A horseplayer friend recently asked me, “Is it worth it to play in contests?” The answer is most definitely yes. There are so many positive aspects to contest play that it is difficult to list them all here, but I will try. For now we’ll focus on four: value, networking, fun, and experience. With rare exceptions, horseplayers are typically asked to compete in an economic environment in which nearly 20 cents are taken out of every dollar. Those financial terms send advantage players running for the hills. But contests provide opportunities where as much money – or close to it – will be returned to players participating in the contest as a group as they put in. Consider two events where one can qualify only on DRF Tournaments: the World Championship of Handicapping and the World Horseplayers’ Tour/Santa Anita Preakness contest. For the WCH, there is no takeout in the finals and you can buy-in directly for $5,000. In 2019, a field of 200 is expected, meaning that the full $1 million will be distributed to the players who compete. In the WHT/SA Preakness event, there is no entry fee – players will wager their whole $5,000 bankroll. “Aha,” you might say, “but what about the takeout on the bets made through the tote?” This is true, takeout will be collected by Santa Anita on bets made during the tournament. But the event has a fully added prize pool worth $143,000 that works to negate that takeout and shifts the balance in favor of the players. That sounds worth it to me. Tournament players often speak about camaraderie, and I’ve seen it happen: lifelong friendships are made in the contest room. But let’s say you’re a more introverted sort who already has a few friends in racing and the idea of camaraderie doesn’t sound all that appealing. Contests are still an amazing opportunity for networking, on a number of levels. On one hand, your skills as a horseplayer can improve dramatically when you share ideas with other players. It’s very useful to discuss opportunities and to share information with other sharp players. The networking can be more traditional in nature as well: it can lead to jobs in the industry. Consider the story of Billy Blake. Blake, a young horseplayer who worked in TV in the Albany, N.Y., area, and qualified for the 2015 Preakness contest at Santa Anita through DRF. While out there, he met a number of interesting folks, including a guy who offered him a job working on Santa Anita’s in-house feed and its associated XBTV programming. He’s lived in California for almost three years now. On his behalf, I’ll say that contests are worth it. Not to be left aside is the fun aspect of tournaments. Seeing your name rising up the leaderboard is simply a blast, a way to get recognition for being good at your chosen hobby. And live games offer the opportunity to mix in game theory, giving them a thrill similar to an important hand of poker. The first time you execute a perfect block in the last race and you know you’re going to win no matter what happens as soon as the gates open, you’ll agree that contests are worth it. Lastly, contests allow you to play horses nearly every day for a controlled, potentially very low cost, all while gathering valuable real-world experience. While some players might have the discipline to play “on paper” and get the same benefits, most of us need to have skin in the game to focus properly and learn. Many players have said that their ability to find winning longshots has soared since they tried contest play, thus improving their cash play as well. And even if weekday feeders have low buy-ins, the stakes are real: if you keep winning, you can end up playing for your share of $1 million. If that’s not worth it to you, I’m not sure I can help.