Please Join the August Contest!

[Ted Craven]

I want to invite as many people as possible to join the RDSS - Learn to Win contest in August. We have revised the rules somewhat to encourage optimal betting practices (within the overall Win, Place format) and made a few other scoring changes which I think will make for a stronger contest.

Please read the Changes for August, here: http://paceandcap.com/forums/showpos...81&postcount=5

The updated Official Rules for August are here: http://paceandcap.com/forums/showpos...80&postcount=4

Briefly:

1) Your Bankroll is your Contest Score. Plus, you get a Bonus if your Hit Rate exceeds 50% (.500)

2) Hit Rate is changed such that Place bets only count as a 'hit' if the Place mutuel is as good as or better than the Win mutuel (i.e. it was a better bet).

4) If you finish one 20 race cycle, you can start another one. Your best (complete) cycle is the one which counts in the Contest.

3) The RDSS Subscription prizes now require at least a breakeven Bankroll ($2000) PLUS a 50% Hit Rate.

We have at least $200 in Cash and RDSS Data Prizes for August, and the prize fund may rise significantly yet.

Our Contest Spreadsheet can help you see where your best betting opportunities come from and help you learn the discipline to make effective use of the RDSS tools and the Methodology multi-pool, multi-horse betting strategies. We continue to encourage Players to describe their analysis decisions, both for the benefit of others - AND themselves.

If you're new to RDSS - please join us and learn to Win (RDSS evaluators welcomed - win your annual Subscription). If you are an expert, we appreciate you taking the time to teach and help others improve their game (and take home unlimited data or a cash prize).

I also want to say - although a single 20 race cycle in a month is no particular proof of ongoing excellence - there is a remarkable majority of Players this month who are at, or well above breakeven. You could do worse (financially) than to watch for and bet some people's selections, plus int he long run, really improve your game by watching their play and emulating it (or asking them for a few pointers).

The July daily Contest Summary: http://paceandcap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8447

The August Contest Forum will go up this Weekend - come one, come all!

See you there!

Ted

[JimG]

So, if you put all $100 to place on a horse, and it wins, do you get credit for a hit? What if it just places and the winner pays more?

Jim

[Bill V.]

You get a hit because your place bet was your only bet
You may make the bet you descibe.

Ted, Question from me
Lets say I bet $70 win on horse A
and $30 place on Horse B

Horse A runs off the board
Horse B places and pays $9.00
Horse C wins and pays $7.00

Do I get a hit because the place price is higher than the winners price ?
Thanks
Bill

[Bill V.]

I just spoke to Ted and we have come to the conclusion that unfortunately
In your example you would not get a hit. You would only get the money amount added to your bankroll


For some honest people who do possess the proper skill to make place bets in some situations, I'm sorry that this skill is being taken
away from you. Unfortunately because of the potential for miss use of the hit rate clause , and
In keeping the true spirit of teaching people how to win and not bet foolishly we must disallow a hit on
place only wagers

I for one think its a sad decision but do we have an alternative ?

For The little kid in all of us
Just Do The Best You Can !

[Ted Craven]

We thought long and hard about how to improve the rules. We wanted to discourage what I would call 'frivolous' Place wagers which only serve to increase the Hit Rate but do not really make money, or which misuse a wager unit over the long term.

Betting on a legitimate longshot to Place is a good idea, and there are numerous examples of it in the July and June Contests. We arrived at the rules modification: to increase Hit Rate the Place mutuel needs to meet or beat the Win mutuel. To permit a 'hit' on any Place mutuel, regardless of how much it pays, permits bets like $100 Place on an EVEN odds winner. This kind of bet would increase Hit Rate, but it would not be profitable in the long run, and likely the same person who might bet it in the Contest, would never think of doing it in reality.

I agree with Bill - it is unfortunate that if you have identified the best bet in the race, and it is on a horse who stands a better chance to Place than to Win - why be denied a legitimate 'hit' if that's the bet you were really aiming for, just because your longshot horse happens to win (and you only bet it to Place)? The solution, of course, is to have something to Win on it however small - then it's always a hit.

Our new rule about Place bets only counting as a hit if they pay more than the Win Mutuel may not be pure and perfect, but I do think it tightens up the intent of rewarding good Place bets with a hit, while preventing or discouraging bad Place bets. And the notion of Hit rate, and a rewarding a Hit rate > 50%, encourages the consistency factor we wanted to emphasize in this Contest.

A reminder - as our rules currently stand for August, you do get a hit on a Place bet - if the Place mutuel is equal to or greater than the Win mutuel.

If anyone has any further ideas to help tighten up the Contest, while not overly complicating it, we would sincerely invite comments here - before the beginning of August!

Ted

[JimG]

Originally Posted by Ted Craven

If anyone has any further ideas to help tighten up the Contest, while not overly complicating it, we would sincerely invite comments here - before the beginning of August!

Ted

Sent you a pm on this.

Jim

[Ted Craven]

Originally Posted by bill v.

ted, question from me
lets say i bet $70 win on horse a
and $30 place on horse b

horse a runs off the board
horse b places and pays $9.00
horse c wins and pays $7.00

do i get a hit because the place price is higher than the winners price ?
Thanks
bill

Yes!

[dirty moose]

I'd like to join you guys. Seems like fun. I will have to read all the rules.

[Ted Craven]

Moose - LOL! That Contest was from August of last year (2012). Perhaps we should consider resurrecting some kind of Contest for the Autumn ...

Ted

[dirty moose]

Ha wow. That's funny and sad all at the same time.
I noticed it in the similar threads at the bottom of the page. I just assumed it was new lol

Anywho. How are you feeling ted?