[Tim Y]

Up in the frozen North where so many of a British heritage are re-located, DARTS competition is regularly on the sports channel. I watched a bit of it and learned that to get ahead the fastest, competitors try to hit a narrow inner ring, about 3 inches out from the bulls eye where a TRIPLE score can be found. This area is VERY Tight and often after one dart is there, there is so little room that subsequent darts bounce off to the sides. IN OTHER WORDS it is very hard to hit, but because it results in a big score, it is where they want to go.

You can also get points (not as selectively however) in just hitting the inner part of the rings anywhere on the target.

So, in darts, we have SPECIFICITY (difficult to get) with high yield and generality (not so difficult to get) with LOW yield.

Compare to major wagering choices. Hit the WINNER, hard to do and OVERALL not the greatest of a return, or GENERALITY (easier to hit) with often yields so big that you can miss several of them (exotics) and still be ahead.

Add to the fact that ANY LONG TERM survival of a bankroll needs HEALTHY contributions of cash periodically in order to keep going, and you learn, over time, what the pros know: the money is in the exotics NOT STRAIGHT wagering.

if you review your handicapping, it is truly amazing how often the exotics (even the tough supers) are contained in the TOP 6 horses, Even if you used the TRI plus ALL tickets (at a place like Woodbine where supers can be truly HUGE), it is a long term shot to make some serious cash.

I have just finished a YEAR long review of all the exotic bets from last April to December 4th (last 6 cards showed some real odd results but that has been consistent now for the past 4 seasons), and was I surprised at how often the super was in the top 6 animals. A one dollar BOX with two keyed ones is the starting point and it is a money maker. Found the exact same thing at Oaklawn (after the first two weeks of the meeting)

Go back over your records and see if you don't find the same thing. NOW you must follow a venue that has enough $$$$$$$$$ in the pools to make these worth you while. NO races less that 7 horses either: they are a waste of time usually unless a false favorite is among them.