Help! I disappeared from the Standings--what's up?
If you are absolutely sure you are gone--then check the SPAM-BLOCKER you use with your email. If your SPAM-BLOCKER prevents our email from getting through, you will be automatically deactivated. Sometimes players with Earthlink accounts send us a message asking what happened. We cannot even reply, because Earthlink's spam-blocker won't remember any user's outgoing email! Yes, Earthlink's spam-blocker is horrible! The only way we can get sponsors for Public Handicapper is to send their messages in our emails (we don't do it often, but we *do* have to do it in order to offer prizes). If you have been deactivated, make sure you give the SPAM-BLOCKER permission to let email from horseplayers@publichandicapper.com through. Then email us and let us know you want to be reactivated.

It says I cannot make my picks less than an hour before post time, but I know there is plenty of time. What's wrong?
Chances are, you did not select the right race from the popup menu. This happens a lot on Sundays, where you have to select the race from the menu, as there are Saturday races still listed. Make sure you select the right race from the popup menu!

If for some reason I cannot get my picks up—can I email them to you?
Absolutely, positively not! Then every player would have to "trust" us that we received them on time. If you email us your picks, they will not count. You must, MUST post them online, and if some technical glitch is keeping you from doing it, that's just bad racing luck. (P.S. 9 out of 10 picks that are emailed to us don't win.)

I'm having a problem downloading Daily Racing Form Past Performances. Can you help?
We are a completely separate entity from DRF, but we have learned some of the common mistakes. First off, if you buy a special through Public Handicapper, you need to access the PPs through a different page than usual on DRF. You need to go to this page to type in your Public Handicapper ID and PW, then you can access the specials. If you want a shortcut, you can go straight to these pages and bookmark them: For the 4-card deal, go here. For the 100-card deal, go here. Remember to add those pages to your Favorites! You can then avoid having to type in your PH ID and password.

If you still cannot figure it out, you need to call Daily Racing Form's 24-hour customer service line at 800-306-3676, or email them at: cservice@drf.com

Can someone else in my household sign up to play?
Yes, you may have more than one person in the family sign up. In order to do so, they must be signed up as a different person with different username and password. Ideally they will have a separate email address. However you may use the same email address if that is the only one available. Please note, in order to sign up a second time you will need to do it with a different computer, a different browser, or the same browser with cookies disabled. To disable your cookies, you will need to check the HELP for whatever browser you are using.

Why do you only let us make picks 1 hour to post? Why not 15 minutes?
We cannot allow this because everyone would wait to see the odds for the race, then try to get their picks in the last minute. It would crush the server. By limiting the deadline to 1 hour, players are more likely to enter their picks any time beforehand, creating a much more even traffic flow. Remember, newspaper "Public Handicappers" have to make their picks at least one day before!

My record does not seem to add up right. Could there be a mistake?
The chances of a mistake are very low. The computer has never made an addition error. However, we have on occasion posted results that missed a scratch. To find out if your record is correct, do this: count the number of races you have played. Multiply by two. That is the amount of imaginary money you have bet. Now add the payoffs of all your winners. Subtract the "bet" money from the payoff money, and your total should equal what is displayed on Public Handicapper. Please note that if you played a race in which all three of your horses scratched, you would be credited with no win or loss. But the race will remain in the list of races you played.

If I pick part of an entry and the other half wins, do I still get a payoff?
Yes. We play as if were were at the track. If someone as a player bets on your picks as a "Public Handicapper," they would still win the bet—so why shouldn't you? While it might seem like stumbling into good luck rather than good handicapping—it's a little bonus in a game that seems to taketh away more often than giveth! Please note however that if the horse you bet scratches, you DO NOT win if the other half of the entry wins. The assumption is made that you would have never bet real money on the entry if the part you like scratches.

I'm not sure if I have been deactivated—how can I tell?
Click on the Change Your Email link at the bottom of this page. Make sure the email address is correct and working. If the address is inactive, change it to a working address. Then click on the Forgot Password link at the bottom of every page. Type in the email address. Your ID and password will be sent to you. Try to make your picks. If you cannot, with the new ID and PW, then you need to email us and ask to be reactivated. Contact Public Handicapper to do that!

Is there a chance we can get paid for place and show?
There are dozens of ways to win money playing the horses. But the easiest way to show you know more than the other person is to pick the winner. Someday, maybe, we'll branch out and try adding other kinds of wagers/payoffs to the format. However, for now we and most of our players are happy with simply picking winners.

For the next contest, do I have to sign up again?
No, once you sign up, you are eligible for every PH contest, until eternity or we go out of business, whichever comes first. Just keep playing the races!