Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-21
SYSTEMS BEAT BOOK
No Matter How Good They Are
They Depend on Persist
ency and Nerve.

cit is not difficult matter to get up
system to beat the races, exploit it and
put 1t upon the sporting market, and will
tell you of several instances which will
be found Of interest in the sporting world"
said a local racing man to Star reporter.
| land at the same time give word or two
of caution to the public in these matters, IS
they prove of absorbing interest once the
horse bug nf1icts it's sting upon the average
individual.
"of course it Is another matter to beat
the game, but that is another story. Some
months ago a firm in New York came out
in half-page advertisements in the sporting
papers about a new and wonderful theory
that their experts had discovered after
making years of research over the charts.
Its discoverer had made a fortune of over
several hundred thousand dollars in a few
years in following this wonderful system,
and had sold it to the present proprietors
for 5000.
"Well, it sounded good anyway Old
timers of course know that there is really
nothing new in the racing game, but many
of the Old 'uns fell with the uninitated, and
unwrapped their rolls to the extent of the
twenty-five bucks the new racing wonder
cost. 1t was a pretty stiff price but big
red seal and a blue ribbon of a guarantee
Of it's being the genuine article went with
| II, ana tneSe Nelpeu some. i ne llTHl lNdt
was backing the scheme had been more or
less before the racing sporting eye for
some years, and this fact had its weight.
Still many of the old 'uns let the public
bite as 1t did, good and hard, and their
suspicious were confirmed when the price
dropped to fifteen bones, seal, ribbon and
all.
How the World-Beater Slipped Up.
after the world-beater had been on the
market for some weeks and system pirate
men who make 1t a business to buy sys-
TENS in the original and sell copies at
reduced price-had pirated it so extensively
that anybody who wanted it could get 1t
for a dollar two, the firm worked
through big s. system sale and combined
horse coup, cleaned up a lot of money.
and were in turn cleaned out by the postal
authorities.
well. as I said. the knowing ones who
had put up twenty-five bucks, when they
read the alleged world-beater of the turf,
kicked themselves soundly, and what the
novices did can best be left to the magma
ton. The $4,000 wonder was simply
rule to play the top-weight horse in handi
caps back as far 4 to 5, and play no
| races but those which strictly handi-
caps. either on a progressive or doubling
bet basis of play. Unless very large capital
were employed. and no other plays were
made, the profit would be inconsequential,
and racing men with very large capital
| would not be satisfied with the returns. as
they play In other ways with greater
possibility Of Increase of profits.
yet small fry chaps all over the country,
from Alabama to Missouri. copied it and
are still selling it for a dollar or two. to
| such persons who may be foolish enough to
respond to their advertisements of how to
win a large income small capital
which the method will not produce.
Many Ingenious Schemes.
lone reason why some men take so read
lily to systems is because they know what
lot of hot air vendors are the men who
advertise and sell their daily selections or
who stand outside of the track gates call
ing them out to the racing public Then
there Is a peculiar fascination about taking
up system and going over the charts to
see how 1t works out to other men.
''There Is one thing about systems which
would be funny if it weren't so often a
source of loss, and that is that they will
stand up in contemplative play for a week
or even several weeks, but somehow when
you begin to put your money down on their
pickings they begin to lose from that day.
and they have a perversity of keeping 1T
up until the player quits out Of pocket and
in disgust While some men attribute this
to their own bad luck 1 think the more
logical reason may be found in the fact
that they just happened to start In on their
play at q wrong time whereas II they had
started in at the beginning of a winning
streak they would have had the benefit of
the winning plays. and would have been
able to have tided themselves over the hard
bare ground of loss when they struck It
good and hard, as all are bound to do sooner
or later.
THUS know of one player whose figures
showed handsome profit for thirty straight
days, but on the thirty-first when he put
| his money down he lost every bet, and he
retired Disguised with sporting life on the
race tracks. Such men, however, would
make failures in any business, unless they
were on salary, as his action showed
timidity and inconsistency, two elements
which wreck most players.
Why "Price" Methods Slump.
Another funny thing about systems is
that every man with one. especially If he
thinks he originated it. OF has modified
some known method to suit his own ideas,
honestly believes that his own is the very
best going. and it's Losses seem to teach
him nothing. Thus there are scores OF
systems based upon the ehalks' the
price, or the odds which the bookmakers
lay against the horses In the ring. Most of
these are somewhat complicated and very
few men will or can follow them In the ex-
element Of actual play. as I do not refer
to the everyday ones Of playing the fav-
orite, or the second or third choices.
these latter systems. however, nearly
all work out fine on the racing charts,
where the odds as given are usually aver
aged, and being fixed, printed and in cold
type, definite line may be obtained there's
on. On the track, however, 1t Is another
matter, where the odds are constantly
auctuating. Sometimes 1t is almost impos-
sible to distinguish between the second and
the third choices, though the favorite Is
usually well defined, yet there are often
equal favorites. Again, In this connection,
one bookmaker will lay to l and another
II to on the same horse at closing odds
and in either case IL the placesor the show
price were to decide the play the player
would find two and even threee prices In the
ring which would cause him confusion, and
throw his system. usually at a critical mo-
ment. out Of gear. Yet the next day In the