Today more than ever the bettor has many options on where, when, and how to gamble or invest their money. Whether it is racing (my game of choice) sports, table or casino games, poker, backgammon, chess (my second favorite) or whatever, there are an abundance of choices. Within the racing game alone we choose from many tracks, and also different wagers.

We all have wagers at the track or through an ADW like our AmWager that we favor or gravitate towards. Like anything else, things become comfortable and routine like. For some reason, just about all the talking heads promote the pick 4 or pick 5 wager. It is almost all they talk about when it comes to promoting a wager. I guess their bosses, who likely mandate this, miss the fact many other wagers are much better for the churn of handle they seek. Those bets can be great, and they are fun. However, they are far from the only option and in today’s market often not the best value or chance for a nice hit. Of course, there are exceptions and if you luck out or well play one you can really take it down, but if you are a sharp player you realize there are other opportunities to explore.

When you think about the nature of pari-mutual wagering and that we are all playing against one another. You have to realize that sometimes going after something where the waters aren’t filled with both sharks and guppies can give you an advantage.

I love exactas. They often offer great value, and if you play them aggressively, as I do, you can make some nice hits. If you like a horse that is say 6 or 8-1 and you single him in a multi-race bet and he wins but you lose another leg that is one of the most frustrating ways to get beat. If you key him on top of exactas, sure you can lose even if he wins but I’d argue the chances are less likely. If your key horse wins you probably have a nice handle on the race and will nail the exacta. As a single in a multi race wager, he may win and you may have that good handle on that race but there are three or four others to get by. I love the exacta. I play them even when I single a horse in a multi race bet.

Usually, I will just take one or two exactas. For example, if I like the 5 I may bet the 5 to win, single the 5 in a multi race wager and take a cold 5-7 exacta. If I think second place is more side open I may take $100 exacta 5-7, then $50 exacta 5-2 5-4. That gives me three shots for second and if I can’t get that home if the 5 wins, it was just not my day. I will still have the win and maybe even the multi going for me. Options. I think it is important to explore them when deciding where to invest your money.

Triples and more so superfectas can also offer great value and opportunities. You will also find fewer sharks in these waters even though the pools are often healthy. A lot of recreational players go in these pools playing names and numbers. This is a dream scenario for some of us and you can often capitalize on it.

While we may gravitate to where we are comfortable and get led there by talking heads, that may not always be where the best opportunities are. Depending on the price of your top or key horses you just have to look at all the items on the menu. This game is about maximizing when you are right and sometimes you have to go outside of the comfort zone to do that.

Another almost forgotten bet is the double. While I personally do not find as much value here as I do in exactas, triples, and superfectas, it can be another option for many players.

You have to get out of the routine and comfort zone to improve. That’s where we make progress and progress can mean scores. That’s why we play.