Welcome Wizards!

Post by **Bob Harris** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 2:35 pm

Welcome to the Wizard's Forum!! My name is Bob Harris and I will be one of the moderators along with Matt and Sam.

I first met Michael in 1986 and started following his teachings seriously in 1989 after attending the very first Masters class in Las Vegas. It was during that week long "bootcamp" that I first realized that this game could truly be beaten. While announcing all of his bets ahead of time, I watched in astonishment as Michael made several thousand dollars in 6 days using numbers that were childlike compared to what we now have available with Black Magic. I had spent the previous 3 years using software which would spit out reams of data based on pacelines which would take me hours to pick (3 hrs to do a card was not uncommon for me). I had become convinced that the only way to beat the game was to slave over it like a second job...when I watched Michael run through entire cards in minutes using only 3 quickly arrived at ratings, I knew I could never go back to my previous style of handicapping again.

Trying to be "right" is a complete waste of time. No matter how sophisticated your numbers are and no matter how much time you spend pouring over the past performances, you will never be "right" often enough to make money. On the other hand, learning to make good wagers is a skill which everyone can become proficient at...learn that skill and the profit portion of the equation will take care of itself.

I prefer to keep my handicapping process very simple...partly due to the constraints of family and partly because I've found over the years that my first instinct about a race is my best instinct...the longer it takes me to make a decision, the smaller my chances of success. Handicappers are sort of like thieves in the way they approach a race...you can pick open a race with precision and sort through the dresser looking for hidden jewels or you can beat in the door with a fireaxe, grab the tv and run. I prefer taking the Sony.

I play pretty much everyday between 10am and 2pm...feel free to send me any notes, questions or feedback. There are some really sharp handicappers in the Magician family and the more I get to interact with you the better player I become.

Best of luck,

Bob