Do not know anyone who plays here.

Taking a look at SA today.

Sell your house and move far, far away.

In the US, how are the pools for each race maintained? For example, I can place bets in my local casino's simulcast or at other off track spots. Do they each maintain their own separate pools?

No the pools are all co mingled. All money bet goes into one big pool for each type of race.

So how do they take a haircut? When I bet at the casino, who is getting the 20% (or however much is taken from the pool)?

Going with Texas Ryano #4 in the stakes race up next at Santa Anita. Basically following Michelle Yu who I respect as a handicapper.

Money taken off the top by the specific track you're betting. That 20% then gets divided up to whomever is carrying that tracks race signal

Of course some tracks charge more to carry their signal than others.

That 20% honestly has to go to a lot of folks. But it's still rape. Imagine a poker game with a 15%-20% Un capped rake.

It's robbery.

PK6 carry at the Big A and SA today...watching AQU and capping SA...Went Steelers -12.5 buying 1 @-125 for some ball action this afternoon.

Take out is and has been insane and makes most of us who do it to any seriousness seals to get some $$ back.

Wow that is pretty onerous.

Does that make it difficult to find any edge in US racing? The odds I see when I place a bet are what I'll be paid out AFTER the money taken off the top right? That is, if I place a bet on a horse to win and he goes off at 7:1, that's what I'm getting paid, not 7:1 - some take.

I would think this decreases the occurrence of mispriced horses (as maybe he'd be going off at 8:1 if there weren't the take), but it doesn't guarantee no good bets. If I think the horse should go off at 5:1 but he's going off at 7:1 that's still a good bet regardless of the take, right? Apologies, I'm drastically oversimplifying this and am very uninformed....

Right, what you see is after the take out.

The old timers say there's too much info out there. And everyone is better than they once we're. Favorites that go off a even money these days might have been 2-1 or even 5-2 back 15 years ago.

Tough game for sure.

What are the common places to bet? Looks like online betting is legal in my state. From a quick google I've found betfair, bovada, usracing, and xpressbet. Looks like at least some of them offer rebates. Other than for the excitement, is there any point to going to the track/simulcast at casino, especially if they offer rebates online? Maybe I'm missing something here

You're not missing anything. Some guys just enjoy being at the track. Depending on what track is in your area, it can be a fun experience. Some guys like to handicap by looking at the horses.

If you ask me, going to the track is -ev.

Any advice on best places for rebates? What I've found:
Bovada - 2/5% on wps/exotics with no minimum
Offtrackbetting.com - up to 2/5 but with a minimum
Betfair - hard to tell
Allhorseracing.com - up to 10% for all bets? Seems too good to be true

I sent you a private message.

I think you are missing something when you don't go to the track. your missing the horses in the paddock. missing them getting saddled. missing them walk the ring. missing the chatter of back side workers talkingmissing being able to look a trainer in the eye and ask him about his horse ect ect

Agreed, so many things to watch for at the track up close watching the horses and horsemen in the paddock. My personal experience has included the following.

I once overheard a trainer telling an acquaintance that the horse he scratched from the race just run was much faster than the horse who had just won the race. This trainer trained both and the scratched horse won next time out at 7-1 odds.

I once overheard a trainer asking his groom in the saddling area before the final race of the afternoon if his horse took a nap that afternoon before the race. The groom answered yes and the horse went out and won his race at 15-1.

I have seen multiple times where a colt (with a boner) in the paddock, typically runs really good.

I once saw a hall of fame trainer, prior to saddling his horse, asking a horseplayer in the paddock out of the blue "how's your day going?" This trainer never talked to the general public ever, but his horse in that particular race won easily.

I was once heard a trainer tell the jockey 'open him up' before heading onto the track.
His horse won by many lengths.

I am also suspicious when I see an owner dragging his wife and young children to the track when he never usually does so. To me this is a clear sign the owner wants his whole family in the winners circle together for the photo.

There's never a sure thing in racing but I've made money using these up close observations to my advantage many times.

I have a friend who owns a few stakes horses. This past year they had a filly who they really liked and would show up for every race ready for the winner's circle. They would bet on the horse and she would often go off at 3-1/ 4-1 and the horse kept finishing 2nd or 3rd. Finally the trainer entered her in a race late and none of them could make it to the track that day. Horse won at 10-1.

I once spent time and money going for carryover prices that weren't there. Oh wait that was today.

I wouldn't look for this to work for stakes races.

Works best for maiden allowance races, especially if the owner's wife and kids are rarely seen at the track.
GL.

I was grooming a maiden filly named Myan Princess at the '79 or '80 oak tree or santa anita meets. She had a few starts, and been in the money a few times. The sweetest filly, never any trouble in the mornings, working out, or at the gate. The jocks said she ran hard. She just hadn't broke her maiden yet.

Well raceday, I bring her to the saddling paddock, and she has broken out in a sweat, foaming between her hind quarters, throwing her head around, really acting out. So the trainer comes down in the paddock to saddle her, and the first thing out of his mouth is:

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THIS FILLY?" He is pissed, the owners are there, she is flighty, can't hardly get her cinched up. I got my hands full, she is pulling me all over the place. She was so sweet , she had never even had a lip shank in her mouth before, so I just fought with her till they got the jock up.

As soon as we put the jock up, she totally quieted down. A major transition.

I think she went off around 7-2 or 5-2, it wasn't a big price. She wins pretty easy from the top of the stretch.

So we get back to the barn after testing, and the trainer is even more pissed at me cuz he had changed his mind about betting on her. So i didn't show him my $50 ticket to win on her.

Ya horse players are F'n weird man glad it was not just me as i was thinking not that i do not bring my own unique tardation to the thread but after the last week of reading post and mine look the most normal yikes

My weird but true angle...Last race Toga this summer on a Friday card and the #1 Horse gets a large bottle of water drink right from the bottle and the horse starts licking its lips like crazy and for some reason it stuck out to me because i have saw the horse sponge a drink before race or ran through its mouth but never give a horse a drink right from the bottle like a person...Horse won at 17-1 for fun.

Fall SA meet same scenario but it is Barry Abrams giving his horse a drink same way right out of the bottle but then BA drinks right from the bottle after too so now i am all F'n confused but just snap decision figure that is just Barry...Horse won at 8-1 first time out to i believe which is odd for BA but caught it this time and laughed counting cash saying the water bottle angle.

Forgot about BTH last Saturday because it was still holiday in my head and football but will try it today not sure if it is Plonk or Seagal but a cool contest.

SGV hope the far turn is treating you well man and if i get to Cali count on me hitting that corner with some Gorilla Glue #4

Best of luck to all itt on their plays this weekend.

Saw the mega millions was hit by someone on Staten Island hoping it was the threads long lost friend Kevroc...The Staten Island guy with the Brooklyn accent

Nice to see Chrome in the winners circle again.

Santa Anita 1/10/16

1.) 5-3-4
2.) 3-4-7
3.) 1-3-5
4.) 6-5-1
5.) 6-7-1
6.) 4-1-7
7.) 6-1-8
8.) 8-9-6
9.) 10-8-7

Tough card today at SA today but like the value it offers as well.

Trainer ships a horse in and trainer / owner goes there. Usually does well.

But IMO, all of those yes could work or hunch plays. Without a form, the best information you can get is by looking at the WPS pools Exacta will pays and DD will pays to see if anything is being smashed heavy. OR, looking at horses on the track warming up has been the best ROI.