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Old 02-04-2007, 10:45 AM   #1
partsnut
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Thumbs up Software Review (All Opinions Welcomed)

The NTRA recently held its finals in Las Vegas.
From the top 20 winners, 3 finalists in the top 20 money
positions were using HTR2 Software. To me, this is a very impressive figure.
Ken Massa, who markets the software finished 2nd for the tune of $ 150,000 in prize money using his own software, which says a lot.. This peaked my interest. I decided to take a look at his demo and found it to be a very straight forward program. The program has many indicators that point to the race contenders and eventual winners and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to use it and Ken Massa, who is the consumate gentleman will give you a free weekend of data files if you write him and request it,

The program is Free.
The cost to download is $120.00 per month.

For those who play on a daily basis, this might be something to consider.
These results as far as I'm concerned would be very hard to dispute because in these type of contests you only get to pick one horse to win.
The races were far from being considered easy.

The proof is in the pudding.

Last edited by partsnut; 02-04-2007 at 10:48 AM.
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Old 02-04-2007, 11:56 AM   #2
Zaf
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I have been using HTR for 1 year now, and I will try to offer some honest opinions on the program. I do not use it as a stand alone program because I have been using CJ's Pacefigures program as well.

As far as HTR Goes , there is a learning curve as with any new program. There are many ways to use the program as data can be exported to excel & access. The use of access is not necessary to use HTR , but some users prefer its database & query capabilities.

The program has an excellent K number, which is kind of like a Power Number. The winner of a race comes from the top 4 K ratings, 80 % of the time. Thats very good for a black box approach. The program also has an excellent Pedigree number and other proprietary ratings such as a Work Out Score and a Form Cycle rating which is good at sifting out long shot plays.

The nuts & bolts of HTR is pace handicapping. The program was based on the Sartin Methodology as presented by Tom Brohamer in Modern Pace Handicapping. There is also a Maxvel (Maximum Velocity) module. Who would be interested in this kind of thing :

= Sartin legacy user
= Brohamer Modern Pace Handicapper aficianado
= Hardcore Pace and Energy
= Horse by horse - line by line - nuance handicapper
= The most advanced Modeling using the current Robot interface

MAXVEL includes the following =

= Instant click-sorting on all Velocity categories
= 'dream race' header (tops in each category)
= Two new PL methods
= Horse by Horse, Line by Line selection in view, instantaneous changes and analysis on double-panel screen
= Modern and old style (Brohamer) modeling using the current Robot interface
= Complete profiling of all factors and energy%
= New KM variant option, or use the default Cramer variant

I am very pleased with HTR and have done well using it. It is a tool like any other software and is not intended to be a black box of any sort. You need to put some time into learning it , but I feel the effort is worthwhile. Finally, Ken Massa is a very nice guy and is very willing to answer questions and give customer support in a very timely fashion.

I joined this board because I know Binder & Ritchie over from the PA board and they are some of the really good guys over at PA. I am also very interested to see if I can apply the techniques of the Match-Up to the HTR MaxVel software. I have learned alot from my short time here. Thanks to all.

Darrell
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Old 02-04-2007, 12:18 PM   #3
partsnut
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zaf View Post
I am very pleased with HTR and have done well using it. It is a tool like any other software and is not intended to be a black box of any sort. You need to put some time into learning it , but I feel the effort is worthwhile. Finally, Ken Massa is a very nice guy and is very willing to answer questions and give customer support in a very timely fashion.
Darrell

Darrell, your right on the money. thank you for your excellent dissertation of an excellent tool.

Bill and Ritchie have put a great deal of time and effort and have given their unselfish knowledge to help many of us, myself included.
They are two of the nicest people I have had the pleasure to converse with but unfortunately I never had the pleasure of meeting personally.
Ken Massa is a nice person as well.

I am glad you have decided to join this board and believe you have rendered an honest opinion and you will be a valued contributor to this site.

Welcome aboard.
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Old 02-04-2007, 12:30 PM   #4
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After using just about everything on the market (including HTR) over the last 10 years, I feel it is not what software you use, but how you use it. No matter what software, when playing contests, you need to find horses that the general public will not latch onto. The general public latches on to recent speed figs, good recent form, and proven ability in the current class condition or better. Leading trainers and/or riders can also drop the odds a point or two as well.

Good software can be important in the pressure environment of a contest because it can quickly get you to races where the favorite can be vulnerable and to horses that could likely upset the favorite. This is important in cases where 80 or so races are eligible to be played in a contest. There just is not time to juggle 3 sets of daily racing forms in the heat of battle when races are going off minutes apart in a contest.

My suggestion is rather than concerning yourself with "which software is the best" ( a folly I personally engaged in for years), find a software application that fits you as a handicapper and learn it inside and out. Become as proficient, if not more so, than the author. Learn the types of races you do well with, and stick to them.

I don't mean to be preachy, I just want to save up and coming horse players the years of futility that I spent to learn the above.

Jim

PS...With the above said, I still like to look at new software on the market, however, that is now more a hobby (stuff to do on Monday and Tuesday) than serious time taken away from betting the horse races. I used to spend far too much time trying new software and it significantly adversely affected my performance at the betting windows.
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Old 02-04-2007, 01:09 PM   #5
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JimG;15049]After using just about everything on the market (including HTR) over the last 10 years, I feel it is not what software you use, but how you use it.

Jim, I respect your opinion but mine is slightly different.

I, just like you have been around the game for a while.
In my case it 51 years.

I'm of the opinion :The programming of a program and how the data is interpolated by the program and how and if the numbers are accurately presented (providing they are accurate) are paramount in a good piece of software.
If the program is diffcult to interpret or understand, then the programmer has not done his job because he offers this program for sale to the layman and may want to make a few extra bucks offering seminars on how to use the program.
If the numbers or data entered into the program are not what they should be, the the resultant would be garbage.
If the program is not suitable enough to interpret the data then it is garbage as wel
Garbage in - Garbage out.
Many software providers have always emphasized and pushed the blame for failure on the unsuspecting buyer and said he is not using the software in a correct manor. That's the easy way to shift the blame on the buyer.
Yes I'll agree with you that they are all tools of the trade but a craftsman is only as good as his tools.
I am not here to say that HTR is the best- I will say that it has proven itself.
Most of the others out there have not. Let the buyer beware.
Horse A is not the same as Horse B

Last edited by partsnut; 02-04-2007 at 01:13 PM.
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Old 02-04-2007, 01:14 PM   #6
RichieP
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Excellent thread Parts.

For ME the finest piece of software I ever used was the Validator series.

Nothing else even a close second. Whatever Doc programmed into that thing with the variable beaten lenghts stuff etc etc THAT software in MY hands saw more big priced winners and exotics that anything I have used.

I supported a 20k a year drug habit(NO dealing) for 4 years
(1997-12/12/2000) in addition to paying all my bills with NO job other than the track. I was betting exactas(counterenergy mostly) and pick3's and daily doubles. There are TWO members on this board who know what I just said is the truth.

Having said that the most important/best software is our MIND. Our minds simply "see" things that software can NOT.

Pass/play
gut "feel" that this horse/line is SUSPECT
bet structuring
and MANY more factors are things that a CONSISTENT winning player needs to have and that can NOT be "coded".

I have seen another software developer give a LIVE "play" session using "push button" software that was supposed to be as simple as "push 2 buttons and bet". Know what happened? In THREE of the first SIX races he
"decided" that he was gonna play the race even though a mixed signal or 2 showed up on the READOUTS.

He "DECIDED" to play. Follow? That's the human computer coming to the rescue AGAIN.

What the HTR folks did in that contest and have been doing CONSISTENTLY for years ( successful tourney play) can NOT be ignored. To do so would be really ignorant and costly. They are looking at a set of factors that are UNIQUE to them and obviously very hard to see by everyone else.

They also are battlehardened tourney players who have a SENSE as far as WHEN to pull the trigger and FIRE the bullets. See there is that HUMAN COMPUTER again man. They SENSE when to bet. can NOT find that in just software otherwise EVERYBODY would be winning.

I feel OUR software HERE also has things that are unique and valuable to OUR detecting large overlays that others can NOT see.I am not going to list stuff cause the blatant "rip" of stuff has already begun.

Jim G is right on the money IMO when he says "Learn ONE and know everything about it".

I also feel that the Matchup affords one a look at the races that is unique and can DEFINITELY uncover horses that software can NOT.

great thread Bill

Richie
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Old 02-04-2007, 02:19 PM   #7
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Quote:
RichieP:] For ME the finest piece of software I ever used was the Validator series.

Nothing else even a close second. Whatever Doc programmed into that thing with the variable beaten lenghts stuff etc etc THAT software in MY hands saw more big priced winners and exotics that anything I have used.
Ritchie, validator is an excellent piece of software and I've had some great successes with it as well as AOdds Gold and Energy which enabled me to place 13th and 14th consequetively in The NTRA satellites last year.
I've seen your capabilities and they should be admired. Your a great teacher as well.

Your insight will be always valued and I can appreciate your thoughts on sticking to and learning one program that works for me. However, In my opinion not all programs are the same and for the most part, the majority of them are worthless. They are hit and miss. The only fault I find with the Validator series is that you can't finalize your final pick within the program.
Most people that use it generally pick 2 horses to win. I know that as of late, you are the exception to the rule using the Match-Up to finalize your selection.

I myself, would be a win bettor only - one horse and no exotics.
I was taught this way when I lived in Las Vegas for 10 years, by the likes of Doug Manley and the late Eric Langhar - We used Colts Neck data at that time.
Doug and his wife Sharon were 2 of the best natural handicappers I've ever seen.

I am still friendly with Doug till this day.
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Old 02-04-2007, 02:46 PM   #8
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The odyssey started with Phase III
then Energy
Thoromation
.................
The lights went on in SYNTHESIS and never went off as I
learned Val and Spec,

Knowing one, and ONE like the back of your hand (so you can "bend" the rules knowledgeably), is what makes it consistent and profitable.
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Old 02-04-2007, 03:04 PM   #9
dugoutgold
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Great posts by all here. Val2 was my fav here. To me it was the true "syththeis" in that most of the past features in previous programs were lumped into it, To me at least it got me away from "operation overthink" with the abundance of readouts in KGEN/T-MATION etc. Simplicity is a wonderfull thing.
Interesting thing here, I use Aodds98 for windows ever since jumping on the "matchup wagon" as its a great learning tool and from that I have learned how to use SPEC160 much more effectively as a corrolary since then. Strange but true. I miss Val but just can make sence of the changes in the TRKMAST srs . Im hardly a great handicapper here and I used everything since PHASE2 (yes good ole static phase 2) all the way thru all the spec revisons and I have to give the nod to VAL2 here still.
Have sane weekend all Doug
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Old 02-04-2007, 07:23 PM   #10
chris
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Software comments

Software comparisons seem to spark lively discussions. I believe it's important - imperative - that we're positive about the programs we use; these comments are certainly testament to that. Often, while at the track, a stranger would ask me what program I was using - usually after I cashed a large ticket. As a courtesy, I would ask if they were using a program as well; many of their responses were unlikely endorsements for the very products they risked their money with. Interesting paradox.

A greater paradox, and closer to home, is that I can find something wrong with just about all the software I've ever used. It's easy, for me it's an involuntary reflex. Have to conciously kick in a positive outlook if I want to prosper. To that end, I now demand less from a program, and will not accept a free one - no incentive to make it work. I now take Bob Purdy's admonition about the numbers these programs generate to heart, and I'm paraphasing him here "These aren't perfect numbers, but they're dam good numbers." And that's what we have, and that's good enough! With one exception, I've found something of value in all the software I've used.

The best program for you is the one you're using now.

Regards,
Chris
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