Please Hold All Tickets

If you've grappled with the existential decision "to bet or not to bet" on a horse, then you may very well find yourself in Please Hold All Tickets. This engaging story of the glorious 1980s period in thoroughbred horseracing contains all the the vibrancy of the racetrack, with a gut-deep view of transitions in American betting history between the 70s and 90s.This first-ever "handicapping road novel" outlines a unique way to win at the races. Join the cross-country adventure of protagonists Don Quick and Ted Sanchez as they hit the road in search of their own handicapping Shangri-La.____________________________________________Excerpts from reviews of the first printing of Please Hold All Tickets:“I read this book by Mark Cramer called Please Hold All Tickets that changed my entireoutlook. It was a fictional story that described these two guys, who were modeledafter Don Quixote and Sancho Panza and their odyssey through racetracks all overthe country. Through their dialogue I picked up the idea of using the exacta as placebet, and I haven't had to worry about the bills ever since.”—Longshot Larry, as quoted in a Daily Racing Form column by Dave Litfin.“Cramer's tale of two horseplayers proves that fiction can be an excellent vehicle fortackling many of the problems that a serious bettor faces. In an entertaining andinformative manner, this story manages to cover the logical, psychological andphilosophical dilemmas which all astute players find themselves up against.—Nick Willett, from Handicapper's Notebook“Please Hold All Tickets is Kerouac with dashes of Sayles in an original new gonzovoice. A whimsical on-the-road adventure of a Quixotic horseplayer's quest for parimutuelnirvana.”—Cecil Suzuki, "Man at His Best," Win Magazine, January, 1992.“Please Hold All Tickets is a brilliant work. In its own unique way the best non-instructionalbit of handicapping instruction ever written.”—Howard "Doc" Sartin Read more