Pick 3 Poll Results

As you have probably noticed for those of you visiting my blog on a regular basis over the last two months that I have had a poll about the pick 3 bet. The poll turned out as follows.

Poll: What is your success with Pick 3's?

over 100% net gain ..... 0%
50 - 100% net gain ..... 11%
0 - 50% net gain .......... 33%
negative net gain ......... 56%

It is apparent from this poll that the pick 3 is a losing bet over 1/2 the time for my poll participants. This is disappointing to me but I can understand why.

I have played the pick 3 quite a bit and the big mistake that can be made is using 'bet combinations' that are too small to have much of a chance of winning. If you have access to TVG you can get an idea of the cost of a pick 3 that needs to be made to have a good chance of winning. The analysts on TVG who share their picks with you hardly ever have a pick 3 selection under $18.

Some rough calculations of mine based on my own experience reveals that on the average (assuming $1 pick 3's that have won):

Combinations that cost Win %
less than $18 ....................8%
$18 to $27 ........................20%
$27 to $42........................ 32%
greater than $42............. 40%

You can see that to be successsful with pick 3's that you need pick 3 combinations that cost over $18. The payoffs for pick 3's can be large at times when you put long shots in your combination. To do this, however, you need to invest enough money in your bet to raise the probablility of your winning.

If you do not want to risk larger amounts of money with your pick 3 bets then it may well be best not to wager these bets.