If You Like Las Vegas & Sports, You Need To Try This

http://images.askmen.com/money/how_t...9008-flash.jpg
This article issponsored in part by America's Best Racing (What'sthis?) A day at the race track is a sublime experience.A man can leisurely catch up with friends or colleagues over drinks, flex his intelligence andinstinct as he handicaps a race and wagers on a horse, then watch as the excitement of ahorse race takes him out of his seat for two minutes. Do it again a few more times, andyou have an afternoon well spent.In horse racing, a magnificent horse who runsall-out or who comes from behind is one of the great experiences in all of sports. Make nomistake, horse and jockey are elite athletes,and when they perform at top levels they can become legend. Watch old video highlights of Secretariatabsolutely demolishing the field at the 1973 Belmont Stakes to win the Triple Crown;watch High Chaparral, Johar and Falbrav finish in a thrilling dead heat at the 2003Breeders' Cup; or watch 17-1 odds Donnaguska trail by over 23 lengths at Hawthorne in 2008before igniting down the stretch.To gear you up for a trip to the race track,we offer you the following primer on how to bet on horse racing.TERMINOLOGY

No sport can be as old as horse racing and betting on those races without acquiring asignificant glossary. Here's the essential jargon you should know before you getstarted.WAGERS- To Win: Betting on ahorse to win is betting that the horse finishes first.- To Place:Betting on a horse to place is betting that the horse finishes first or second.- To Show: Betting on a horse to show is betting that the horse finishesfirst, second or third (“in the money”).- Exacta:Picking two horses you believe will finish first and second, in that order.- Quinella: Picking two horses you believe will finish first and second,in any order.- Trifecta: Picking three horses you believe will finishfirst, second and third, in that order.- Superfecta: Picking fourhorses you believe will finish first, second, third, and fourth, in that order.-Box: Said after any of the above wagers, this denotes that your selections canfinish in any order.- Daily Double: Picking winners of twodesignated consecutive races, placed prior to the running of the first race.- Pick Three: Picking winners of three designated consecutive races,placed prior to the running of the first race.- Pick Four: Pickingwinners of four designated consecutive races, placed prior to the running of the firstrace.- Pick Six: Picking winners of six designated consecutive races,placed prior to the running of the first race. If nobody wins the Pick Six, approximately75% of the net pool carries over until somebody wins it.GENERAL- Morning line: The odds as they have beenestimated by the track handicapper for each horse in each race.- Odds-on: Odds of less than even money.- Overlay:Odds for a horse that are higher than past performance justifies.- Toteboard: The Tote board is the large display in the track infield that givesinformation such as up-to-the-minute odds, total amounts wagered in a mutuel pool, jockeychanges, and track-surface information, among other things. TRACKDESCRIPTORS- Cuppy: Dry or loose surface, breaks under thehorses' hooves.- Fast: Dry, even, and resilient surface (on a turfcourse this is called "firm").- Heavy: For turf courses, this denotesthe wettest possible surface.- Muddy: A surface wet but withoutstanding water.- Sloppy: A surface wet and with visible standingwater.- Soft: A turf course wet enough for horses to sink into it.DISTANCES- Furlong: One-eighth of 1 mile or220 yards.- Hand: Four inches long, this unit is used to measure theheight of a horse from the top of the shoulder down. Thoroughbreds tend to be between 15and 17 hands.- Length: The length of an average horse, used todescribe distances between horses.- Middle distance: Between 1 mileand 1-and-1/8 miles.- Route: Race distance of longer than1-and-¼ miles.- Stretch turn: The bend into the finalstraightaway.PRE-BET

Once you're comfortable with some of the basic terminology, it's time to pick a horse.Now, some people determine their bets based on nothing more than a catchy name.Others wait for the post parade, when horses are led past the stands to the starting gate,hoping that maybe a feisty horse catches their eye.The smart betting man,however, will perform some due diligence in the form of handicapping.TheJockey Club, the prestigious breed registry for thoroughbred horses in North America,partners with a company called Equibase to maintain and publish a single, central databaseof past performance statistics for jockeys, horses and trainers inthe thoroughbred racing industry, along with other handicapping information. Much of theinformation they offer is free, and when it isn't, the cost is generally a couple ofbucks.Remember, this isn't Vegas and the house isn't out to beat you. In fact,you're not even betting against the house. Parimutuel betting means you're actuallybetting against your fellow spectators (while a small portion of your bet automaticallygoes to the track). Therefore, it is helpful to learn how a certain horse tends to performunder specific track conditions or when starting from certain post positions.How to make a bet like a pro... Continue Reading

http://www.askmen.com/money/how_to_500/529_horse-betting.html ]More...[/url]