There is one major difference between poker and horseracing.

It "IS" a lot easier to beat poker.

I've spent a lot of time over the last 24 months reading and studying David Sklansky's books on limit holdem (plenty of others too). I will grant you that I'm not best poker player around, but it doesn't matter. I routinely bury the small stakes games I play in because I know the level at which I can compete successfully right now and I plan on staying there until I prove to myself I am ready to move up to the next level. I am playing against people a lot worse than I am. IMHO anyone with a reasonably high IQ/aptitude for gambling and a determination to beat poker can do so very quickly as long as he doesn't move up in class until he is ready.

You don't have that option in horseracing. The odds are almost always fairly efficient because there's a ton of informed money flowing into the pools correcting any mistakes that the casual uninformed fans make. I can't go to the $2 window and just play against other $2 players for awhile. I have to play against the Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson, and Johnny Chan of horseracing as soon as I step up to the plate.

Granted, lowering the take would make the game easier to beat and might encourage more players to try to beat it. But you would have to lower it enough to create substantially more winners than exist now because horserace handicapping requires a lot of daily work. With poker, once you know something and are at a good table, you just sit down and play and you have the edge. There are tons of relatively recent poker converts that are making money playing poker. Some are making a LOT.

Obviously I love this game or I wouldn't put so much time and energy into it, but I think it's going to take a lot of change to produce the kind of success that Poker has.










Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/2005 03:02PM by classhandicapper.