Please Hold All Tickets

both easy to read and close to the truth. I think any one who loves the track (horse) will love Cramers' book.

Mark Cramer brings out the truths that horseplayers need to know to not only improve their ROI, but to also help them define the type of player they want to be.

Mark Cramer's special talent of passing on the do's and don'ts of handicapping is fantastic.....we are all guilty of what he explains in the book about second guessing ourselves prior to finally making our way to the ticket window and purchasing our tickets...we all have to take off the blinders and look and the data in front of us...the daily racing form provides that info...we need to examine it thoroughly...it is all there for us to check out....it's up to us the horseplayer to analyze it to the best of our intellect...Cramer's handicapping is the best teacher, as he shares some of that in his book, for us to use.

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Note - I'm a longtime horseplayer and fan of the author, and first read this book decades ago. For this reprint, I received a review copy, and second time through, it was still tons of fun.Environmentalism, politics, music, literature, parenting, psychology and philosophy all combined with horseplaying? Yup, with a big sense of humor.Cramer is an original, creative thinker with a lot to teach, and he does it with wit and intelligence. Some of the specific handicapping insights from his 'how-to' books are now part of many horseplayers' thinking, but understanding and applying the Cramer mindset is another matter. This cool little novel is a way into that mindset, and also leaves us with things to mull when it comes to navigating our off-track worlds.

Back when someone could make decent money writing a "How To" book about betting on horses, Mark Cramer decided to pass up that sure thing for a longshot play: the novel "Please Hold All Tickets." This republished classic by Cramer includes plenty of adventure and colorful characters to satisfy readers of fiction and a healthy/helpful dose of handicapping instruction for horseplayers. With Cramer's wit and insight merging these two genres, the payout to readers is substantial.

Mark Cramer uses a fictional medium with real life races to demonstrate handicapping principles to horse racing fans. Cramer is one of the most important writers and instructors in horse race handicapping and betting, belonging in an elite group with Beyer, Quirin, Quinn and Ainslie. Using a novel format allows us to venture inside the psyche and thought process of the aspiring winner. This is an underrated classic from Mark Cramer!

In his homage to Cervantes, Mark Cramer (in a "novel " format) perfects the "teach don't preach" concept. You will be amazed how many handicapping concepts you pick up without even realizing it! Bottom line is it's a great book, hard to put down and I highly recommend it to all handicappers. Another "gem" from Mark Cramer!!