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There are two groups of punters who invariably go to the races, or their TAB agencies, with the percentages piled high against them. They are the backers of favourites and longshots. No matter wh...
There are many problems associated with beating the trifecta. Punters probably don’t realise the task they are taking on when they tackle this bet. Question 1: Can you predict the 1-2-3 finishin...
Let me ask you a question. If you bet on a horse and you see its price rise or fall dramatically, how do you feel? If you feel sick when the horse's odds spiral upwards and smug when they fall, I'...
Greyhound racing is probably the best system under which a punter in Australia can risk - or rather, invest - his hard earned dough. To my way of thinking there is nothing so good as a standout "...
PPM reader Kerrin Brown has been enjoying success as a “lay” operator on Betfair. In this article he relates his personal story, and how he makes money from his operation. The first time I w...
I’ve spent years trying to beat the TAB and bookies and I’ve lost my bank more times than I can remember. There have been a few big wins; as many as a man with only three fingers could count on ...
The impact of 'weight' on any horse is invariably a key talking point every raceday. When it's said that a horse is 'well-weighted' for a race it means that it's considered the horse is favourably...
They call it 'deep state' handicapping. It's the method used by shrewd computer geeks to make millions of dollars on Hong Kong racing. The average punter has no idea of the penetrating analys...
The late Don Scott once wrote that the best form of exotic betting is the trifecta. I think he was right. Don said picking a trifecta winning bet was a test of skill rather than a game of chance. ...
You would like to back a winner every two selections? That’s a 50 per cent win strike. Some dream! But maybe it’s not so crazy. After all, picking two horses a race and making a ‘book’ by savin...
All involved in that never-ending war against 'the percentages' are constantly looking for the fresh angle. The angle that might turn the tide. This magazine, in fact, devotes much research time t...
Many of the letters I receive each month from PPM readers ask me for ideas on how best to approach the task of studying form. Most ask me what I do and which formguides I use. Because I am requir...
For as long as Mark Shean can remember, he has been going to the races. His grandfather was the great jockey Fred Shean while Mark's father Jim also rode with success. As an eight-year-old, Mark ...
It's easy these days to convince yourself that by looking at video replays and turn-and-finish photoform you can, suddenly, transform yourself into a winning punter. Oh that it were that easy! To...
This series will be devoted to midweek racing, mostly at the provincial and country centres, though city racing will be mentioned because it plays a key role in midweek racing. There are any numb...
As a racing enthusiast, they don't come any keener or more qualified than Mark Shean. After all, the 32-year-old is grandson of the former great jockey Fred Shean, who, rode the 1938 Caulfield Mel...
In the first three articles in this series I laid out my general thoughts on form analysis for midweek racing. I suppose the main thing I want to stress is this: ask questions, not only of the fo...
Fourteen years ago we revealed the details of an approach that used a "tick test" as a simple way of finding the likely best chances in a race. Despite all the changes in racing since then, that "...
When a horse with a 6 per cent strike rate bolts home at more than 44/1 it gets us punters scratching our heads. How the hell did that win, we ask ourselves (and anyone else close by)? The bona...
How long since you bothered to read a stewards' report? If you're like most punters you never read them, and that's a great pity. Stewards' reports can be terrific guides to future winners. In t...