Anderson captures TwinSpires.com 25-Seat Guarantee tourney,
earns NHC berth
Tim Anderson of Columbus, Ohio, came out on top in the 25-Seat Guarantee
online tournament presented by TwinSpires.com on November 21, earning a first
prize of $10,000 and a spot in the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship
XI (NHC), which will be held January 29-30 at the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas.
In addition to various cash prizes, the second- through 15th-place finishers
in the 25-Seat Guarantee earned an entry into the NHC, while the 16th- through 25th-place finishers qualified for
the Horseplayer World Series, which is expected to be held February 17 at the
Orleans Casino in Las Vegas.
With a $300 entry fee and entries limited to two per person, the 25-Seat
Guarantee attracted 560 entries. Contestants were given a mythical bankroll of
$48 and were required to make mythical $2 Win/Place bets on 12 mandatory races.
Mutuel payoffs were capped at $52 for Win and $26 for Place, and the player with
the highest accumulated bankroll was deemed the winner. Anderson ended the
contest with a bankroll of $131.70, winning by a margin of $8.80.
The next three finishers were separated by a margin of $3.10. Derek Isenberg
of New Haven, Connecticut, was second with $122.90. Chris Parkinsom of Forest
Hill, Maryland, finished with $121, while Sam Decicco of Kingston, New York, had
a final bankroll of $119.80.
Isenberg, who earned his first ever berth into the NHC, said he has been
playing the horses for 14 years and has participated in handicapping tournaments
for five years.
“This contest was more difficult because there were mandatory races whereas
in other tournaments I’ve participated in you’ve been allowed to choose your own
races,” Isenberg said. “I had to mix up both favorites and longshots when
normally I wouldn’t use favorites.
“I’ve been using BRIS products for about 2 1/2 years, since I opened my TwinSpires.com account,” Isenberg added. “I like to use the race shape boxes at
the top of the past performances in particular to see how horses have run at
the distance.”
Stanley Bavlish, who won the NHC in 2007,
finished 19th. A resident of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Bavlish has been a BRIS
member since 1988.
“I think TwinSpires does a great job both overall and with the tournaments,”
Bavlish said. “The contest card was a very good selection of races. Bang for the
buck, the ability to play for 25 spots to Vegas from the comfort of your home
can not be beat.”