Ratings Based Racing: What It Means At The Track

• Author: David Gately
• Filed under: Casinos
• Date: Feb 1,2011

In the racing vernacular, the word ‘rating’ is thrown around a fair bit… It can mean a number of things: A computer generated number (rating) given to a horse based on racetrack performances; a ranking of horses relative to one-another with a mix between statistics and human involvement/opinion; or even simply an opinion given on a race whereby the punter ‘ranks’ each horse from favourite to least favourite. These “ratings” are quite different from the ‘ratings-based racing’ which has arrived recently to racing.

Ratings Based races bring together horses relative to their individual ratings and are free of any class restriction. The only ‘restriction’ on the eligibility for Ratings Based races is that nominated horses must be rated at or below the advertised rating. This allows horses to find suitable races based on their current form, compared to Class 1 to 6 races that hold horses in a particular class based on previous wins.

Whilst there are many advantages RBH (Ratings-Based Handicapping) offers, it must be remembered that it will not always provide the same adjustments that are usually afforded by “discretionary” handicapping. (i.e. using human opinion to issuing a horse’s weight) We cannot expect that a horse having a “ratings” adjustment after a particular race, will meet each runner that finished in front of him or her in that race, on better terms in the next race.

In the highly competitive world of providing horse race tips there is a war going on between computer generated ratings and human intellect. We interviewed many racing analysts and one such professional punter was quite baffled by those using computer ratings. David Gately from OzRacingForm.com explains: “Well if this was motorbike racing I could understand using a computer to find the winner, they have a maximum speed, no upside/downside, they can’t have an ‘off day’, wet/dry tracks doesn’t bother a motorbike etc. Horses, however, are subject to a plethora of outside influences and being animals, can be brave, scared, moody, they can improve sharply with fitness level differentials etc. This is only one opinion, but I feel computer ratings are the lazy way out and not very thorough”.

Racehorses can fluctuate their form just like human athletes can. Unfortunately though, racehorses cannot talk. So we, as punters, are required to recognise signals and signs from horses at either their previous run, or pre-race, that indicate what stage physically and mentally they are at, in order to find a winner. For example, a horse charges home in a slowly run race early in it’s preparation, this sends off obvious warning signs it is ready to win and may even be looking for extra distance. Another example might be if a horse leads, but is ‘taken on’ by other horses and given little peace. He may well fail in that particular race but then find a softer run up or near the lead at his next start and come out and win, at some value!

How to find the right race for a horse is crucial. An example: A horse may be a very good 1000m galloper yet this race is 1200m. This horse is the highest-rated runner in the race and may be favourite, however, realistically he has little chance of winning at a distance he is not comfortable at.

So, ratings-based racing should not be too scary, obviously it is a little more in-depth than say, simply a set-weights maiden. (where all horses are maidens (yet to win a race) and have the same weight) However, as explained, this type of racing can be full of ‘value’ (horses over their true odds of winning).

David Gately, disappointed by the number of “professional” outfits out there, trying to make a quick buck by flogging meaningless horse racing tips, continues to offer real information at the best prices around.

A Brief Outline On Playing Royal Hold’em Poker

• Author: Thomas Kearns
• Filed under: Casinos
• Date: Nov 18,2010

Those who play Royal Hold’em poker are not necessarily descended from the Gods. The game is actually very much like limit Texas Holdem – and also very different. In Royal Hold’em only high cards (ten, jack, queen, king, ace) are dealt from a deck of 20 cards. This certainly makes for a royal deck. Because of the smaller deck, the game consists of a maximum of six players.

How Royal Hold’em is Played

Royal Hold’em is in the form of standard limit where two hole cards are dealt to each player whose objective is to create the best hand with five community cards. The hands are counted as in other poker types but there are no flushes other than the Royal one and your everyday pairs count for nothing. So, a Royal flush, four of a kind, full house, straights and two pairs are what the players draw to to assemble the most powerful hand.

The Zenith of Royal Hold’em Strategy

Since there are no low cards, the high hands must be very strong to compete. A player is drawing to a serious starting hand in order to stay in the game let alone win the hand. The bare minimum a player should think about to remain in the game is ace-jack. The best hands are thought to be a pair of kings or aces, with queens and ace-king a close second. Ace-queen and a pair of jacks should be deemed as a so-so hand and the holder of this hand should only stay in the game if his position is good.

Which brings us to position: The high value of the hands renders position an extremely important factor to remain competitive in the game. A player must consider that anyone raising is in possession of a pair of kings or aces, and if your position is good, you can tell precisely the hands of those players who have stayed in the game. If a player’s hand is teetering on the edge, he should remain in the game only if he has good position or is in the small blind with no advance raise. High pocket pairs are ubiquitous in Royal Hold’em so players must understand that the odds of hitting a three of a kind are at least one in three hands considering the alterations in the cards in his hand. Should another player be betting aggressively against your hand of a pair of aces, it is probably wise to think that he is holding aces or a pair of kings, thus simplifying the task of pinpointing the kind of hands in his possession.

All players are looking to draw to three of a kind or in excess of that and hold the thought that you all have a set of 15 cards to draw from in which to build your hands (20 card deck minus two hole cards plus five community cards). This should make it clear to you that you always want to play your good hands with authority and forcefulness and to keep your pot odds in mind before you continue to bet and you can be assured that if any player is keeping up with your aggressive betting on the turn that he has a hand of three of a kind or better. Examine this scenario: You have in your hand two kings and the flop show up with an unsuited king-jack-ten which is only second to the ultimate hand of ace-queen. It is quite probable that you are in contention against ace-king or jack-jack. In this instance you must take heed of the number of outs possible to a full house or the odds that your opponent is holding a straight depending on the way he is betting and his position.

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How Razz Poker Is Played

• Author: Thomas Kearns
• Filed under: Casinos
• Date: Nov 12,2010

Like so many other poker games, once it is featured in the World Series of Poker, it develops quite a following, as is the case with Razz poker. Razz has also become popular due its distinctive rules and structure. Strip Razz down and you have an ace low stud poker variant with the objective of attaining the lowest hand possible, that of an unsuited ace through five. Razz is one of the components of mixed game play poker such as HORSE. Newcomers to Razz will find it presents quite a challenge. This brief outline is designed as an introduction to the structure of Razz and to give you some basis of the strategies that will eventually allow you to become a fierce opponent.

The Workings of Razz

As stated earlier, Razz is akin to low-hand seven card stud and is played with a maximum of eight players with a limit betting structure. The game starts with a deal of three cards, two face up, one face down to each player followed by a betting round led by the player with the highest card. In a tie, the suit is the tie breaker. Another face-up card is dealt and the player with the lowest hand leads the next betting round. The rounds continue until each player is dealt the fifth card and from here on the bets are doubled. After the final card is dealt face down, the play commences with the player who led off the sixth round, if he hasn’t previously folded. If such is the case, the play begins with the second player in the sixth round, and on it goes.

The Best Razz Strategy

Even if you do not hold the best possible starting hand of an unsuited ace, two, three, if you have a low hand with single cards only below ten, sound strategy dictates that you go on to the next round. If you are holding a hand with any unpaired cards under seven, you have a potential winner and should go for aggressive play if your opponents aren’t showing much. If your hand is seven high and the table is showing the lowest card of ten, you should feel encouraged and go ahead and value bet.

You must closely observe the face up cards so you can continuously update your odds of attaining a pair ( bad sign), or single cards, (good sign). . Your table position can give you an edge in betting when you see that your opponent’s visible cards are either low or high. A sound strategy would be to bet for value even in the event that you draw on the fourth street. You can still improve your odds at the pot due to your strong hand at onset, you may even draw to a lower hand. Always play your low hands with contention. If you find yourself with opponents also drawing to lower hands, don’t hold back, get them to up their bets so your pot will be enriched in the end.

A deep understanding of the tactics and strategies of Razz is supremely important to becoming a competitive player. You must know when to fold on a loser and not expect to draw to a low hand when it is a very long shot as your opponents are apt to have a lower hand from the get go. You must also know that a good table position gives you a betting edge as you may encourage players with marginal hands to remain in the game and ante up till they fold, donating all those antes to the pot, which is yours.

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