An Interview

[Bill V.]

Things are going well. I have been talking to someone.
He really is interested in learning.
Hopefully this interview and questions can help others too.
I want to relay this interview.I will start
with these few questions and answers.



Hello Bill .... You seem to do very well,
Your consistent. What can you tell me.?

Me.. I am doing well now. I am in a good zone
Sometimes I just seem to get it and rather than
try to take too much. I am able to stay focused.
and do the races, as I was taught.

Thats fine Bill, How do you stay focused ?....
Well two things. First it takes practice.
Its all in my mind. I just tell myself
NO don't go there you will lose !
The rubber band on my left wrist gets snapped
and I get back to what works. Second I look only at certain races, and
I look at very few readouts..

Anything else??..
Yes I strongly recommend
when ever things that worked before stop
ask your self is it the system or have I changed anything ?
Then I break out and read The Psychology Of Winning .

Is that a Sartin Manual ?

Yes but its not a how to handicap
manual, Its a great source to get the clients to believe in them selfs.
It will also show why some people win and lose
Because deep down inside of them they either get it or
really don't want it.

Is there anything in the manual that you can explain ....

Yes one thing that helps me very much is a test that Doc sets up
You do a 20 race cycle betting two horses to win !
You only bet $3 to win on a low odds horse and $2 win on a higher
odds horse. These two horses are your top two choices to win the race.
Odds don't matter but what matters is who will win the race
As part of the test, and this is the important part.
You must write down you true feelings right after
the race. This test must be done alone and completely for 20 races.
If you start and fail you must start again and do 20 consecutive races.
You should not do it for awhile and stop along the way to bet excatas
or picks .
The test is to get you to win theses races. This test works very well to teach
me about the pitfalls of betting low price favorites and the benefit to
my self confidence when the longer prices come in even though I only have
$2 bet on them.
Its hard to make it cause there will be times when you really think you have something and
you can't bet more than $2 on it. Exactas and all other bets have to be set
aside so it does get difficult.

Bill, What else helps you ...

Well for about 2 months I have been getting positive feelings.
In some races . What I mean is for awhile I can almost feel the winner
jump up at me while I'm picking lines I just have been able to say
"this is the winner" while only in the line selection mode.


I have looked at RDSS There sure are a lot of screens and readouts
You say you only look at some readouts
Which two screens do you look at ??...

Me. Well I look at BLBL and the early - late graph which is also shown on the BLBL
So technically I only look at one screen,
Now on the one screen, Besides the Early, late readout
I look at the VDC readout, The odds line, The balance readout
and FX and hidden energy readouts...

Why those readouts ..
The VDC readout is really the key readout for me
If I kept records, which sadly for me I don't do very well,
I just know I get very few VDC ranked 4 and 5
so right away almost always these horses are non winners
I favor the top 3 CR and APV horses. If these horses are in the top 3 VDC
Now I really feel like I have something.

The odds line tells me how much better the computer rates the contenders
I use my binder method, That is the top two against the bottom 3 and
many times I look for big gaps in the odds line to help with final decisions..

FX Balance and Hidden Energy are 3 readouts that I focus on
the reason why is mostly psychological ..
I know that if I kept records of which readout produce the most wins
after a while it always ends up that the better readouts are only slightly better
than the others and it all evens out to about 2.75. Meaning the factor
rated 2 or 3 wins
The reason I focus on FX Hidden and Balance is I'm looking for
strong even runners
FX is the first and third fraction - This tell me the horse will be
a contender. It will be involved in the pace.
Hidden Energy make me feel like my horse have the kick to battle in the stretch
and either hang on or fight and take over.
I do bet place and sometimes show so I want my horse to be there
when the weaker horses fade.
Balance is the combination of two readouts that only
Sartin Methodology users have ( I hope).
The two readouts that make the balance readout are
Early Pace Potential and Late pace Potential
Now I always look at 5 horses
Most of my winners have a balance of 4 5 and 6
Now here again I'm looking for a strong even runner
If there are 5 horses and a horse has a balance of 8
This tells me its either all early = 3 early + 5 late = 8 balance
or even 4 early and 4 late = 8 Balance
I look for horse with 5 and 6 balances
ideally like 3 early 2 late = 5 balance

Thanks Bill I appreciate the interview

Your welcome any questions I am very happy to help

GS
Bill

[noddub62]

Very good Bill.

[RichieP]

There it is! Thanks Bill

[barb craven]

Excellent interview Bill. Can I ask you how you determine which races you look at?

Barb

[Bill V.]

Thank you Bud Rich and Barb

Barb the races I prefer to look at are races from Philly,
Finger Lakes Hawthorne and at night Moutineer
I look for races with more than 7 horses to bet one way
The Binder method basically.
At these tracks I do find races with some short fields.
This works too. Binder Improvers seem to do better in shorter
fields because the horse with the good velocity/deceleration ratio
seems to be able to make the move with out all kinds of traffic.

I look for races with 1 clear cut, no doubt need the lead horse
If there are more than one early horses in the race I forget about
projecting pace calls but I get a lift knowing what i'm looking for is good strong horses with even running styles and good hidden energy.
If I only have one early nead the lead,. Then I can set a pace and decide if the lone early can control things his way.

I don't really do maiden races. Two horses to win is
to risky for me. I will bet place and show in these races
or maybe single a horse in a double like I did Sunday

Turf races work real well. The class rating is sharp on the lawn.
Betting 2 horses to win works well on the turf routes only.
I have no clue with turf sprints

Barb, Lastly I bet races with lots of time to relax and focus
Lets say its 1.30 on a Saturday afternoon and race 3 is about to go off..
The race I probably will look at is race 6 7 8 or 9
I don't reallly enjoy doing each race as they come alone
I do better with the attitude that one or two of the races down the
card are assignment/ contest races
Work them to win !!! Focus

GS
Bill

[Bill V.]

When you ask for help And you ask for peoples time and
effort Its best if you put
your self in A POSITIVE mind

The Sartin Methodology is really about
being trained to feel it in your head. That you
have the tools and the program and the ability to win...
Enjoy life and rise above NEGATIVE influences

You will not do well if your not in the zone

GS
Bill

[Neil S.]

I learned many years ago while playing the horses during a two week vacation in Las Vegas just how important the psychological aspects of the game are. I came to grips with this concept and finally understood that while others were frantically gambling as if there was a fire sale, I needed to go against this impulse and patiently look at what I was there to do which was to win races and money. To do this I had to understand where my strengths and my weaknesses were. My record keeping would be the key to seeing this clearly. However that was only the first step. I needed to adapt to my new creed which consisted of one fundamental statement:

"CONSISTENCY, PATIENCE AND DISCIPLINE ARE THE KEYS TO SUCCESS"

I knew where the profits were however I needed to map out the plan that would eliminate the distractions that were costing me money. I focused solely on these winning opportunities and passed the lesser opportunities regardless of how enticing or intriguing the bet looked. I knew and my records supported my thinking that no matter what the short term potential appeared to be, that if I continued to risk my money on these races I would lose long term and overwhelm the positive outcomes that I was getting in this smaller but more reliable number of races.

When one sees results discipline becomes easier. It is when you don't know your strengths and weaknesses that you become susceptible to panic and grasping for the latest scheme or idea. These other strategies may work for others but it may not be a fit for you.

I know that this is a horse racing forum, but a few years ago I embraced poker with a passion similar to horse racing. I became a winner at the game in only 6 months, but it took awhile longer before I applied the lessons learned all those years ago in Las Vegas with the methodology and identified the games and situations where I played my best. Although I was winning more than half of my sessions with modest profits, I now win more than 60 percent of the time I sit at the table with higher, more consistent profits because I have limited my play to the games and levels that I am most successful at according to my records. There are few people I know in Atlantic City who can match that level of consistency. They may play higher stakes or more challenging opponenents, but that does not guarantee success or consistency. If the seventh best player in the world sits at a table with the six best players he is reduced to a rank amateur, while he can become a millionaire if he uses his skills in the right spot.

What works for you is not the same as what works for someone else. I can only tell you that you must work hard and keep records of your successes and failures and to be honest with yourself at all times. You are only in competition with yourself and not others in this forum, and it is only yourself that you need to learn to become the master of.

Neil

[Bill V.]

Thanks Your poker analysis is right on
and you really have a good idea of what it is to win

If I can use a similar example from something else non horse racing.
My trainer at the gym has me working on a slow deliberate total concentration
workout The correct way to do the workout depends on form and feel, Its slow and the maniacs all around who think big and heavy is the only way to go, get annoyed and look down on me.
The key is the work out works better.The fact that I feel my
trainers method is better makes me want to do it right.
So much of our success in life seems to come from doing things a way that makes it fun and exciting rather than doing it the way "They" do it

GS
Bill

[barb craven]

Bill Thanks for sharing all your insights and ways of looking at the readouts. I've been wandering off the track a bit lately and your way of getting in the zone is a big reminder of how important it is to keep focused.

Neil I think is doesn't matter whether it is horse racing or poker the philosophy remains the same.

Thanks to both of you.

Barb

[For The Lead]

nice post