I was sitting with a banker pal of mine at the races. He was on a cold streak that makes Siberia look like the beach. He was crying and groaning about trying to build a man-size bankroll for the Belmont. Well, I can’t claim it is fool proof, but when I left he was rolling like a snowball going downhill.

He likes to bet exactas, trifectas, and anything under the sun. It was at this time that I took him back a few steps. I asked him if he had ever thought about making a place parlay. After laughing and calling me the “Newbie-Novice,” I broke out the old pen and paper and gave a math lesson to a man who respects the numbers.

Mac likes to bet $50 per race. This is his small end, and I told him to find his best four races to play. It doesn’t matter the price, and let’s try to find a runner who could pay at least $3 to place. This really had him going until the bottom line appeared. Here  are his selections and how they did:

Race #1 – $50 to place = His horse won, and paid $4.60 to place = $115

Race # 2 – $115 to place , and his horse paid $3.40 = $193.80

Race #3 – $193 to place on his $2.80 = $268.80

Race #4 – $268 to place on his final charge who won by a landslide, and paid $3.60 to place = $482.40

My pal really fell in love with this little wager, and liked the “Rule of Four.”  He has changed his focus a bit, and I think he’s back on track. I told him to play the gimmicks on the big day, and not to forget using this play. He called me an hour ago, and told me he rolled another up for over $300. I think he may be hooked, and I’ll bet dollars to donuts he’ll be using this wager to build a bankroll along the way. I would suggest giving it a try. It doesn’t have to be $50 or a $100, it can be a $10 or $20 start-up wager. Just carry it over to your next big race you like, and shoot for at least a $3 payoff. The most important rule is to pick a fixed number of races, and stick to it. I like using four races, and stick to it. I think you’ll have a good time rolling up some good dough.