Rainbow Six Anonymous

I admit it. I hate to, but I have to look in the mirror and come to grips with it - I bet my first Rainbow Six.

The pick 6 at Gulfstream - a lotto bet with huge takeout - is not something I find will help racing. Certainly it won't unless they get slots players buying "cards" or tickets in corner stores. But it did serve a purpose for me today. I was working on some real work items and just could not pay attention like I should, but I wanted to watch the races at Gulfstream. I decided, for ten cents, why not?

I took a poke and bet a gazillion combos, spending $60 or something for some good old-fashioned gambling entertainment. I lost in leg two (I pitched that chalk winner) but I still got to watch the races to see how I did.

OK, I feel better now, but I am fully expecting my Horseplayer friends to submit my name for an episode of Intervention. Watch for me on A and E betting Pennsylvania supers, exactors at Golden Gate and the Rainbow six, keying chalk.

The pick 6 at these increments has been dissected by several folks. Beyer, who liked the 25 cent Beulah Fortune Six, wrote about the ten cent variety here at GP and concluded it was not a nice bet. I think he is on the fence on them, depending on a number of factors. I think I am too.

In addition, Cangamble today looks at a potential "sucker" bet, the Pimlico Slider. This bet involves picking a winner, an exacta, a tri and a super, to cash the pot. The bar seems a little high, huh. The odds of cashing that are probably tantamount to the aforementioned Andy Beyer beating Uncle Mo in a 6 furlong sprint. They should call it the Pimlico Vacuum.

Sometimes qualifying bets and "hooks" are decent. For example, the Pick 6 in the UK is really hard to hit (because of the massive fields) and the pots can get into the millions. They add a qualifier for winners by asking them to pick one winner on a prescribed race the following weekend. If they do, they get the "side pot", which can reach mega bucks. I think side pot bets would be the way to attack new wagers. If you are going to charge 30% take for a hard to hit bet, why not stick 5% of it away for a side pool? Better yet, why not use some slot cash for the side pool at slot tracks, giving long-ignored customers some value?

The Gulfstream Rainbow Six and the Pimlico Slider look like they have aways to go; but it sure doesn't mean we should stop trying some new ideas. We should just make sure the ideas make sense. In my opinion, someone should call a horseplayer before making a new bet - a novel concept I know, but one that should be tried. After all, who is supposed to be making these bets?