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 enlarge | Author: Richard Eng
Publisher: For Dummies
Category: Book
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $9.37
You Save: $10.62 (53%)
New (39) Used (23) Collectible (1) from $8.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 254418
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 7.3 x 1
ISBN: 0764578405
Dewey Decimal Number: 798
EAN: 9780764578403
ASIN: 0764578405
Publication Date: April 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Excellent For Starters June 30, 2007
I gave this as a gift to my mother before several trips to the races, and after completing it, I was pleased to find she was doing basic handicapping correctly. This book doesn't get deep into hard-core handicapping, but for most people who enjoy the races as an occasional fun day out, it puts all those numbers in the program or the racing form into perspective... making for a more enjoyable experience! Well done.
And Down The Stretch You Come, With Betting Knowledge February 20, 2007
With the Kentucky Derby about one week away, it will be like NCAA March Madness where even the casual of sports fans is going to have an opinion on the outcome.
But maybe you will want to take that opinion one step further and place a bet at the local race track or OTB that's simulcasting the race. This book will help you learn the nomenclature associated with wagering on the races and the nuances to betting.
Author Richard Eng guides the reader through the basic bets like win, place and show, but really earns high marks by delving into the exotic bets - like exactas, trifectas and superfectas - where betting the same money as you would on the traditional trio may yield much higher payouts.
The book is not how to handicap races, which is the art or reading a racing form or researching with other material to select runners for your various bets. It purely focuses on understanding what bets are possibly available for the races at your local tracks or on the simulcasts.
And with confidence, you'll be able to march up to the teller and state - for the record - "In race five I'd like an exacta box with with 2 and the 6," just like a pro. And through the help of Eng you will certainly understand it just as well or better than that "expert" who's next in line.
Five stars for the target audience: "Dummies" November 29, 2006
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a great book for the absolute begginner, first time track experince. For the enthusiastic hobbyist like myself the book only gets two stars.
I thought the pull out cheat sheet in the front of the book was irresponsible, suggesting a sixteen dollar play for the pick 6. I believe two dollars is okay, because it's like buying a lottery ticket, however a minuim of a 128.00 is needed. Anything else is just throwing away money. The suggested amount for the superfecta and pick 4 were off base too.
The book was very hard to read, as it seemed like every chapter the author was just saying the same thing over and over again. Although the book explains to the reader the different types of handicapping methods, it does not teach you how to handicap. Remember the book title is "Betting on Horse Racing" not "Handicapping on Horse Racing".
Now for what I liked about the book. Great glossary and index, something that all horse racing books that I've read lacked. I enjoyed chapter 17, which covered handicapping tournaments. This is something I've never tackled and find interesting after reading. Chapters 19 and 20 covered Harness racing and Quarter horses. I prefer throughbreds because I understand it and find it more enjoyable, but if I ever decide to bet on these types of races I will refer to these chapters. Chapter 25, the ten best race tracks to visit, was also interesting. I'm fortunate to have two of these in my back yard, and in the future I would like to visit the authors other eight picks.
I bought this book after I selected another book and needed to spend more to avoid the three dollars shipping and handling. So factoring that in 10.59 was not a bad price. The amazon advertised 13.59 is'nt bad either, however I would not purchase the book for the suggested 19.99 cover price (not worth it).
In all, good book to have for begginers. Also a good book to have for experinced horesplayers who have non horse playing friends that want to tag along. Much easier to let them borrow the book over night then to have them harrassing you at the track like a little kid with thier questions.
The other do it yourself series KISS and Complete Idiots Guide do not have books on this subject, instead there covered in chapters of other books. KISS Guide to Gambling, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Gambling Like a Pro, respectfully.
Betting on Horse Racing for Dummies May 10, 2006
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I found this book to be just excellent. After being invited to the Kentucky Derby by some folks who own a Kentucky horse farm started in 1867, I wanted to learn more about racing and betting before I went. I was a complete novice, having been to Saratoga several times betting on horses with cool sounding names and always losing. The book goes through everything you need to know about racing and betting. Not only did I win several races before the Derby, but I actually won the Derby with a bet on Barbaro! I made quite a reputation for myself as a handicapper!
I'm a beginner, and I already made my money back thanks to this fantastic book! March 4, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I browsed through some of these reviews before I purchased this book, and let me just say that the $12.99 price on Amazon is a bargain if you wish to learn more about horse-racing betting. I'm a young fan and I knew little before picking up this book. After visiting the racetrack a couple of times, I already picked some winners, including a trifecta I hit, thanks to the tips and extensive research throughout this book. I couldn't be more happier to have chosen this book. If you serious about learning more about this wonderful sport and the many betting options, then do yourself a favor and buy this book immediately. You will not be dissapointed!
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