WiseStats Blog

Pat Archibald is a veteran of the handicapping battles and is a writer whose articles have appeared in several publications.  He can be contacted at patarchibald@hotmail.com

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I’ve been at this game a long time. Back when you had to meet Jake at the bar on Tuesday night to pay up or stumbling in on Thursday with a jubilant smile to collect. Back when the perfect Saturday morning was the trip to the corner newsstand to load up with the ink on paper traditions. Mike, behind the counter, knew what I was after and what I was up to. Then over to that perfect restaurant for an old fashioned readathon. It had to be just so however. A booth was necessary with wide tables and languid service. Pitcher of ice water, carafe of coffee left on the table kind of a place. Where the eggs and bacon are not heated up in a microwave but hand-built with real potatoes and the butter is fresh and melting on the stack of rye. The kind of place that is not so busy that you had to eat and run and where Hilda seemed to know just when to swing by to see how that acid reflux was doing. Papers strewn about and the pen is circling and doing some calculations that you couldn’t seem to master in Grade 11. It is the kind of place that lets you snorfle your way along at your pace, lingering long enough to be able leave and slide to the neighborhood joint for a beer at a time that is just past degeneracy and into relaxed. It’s a fine line.

Certainly the computer has changed forevermore the art of handicapping. Now everyone can open up some page and find a system that seems lock solid.  The cyber media gives us access to huge piles of information and opinions. And that is just fine. It’s clean and an equal opportunity for the most part. Heck, the info may even be accurate.  It is a solitary, anonymous game that we play with net – searching, posting, finding, reading, downloading, printing, and betting. But over all these years and styles, bettors still fall into three main categories:

1. The Bonehead: Boneheads can be fun, especially to other Boneheads and bookies.  They boast about their wins. They bet in front of folks. They love to be seen as the risk taker with an edge. Boneheads bet drunk with no plan and love women in bent straw cowboy hats and inviting tattoos. They base all bets on the last game played. They are impulsive, get-rich-quick rounders. Boneheads lose and whine. I was a Bonehead as were all long time bettors. Graduates of Bonehead College belong to Bonehead Anonymous. “Hi, I’m Pat, and I was a Bonehead.” T-shirts are available.

2. The Gambler: If we get past the Bonehead stage and are still betting we start to recognize that we are Gamblers. They are much more precise and humble in their selections. They may even have a method to their process. This is the stage where recognition occurs that some bets are solid and somewhat more reliable than others. But being Gamblers they are not exactly sure how to differentiate between the two. Gamblers often bet only because there is a game on. Try as they might, Gamblers are poor at tracking their bets and understanding their strengths and weaknesses. This crew is living on quicksand topped with thin ice.

3. The Handicapper: Simple as it may sound the Handicapper is the Gambler who knows exactly who they bet and why and have the data to review it. They bet to earn some money, not just for the thrill of it. They keep copious records of their own wagers. Handicappers begin to see which systems are successful, whether they are best at betting the underdog, favorite, moneyline or the totals. A log of all their plays is kept with a rationale behind them. But this is very difficult to do. Discipline is a daunting trait. It is tedious and time consuming. Suffice to say it is easier to be a Bonehead than a Handicapper. More expensive too.

Many have very noble pursuits in life. God bless them. I’d love to solve the world eco problems. I really would. But while I’m working on that I’d like to become a better capper. To that end, I’m excited to use the new WiseStats system offered by Bet Smart Media. Finally I will to be able to log all my bets simply and allow this dense world of computer mayhem to finally be of real assistance to me. I’m looking forward to the development of this system to where I can hone my selections down to the greatest chance of success.  Like holding pocket aces, I’m all in.

Now, I’m gonna do some messy handicapping at Hilda’s. Going to grab my favorite newspapers and take the laptop to the booth and get down and dirty. Call it the new old tradition.

Pat Archibald