|
|
 |
|
|
|
#1
02-22-2009, 01:03 PM
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
 
|
|
#2
02-23-2009, 06:28 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Many good points here so far.
I think that it mostly depends on how you define "gambler". Would we define "gambler" as "horseplayer", or are we saying that the gambler is someone who wagers to excess? This makes a difference because the game's structure is centered around the wagering on the outcome. The game needs players -- they do not have to be excessive gamblers. Compare the excessive gambler to an alcoholic: the alcoholic needs a fix, in a pinch the alcoholic doesn't care if it's beer, wine, scotch, or tequila -- he needs the alcohol, the active ingredient. Similarly someone with a gambling problem likes to wager, if possible on their favorite game, but otherwise on any speculative enterprise offering the possibility of winning and adrenaline in the playing of the game. This sort of gambler is not likely to be a fan of any particular game but more of the right to wager and the availability of legalized gambling. I tend to disagree with the idea of not caring about races I don't wager on. I watch the Triple Crown every year, even if I don't get the chance to wager on it. Why? Because those races, along with some other Grade 1's and the Breeders Cup offer some of the best contests among the classiest horses of the breed. Young children like my nieces and nephews will appreciate a race when it's on TV and they have no desire or ability to gamble yet as they are too young. But the appeal is there. Where else can many of us in the urban east coast or west coast states actually see a horse run, except on TV? I think it's pretty cool. Anachronistic, yes, but that's part of the appeal. I think it would be stranger for many of us to mention the horsepower of a particular automobile without ever having actually seen a horse run.
|
|
#3
02-23-2009, 06:43 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
if i have the opportunity, i put on hrtv for the day and watch the racing-and don't have a dime bet on it....
__________________
Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new at all. Abraham Lincoln
|
|
#4
02-24-2009, 12:28 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
It's my default channel, as well. Soap Channel for my wife. As for the question ... If by gambler you mean a pro, I'd say sure they can be a fan. Wouldn't they have interests the same as any other person? If by gambler you mean anybody that plays the ponies, I'd say it's obvious from this bunch you can be a huge fan.
|
|
#5
02-24-2009, 01:23 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
And I watch races all the time without wagering on them, simply because I feel like I can learn things from watching a race from an objective point of view. There are sometimes nuances that I notice while watching races with no 'action' that I can then apply to my handicapping. You can never know too much IMO.
|
|
#6
02-24-2009, 09:11 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Plain and simple I think the answer is no. Have you ever seen someone in an OTB yelling for bad things to happen to a horse so they could cash? These people are by no means fans of the game. Racing is just an opportunity for action and the chance to make a buck. They don't care about any of the players involved. They are strictly gamblers.
__________________
Felix Unger talking to Oscar Madison: "Your horse could finish third by 20 lengths and they still pay you? And you have been losing money for all these years?!"
|
|
#7
02-24-2009, 11:18 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
making a occasional bet on the derby, super bowl, world series,etc which many people do at the office pool, or at the track or on-line, football cards,does not make them a gambler. A gambler can be respected or thought of as a bum,for instance. player who wins big money at a handicapping contest, do you think of him as a bum?,how about Andy beyer, John White, Steve Byk, Steve Crist? we think of them as sucessful, because they are.
people who gamble away their livelyhood,bill money,savings,and make life miserable for all around them, these are gambling bums, who have no direction and are gambling fools. I would say most golfers, hunters boaters,and skiers spend as much money a year on their passions as i do. Yes you can be a fan and sucessful bettor. Last edited by sdjcom : 02-24-2009 at 12:13 PM.
|
|
#8
02-24-2009, 02:18 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Its tough to come up with a definitive answer to this question. Its all about the nature of the individual involved. When I go to the OTB, I see people curse at horses that breakdown, or laugh or even root for them to get hurt. It is appaulling and infuriating. IMO, handicapping and betting can make you a better and more informed fan much the same way fantasy football, because of the time effort and money involved, causes you to care about things you normally otherwise wouldnt. When I spend time and effort handicapping, I remember the horses, trainers, performances good and bad and I carry these things with me. Betting on a race makes me a gambler. Truly caring about what happens to the horses during a race....feeling the triumph, disappointment, and tragedy....that makes me a fan. Ask yourself this question. You win a $10 win bet on a first time starter you spent hours digging thru PPs to find and she goes off at 20-1. You follow her to her 2nd start and stand at the rail.....a) she wins by 5 or b) gets beat at the wire or c) breaksdown in the stretch. How would you feel? Are you unconcerned she lost, and move on the next race ? Or do you feel a) elated b) defeated and c) compassionate? IMO thats the difference between being a gambler and a fan that gambles. We need more fans.
|
|
#9
02-24-2009, 06:00 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
yes, if you dont wager you can just be a fan of the game. i did not make a wager from the bc till dec..scraping the old w list and starting a new. i enjoy the capping and the great performances..
|
Hybrid Mode
