Bovada apparently does not understand their own race handicap bet. Do not waste your money betting with these clowns on anything that isn't 100% cut and dry...
Bet Sergio Perez "Finish Time minus 20 secs" at +400 for the Mexican Grand Prix.
The other handicaps were:
Verstappen +0s, won race, baseline time of 0.00 ;
Hamilton -2s, finished +16.555s, adjusted time: +14.555s ; Bottas -8s, finished +2 laps = no handicap time ; Perez, -20s handicap, finished 17.752s = -2.248s (WINNING ADJUSTED TIME) ; Leclerc, -35s handicap, finished +81.037s = +46.037s ; Sainz, -40s handicap, finished +1 lap = no handicap time
2 long chats that resulted in non-responsive "supervisors" and now this email tells me there clearly will be no very simple review to correct the bet:
"After reviewing the wager Reference Number: . . . I can see that it was in fact settled correctly. This is because with the wager was placed on Finish Time minus 0 min 20.0 secs and Sergio Perez did +17.752s . As such the wager was a loss.
You can see the results of the Race in the link below:
https://www.formula1.com/en/racing/2021/Mexico.html
We're available to help 24/7 if you need anything else.
Thanks,
Bovada Customer Service
Never had any issues with them before, but now knowing their chat/customer support process, I'll never use them again. Just thought other F1 betters should be aware.
EDIT: Bet was RESOLVED favorably after I took to Twitter about it. Credit where credit is due, thanks @Choked_and_separated and @Bovadaofficial on Twitter
It was one of those days we all dream of. Thankfully for me it came during a 50 man flag race to wrap up our clubs mens night for the season. My putter was absolutely on fire, but... I had 1 ob drive and no birdies. Could have been better but also could have been far worse. Came home with a new 3 wood, box of prov1x, hat and some shoes. Keep grinding ladies and gents, this game ain't easy but fack is it rewarding.
Normally for me the way I handicap the races by watching replays and reading the form to see any discrepancies because something you see in replays may not be in the form. With that said what do you guys normally prefer when handicapping?
Would you play in a league who's rules were as simple as races to 4, but the handicap was not games on the wire but ball in hands? Each player starts each session with 3 BIH's. If you win one week, you lose one BIH, but if you lose you get a additional BIH. Player's handicap can range from Zero BIH's to a maximum of 6.
The Key Races & Bets blog for Saturday covers the Del Mar Handicap, Del Mar Oaks and Pacific Classic (plus a very good allowance race between the DM Handicap and Oaks)
https://www.amwager.com/del-mar-horse-racing-picks-for-saturday-august-22-2020
The Fourstardave is the featured race here
https://www.keeneland.com/media/news/keeneland-select-pick-day-august-22-2020
Myself, Dan Tjordman & Bram Weinstein (from America’s Best Racing) will be covering races seven through 10 at Del Mar Saturday. The Del Mar Handicap (Race 7) is a “Win in You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Turf, while the Pacific Classic (Race 10) is a qualifier for the Breeder’ Cup Classic. We’ll be on from 7:45 eastern until after the Classic and I hope you can join us.
Breeders’ Cup Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breederscup/videos/354473155549014/
Breeders’ Cup YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y8g23fgVAs
ABR Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/AmericasBestRacing/videos/787730515307341/](https://webmail.jockeyclub.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=XJQBtXWvsGfE7mWGCEnZRKk6DYzzpt2n4hK_aCFMBibrQQCc5EXYCA..&URL=https%3a%2f%2feur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2f%3furl%3dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.facebook.com%252FAmericasBestRacing%252Fvideos%252F787730515307341%252F%26data%3d02%257C01%257C%257Cdecc8bd7bd3c4957ffde08d843bc81a8%257C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%257C1%257C0%257C637333824186007908
... keep reading on reddit ➡I hope you'll find this analysis for both legs (Races 11 & 13) of the Arkansas Derby interesting, as well as the Oaklawn Handicap (R12). The other blog covers four races at Gulfstream, two of which contain horses I REALLY like at double digit morning line odds.
http://www.equibase.com/content/analysis/2020/050220preanalysis.cfm
https://www.keeneland.com/media/news/keeneland-select-pick-day-may-2-2020
https://www.amwager.com/gulfstream-horse-racing-picks-may-2-2020
Also I hope you might join me for a Derby-in-Place party via Zoom to benefit Old Friends Farm in which I will be going over the Triple Crown Showdown field. This is the virtual race covering the 13 Triple Crown winners with the broadcast to be on NBC at 5:45 Eastern Time on Saturday. Details can be found here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/derby-in-place-tickets-103922238212?
Good Luck to everyone!
I have listed a lot of thoughts and beliefs that I have learned through the years of handicapping horse races. These comments were not taken from other experts who may think they know more, but rather from years of watching and betting on horses. While I would never think I am an expert at anything I do, I do believe my thoughts have served me well through the years. But this is because while I listened to thousands of other bettors and trainers, in the end it was my decision to determine what I would use and what I would let go and leave alone. It really does not matter to me if others think I do not know what I am talking about or if they believe I am right. I am simply posting because I like helping others that are willing to help them shelves but may not know where or how to start. Handicapping is confusing enough when you know what you are looking for, much less when you have no idea of what to look for.
First Time Lasix--- First Time Lasix used to be a powerful tool to use. But that was before tracks changed the rules that allowed trainers and/or owners to use the medication for no other reason than it "levels the playing field". Before the change, all horses had to get a vet's exam and have him certified that a horse did bleed during a race(blood in the nostrils and/or lungs) before he was allowed to use lasix. Horses won quite often with lasix for the first time back then, but this angle was inconsistent. It took me a few years to figure out which ones would benefit from lasix for the first time, but then it hit me to what was happening over and over. Horses that bled in a race before lasix was required to go on a 19 day bleeders list which they could not race during this period but were allowed to work out. With the vet's certification in hand, trainers would work the horse with the addition of lasix, and were not required to report they had injected the horse with the medicine. So in all actuality, these horses were listed as first time lasix because it was their first race on lasix, but it was their 2nd or third time using the medicine(vary depending on how many works prior to starting the horse had and/or trainer's beliefs).
After figuring this out, I started looking for horses that were actuality second time lasix, either one who had a work after being certified to have bled or the second start after adding lasix. But when they started allowing all horses to use the medicine for no other reason than a trainer wanted to use it, I thou
... keep reading on reddit ➡
As far as I can tell, the races are divided into tiers according to the big ranking spreadsheet.
Would, in-general (not race-specific) a TG-based handicap system (free TGs at the start of each action phase based on tier #, perhaps minus the highest tier # in the current game) help? Why or why not?
From what little I know, giving a TG-based leg-up would help in all ways and wouldn't significantly hamper anyone (including Hacan) because free TGs give those races more action economy and options (when the Leadership and Technology strat cards get played).
Here's a list of tier OPTIONS (meaning that you can pick the column you think best fits your table)
EDIT: Here's a live-updating version I made that updates whenever the rankings sheet updates because it imports the weighted ranking results. Keep in mind, all of this assumes Tier 0 is anything at #2 rank or better.
So, what brings my attention is that normal night races are "easy" for me, and really easy with the RSR around 380-400 rating. However, as soon as I head to a High Heat race, the AI seems to wake up and drive WAY past 400km/h sometimes without a single mistake lol. So, are these types of races AI Handicapped? It's curious to see faster cars than the RSR in these races but in the rest of the other races, I can obliterate the competition...but traffic cars are my 2nd best enemy since they seem to be like "magnets" especially in really open streets...
I don't understand the AI logic in here...can somebody elaborate a little bit on how this AI works? Makes me feel I'm playing MW/Carbon with the insane AI rubberbanding these types of races have.
