Tournament regular Reidy's style custom-built for WCH

Ed Reidy is an active participant in the tournament world and his name has been a fixture on leaderboards since the launch of DRF Tournaments. Last weekend, Reidy finished best in a competitive field of 32 players, all competing for their $5,000 spots in DRF’s upcoming World Championship of Handicapping. Assuming full participation of 200, the event will have a $1 million purse. In any case there will be no takeout in the finals, making it one of the most exciting opportunities the contest world has ever seen.

“I play tournaments regularly online as well as live events,” said the 51-year-old physician from Pittsburgh. “I like the format for the WCH, especially the two-day format with cuts – plus it’s a chance for a big score.”

Reidy is referring to the fact that the field for the WCH will winnow down to 100 (or half the starting number of entries) after day one, and will be cut again midway through day two. The cut lines have the effect of increasing strategy and placing more of an emphasis on competitors playing horses they actually “like,” as opposed to just reaching for the prices they “need.”

Reidy has been attending the races regularly for the past 25 years, and he resists being pigeonholed as a handicapper. “I don’t have any one particular style,” he said, “but try to keep an open mind when looking at each race.”

In the past seven years, he’s become more involved in contests, dancing in a lot of the important dances. One important win for him came this summer at Woodbine. But Reidy’s impact mostly has been seen online.

“I play contests most weekends online,” he said. “I mostly play the contests to qualify for the bigger events.”

The WCH certainly qualifies in that regard, with its large purse and player-friendly terms. As time goes on, Reidy is convinced that the popularity of handicapping tournaments will only grow. “It seems pretty clear that contests are here to stay,” he explained. “Most of the big tracks run several each year and the popularity is undeniable amongst serious players.”

And it’s not just the players who benefit, but the game as a whole. As Reidy says, “I see the tournaments as a great way to increase interest in the sport.”

To see what Reidy is talking about and to get involved yourself, check out the full slate of games this holiday weekend over at tournaments.drf.com.