 2002.

Funny thing is when I came back I completely changed my betting 180 degrees to strictly win betting. I guess I needed to completely block out that part of my life and I have never gone back to the exotic bet save a couple of scant times.

Back then there wasn't rolling picks like they have now to the best of my knowledge.

Find a value singleton in one of the races and build the ticket around him (her). That was my M.O.