Arlington Park Closing Day Players' Pool
Sunday, September 29 is closing day at Arlington Park and that means mandatory payouts all the way around including any carryovers in the Jackpot High-5 ($45,324 as of 9/26) and Pick 9 Jackpot ($649,413 as of 9/26) pools.
The Pick 9 Jackpot has been eluding handicapper's for months but that won't stop the TwinSpires Players' Pool from trying to hit it as the Pool is all set to go after the mandatory payout (if the pool lasts that long) along with any carryover in the Jackpot High-5 pool . If the Pick 9 gets to Sunday, the estimated pool go as high as $3 Million!
To help handicap the Arlington races, the Players's Pool Panel is enlisting the help of Arlington's own Alyssa Ali and Brisnet.com's Arlington Park Daily Selections contributor Tim Holland!
The Players' Pool will use it's expert wagering strategies to work for you by offerring a $50,000 (cap) pool. The pool will utilize those funds to select the group tickets that contributing members share proportionately. TwinSpires Players can jump into the pool for as little as $10. Don't get shut out!
The Players' Pool is designated to be educational and fun and in no way guarantees a winning wager.
**If the Pick 9 gets hit before Sunday, the entire pool will be canceled (even if there is a Super High 5 carryover) and all Player funds that were contributed to the pool will be returned in full. If the Super High 5 gets hit before Sunday but the Pick 9 doesn’t, then the Players Pool will still play for the Pick 9 only.
Arlington Park Closing Day Players' Pool Wrap Up (9/30)
The TwinSpires.com Players Pool was a half-length off navigating a tricky Pick 9 sequence on closing day at Arlington Park (Sunday, September 29), and ended with ten consolation (8/9) payoffs worth $648.79 each for a total return of $6,487.90 on $45,316.80 wagered or $1.43 per $10 contributed.
The dime combination makes the Pick 9 seem deceptively easy. It’s 5% the cost of a $2 Pick 6 with just 50% more races, but the sequence Sunday at Arlington had the same number of combinations as a $2 Pick 6 that averaged 15 horses per race. The resulting payout of ~$75k for $.10 was generous considering the longest price was Chica Silver at $18.60. Unfortunately, that was the race we missed.
Thank you for participating, and we look forward to offering another one soon!
Arlington Park Closing Day Player's Pool Strategy
The dime Pick 9 at Arlington Park is very different from a $2 Pick 6. Yeah, there’s 50% more races but at 5% the cost per combination there’s more opportunity for coverage. That means part of the Players Pool wagering strategy has to include having logical results multiple times. I.e., a bet that pays $100,000 for a dollar sounds good, but that isn’t impressive if you only have it for a dime ($10k) after putting in $50k.
There will be opportunity, though. Before scratches there are 293-million combinations, meaning buying the sequence would cost $29-million, which is more than a Pick 6 would cost with if there were 15 horses in each race. This disparity between total combinations and the size of most players tickets means that favored combos will be overbet while outliers will be vastly underbet. We will use our bankroll to capitalize on favorites multiple times while still giving ourselves a chance to string together a less likely—but still possible—outcome that could pay $100,000 for a dime.
Arlington Park Closing Day Players' Pool Panel
Ed DeRosa (captain) - Ed is the Director of Marketing for Bloodstock Research Information Services (Brisnet.com) and a lifelong Thoroughbred racing enthusiast and astute handicapper. Ed joined Churchill Downs Inc. following nine years as a writer and editor with Thoroughbred Times. Ed will serve as “Captain” of the Players’ Pool for all major events including Breeders’ Cup, Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and any other major multi-day carryover pools. Follow on Twitter @EJXD2
Alyssa Ali - Alyssa Ali is marketing manager at Arlington International Racecourse, providing handicapping analysis and on-air talent for the Chicago-area track’s media department as well as HorseRacing TV and locally based superstation WGN. Ali is the daughter of trainer Al Ali and has grown up around horses and the racetrack. She began hot walking at 14 and by 16 was working at Arlington as an intern. She is seen daily on Arlington’s preview show Arlington Experience and produces the popular video series RACEHORSE. Follow Alyssa on Twitter @Alyssa_Ali
Tim Holland - Tim Holland is a veteran and accomplished handicapper who has qualified for the National Handicapping Championship and anchors Brisnet.com’s Daily Selections team providing full-card analysis with best bets for top tracks across the country, including Arlington where Tim has picked more winners than any public handicapper the past two racing seasons.
The TwinSpires Players' Pool has been an ongoing, unique offering of TwinSpires.com since 2009, but it's rich history dates back as early as 2004 with AmericaTab.
The Pool has had several scores over the years including hitting the 2007 Kentucky Derby Pick 6 twice for over $460,000, taking down two New York carryovers in 2010 for over $400,000 each as well as capturing over $300,000 on the Thursday following the 2011 Kentucky Derby which featured a massive Pick 6 carryover.
The pool is an exciting, easy way to learn more about online wagering, betting exotic wagers and playing the horses. The Players' Pool is designated to be educational and fun and in now way guarantees a winning wager.