Strategy for gamblers

Caro

Caro

Moderator
We have a gamblers trial on the weekend and this will be my first gamblers course.

How many obstacles should I plan for? We dont get a course map beforehand so I am thinking of working out a certain amount of obstacles for the gamble but I have no idea how many. I want to make sure I am near the closing sequence after a certain number. How do you work it out (we dont get the course maps beforehand).
 
Personally, I'm all for the 'get the points I need and get out' approach. This is probably because Edan doesn't run around an agility ring, he 'show trots' like he's in a show ring more times than not.

I'm not sure what the rules are for your version of Gamblers. The version of the game I play, Jackpot, is slightly different so a different strategy can be used.
 
Hey Caro,in my opinion, it's hard to strategize before seeing a course map. Every course is different, the point values for all obstacles are different, and the time in the opening may be different.

From my perspective, the only recommendation that I can make beforehand is to play to your dog's strengths. It might seem silly, but if the dog walk is worth 5 and your dog doesn't have fast/reliable contacts (for example), it might make more sense to do a tunnel and some jumps instead.

Also, when I do the walk through, first I walk it to think of the flow, and then I run it at what I guesstimate to be "Bentley speed". It gives me an idea of how long things take.

Keep an eye out for patterns (rounds, straight lines, etc) near the gamble that you can do if you end up done with your plan and have extra time. That way you're still set up, but not just wasting time. (Plus in some venues you get DQd for camping out at the gamble waiting for the buzzer).

Hope that helps some!
 
How do you remember how many times you have done an obstacle? And do I just let Tully go the way she thinks or make sure she follows me? I dont have the best memory and i suffer from vertigo so I am a bit worried about getting lost on the course. Dont want to give myself a migraine with the worry. This is also my first 2day trial - I usually avoid long trials because of migraines.

I checked the catalogue and at least Novice is at the end of the gamblers program and the 300mm dogs are at the end so I am hoping the course stays relatively the same and I can plot it out before I get to it (can you tell I am panicked), as long as I finish my other runs (jumping and agility) in time.
 
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