By Rich Nilsen

“Horse racing is a game of edges, but it is also a game of survival. The players who endure and thrive are not always those with the flashiest winners or the loadest boasts, but those who cultivate discipline, embrace patience, and continually adapt.” ~ Betting on Horse$

There are some books that are a must-have in every horseplayer’s library, and Chris Larmey’s debut book “Betting on Horses” is one of those works. Some books are read once and collect dust for the remainder of their shelf life, but Larmey’s Betting on Horses is not that type of book. This is one that horseplayers will want to refer to time and time again in the quest to improve their skills.

Host of the Betting with the Best podcast and a member of the NHC Hall of Fame, Larmey has compiled the expert thoughts and practices of many of his great guests over the past several years. These guests included some of the best I have ever witnessed to play the game, guys like Tommy Massis, Mike Maloney and Frank Mustari. Outstanding handicappers and bettors are prominently featured in this book, such as Paul Matties, Sean Boarman, Paul Shurman, Marshall Gramm, the anonymous voice InsideThePlyons, among others.

With so many topics and insights to curate, structuring and presenting this book must have been a formidable challenge. As a writer and publisher myself, I can attest that Larmey and his team rose to the occasion, delivering a finished product that is not only visually appealing but, more importantly, follows a cohesive and well-crafted outline. This is an essential read for any horseplayer looking to elevate their game.

Betting on Horse$ Content

The book begins with one of the most critical factors for horseplayers – value. The first half of Betting on Horses discusses what is value, how to find it and how to exploit it through the wagering strategies of the Betting with the Best guests. But the content here is not just about value but also about the handicapping methods utilized to find that value. You will learn what tools each of these horseplayers use in their daily handicapping process.

Larmey also dives into the hottest topic in racing right now – CAW and computer wagering. Two of the best to chime in on this controversial subject, Dennis Montoro and Marshall Gramm provide their invaluable insights.

Gramm explains that “the starting point for any model is the public’s odds because the public is very sharp.” He notes that the CAW teams tend to shy away from the double pool because it reveals their hands in the next race. Gramm reveals his recommended reading list of four books that provide a deeper dive into computer modeling and related topics.

Montoro gives excellent advice on one of the most important components to being a winning horseplayer – race selection – and provides his advice on what races and tracks to avoid.

For tournament players, Betting on Horses has a must-read chapter on ‘Horseplayer Contests.’ Matt Miller, one of the most successful tournament players and an author in his own right, provides his exact blueprint for how he attacks the real-bankroll contests. Paul Shurman, who is arguably the best to ever play the $2 mythical contests, discusses some of his key handicapping methods and how he applies them to contest play.

Summary of Betting on Horses

Larmey’s book is absolutely packed with handicapping and wagering insights across its 235 pages. There are so many great nuggets in this book that will inspire horseplayers to take action and adjust their method of play or betting strategies. If you are serious about horse racing and elevating your game, this book belongs on your shelf — and more importantly, in your hands.

Scott Carson, Rich Nilsen, and Chris Larmey at Keeneland, circa 2018

QnA with Author Chris Larmey

Nilsen: Your Bet with the Best podcast has been very popular in the industry. What led you to the concept of creating a podcast like that for your fellow horseplayers?

Larmey: Years ago, when I first got started in the game, there were a number of outstanding books for horseplayers, titles like Picking Winners by Andrew Beyer, Exotic Betting by Steve Crist, Money Secrets at the Racetrack by Barry Meadow, and Kinky Handicapping by Mark Cramer. Those books were literary gold and played a major role in educating and developing serious players.

But it has been a long time since we’ve seen anything comparable. Mike Maloney’s excellent Betting with an Edge, published in 2017, was probably the last truly comprehensive work of that kind.

I started the Bet with the Best podcast primarily as a modern way to help fill that gap and share the wisdom of elite horseplayers with a wider audience.

The game itself has changed dramatically over the past 20 years, and that pace of change continues to accelerate. Advances in technology, increasingly complex wager types, shifts in the betting landscape, and the rise of Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW) teams have fundamentally altered the game.

I also wanted to help players understand and adapt to those changes so they can survive, and potentially thrive, in today’s highly competitive environment.

More broadly, I believe the betting skill set required to succeed as a modern horseplayer remains underappreciated by both players and the industry. There is a real opportunity for improvement through better education and guidance.

Finally, many critical aspects of the game, including race selection, price discovery, bet sizing, bankroll management, horseplayer psychology, and performance review, are rarely discussed in depth, even though they are more important than ever. The podcast was intended to help address those gaps as well.

Nilsen: You had a great idea of turning the content from the Bet with the Best podcast into a book. How difficult was it to compile all the different topics and thoughts into a cohesive work?

Larmey: After several years of producing Bet with the Best interviews, it became clear to me that there was an opportunity to compile all that insight and wisdom into a single resource that horseplayers could use and revisit throughout their journey in the game.

I also wanted the book to be useful to players of all experience levels, from beginners to seasoned veterans.

One of the biggest challenges was integrating the sometimes conflicting ideas of more than 28 very different experts, along with my own thoughts and experiences, into a single comprehensive framework. It took several iterations and a great deal of feedback on early drafts from people like Steven Crist, Marshall Gramm, Mike Maloney, and Matt Miller. With their help, I think I managed to do that, and I am very proud of the final product.

It also took a tremendous amount of work to transform the manuscript into a professionally published book. I was fortunate to have a great team helping me navigate the process as a clueless first-time author. That team included Frank Scatoni (editor), Meg Price (designer), Lorna Lentini (proofreader), and Roy Young (cover design). I owe a great deal to all of them for elevating the book in terms of readability, presentation, and overall quality.

The end result is a book organized around what I call the “Basic Process for Today’s Horseplayer,” a framework within which I attempt to weave together the key themes, tools, and techniques discussed by the various experts, along with some of my own ideas and observations.

Nilsen: Having interviewed so many great horseplayers and bettors, what were a few of the best nuggets you personally learned over the past few years?

Larmey: I think the biggest takeaway is that, as horseplayers, we are all unique. We each have our own strengths, weaknesses, preferences, and approaches. There is no single “right” way to play this game.

Our challenge is to learn as much as we can from both others and our own experiences, then figure out how to incorporate that knowledge into our personal approach as part of a never-ending journey toward becoming a more complete horseplayer.

My podcast, and now my book, Betting on Horse$, are intended to help players do exactly that.

Nilsen: Where can we purchase your book?

Larmey: Thanks, Rich, for taking the time to review my new book and share your thoughts with other players. I truly appreciate the effort, and I’m sure your readers will as well.

You can learn more about Betting on Horse$ and purchase it at an early-bird discounted price here:

https://betwiththebestmedia.com

I hope readers enjoy the book and are inspired to think differently about the game.

Nilsen: Thank you, Chris, and best of luck with a book that I believe will be considered a classic in the sport.