Whether you’re a beginner looking to start your horse race betting career or you are a seasoned veteran seeking to enhance your current betting strategy you’re going to need to know the ins and outs of horse race betting. Like any other sports betting horse racing can be a tad complicated when it comes to placing a wager on it, but wildly popular both at the bookies and at Timeform or other online platforms. So whether you are online, in the shop or at the racetracks themselves, you will want to have a look at our hint and tips to help you land your next big winner. We have tried to make the world of horse race betting easy!
Odds
First things first, odds. Like any other bet or sports bet that you would place the odds of horse racing reflects who the bookie believes to be the favourite. In horse racing however, the odds of horses does not always reflect as sure fire in the same way that other sports such as football or boxing would. In fact, in horse racing the favourite actually only wins a third of the time. This means outsiders and larger odds on horses can sometimes be beneficial for the average punter looking to get the most bang for their buck. In the same manner as any other sports bet, horse racing follows the odds fractionally or using the decimal system to offer a price at which your wager will cost and return. Odds can seem a bit confusing at first to people new to betting, but once you have the hang of it it becomes blindingly obvious and easy to work out.
Different types of bets
One of the greatest beauties of placing bets on horse racing is its variety. After figuring out the odds and selection of horse you are going for you are going to need to work out what kind of bet you are going for and in horse racing there are a huge amount of options. From singles to accumulators the list of potential bets is extensive. It is worth noting that as horse racing is so unpredictable, sticking on large accumulators like those seen in football betting, are much less likely to win. Specific to the sport is the each way and lucky 15 options that bookies offer on the horses. Each way betting allows you to win a proportional amount of money if your horse places in the top 3 and can be combined on a multi-bet such as a double, treble or accumulator. In addition to this, the Lucky 15 option many bookies offer is a specific bet which places 15 separate bets on your horse selection and combines them together in one massive wager. This allows huge wins if it does come off or marginal smaller wins more commonly. These separate options alongside the bog standard types of betting offered allow for many different avenues to be explored when betting on the horses.
Do you research!
Without a doubt the most important thing to remember when betting and particularly when betting on horses is to do your research. More than most other sports, doing research on your horse selections is absolutely critical to avoid money loss on your bets. The sport is too intricate for a random punt week in week out. Sure you might get some luck but in the main you are fighting a losing battle using that tactic. Instead, reading racecards which give you the form of the jockeys and horses as well as how their owners and trainers have performed will provide you with valuable insight into the race. It is also important to take note of the ground type (soft or firm) because much like tennis courts, the ground affects the competitors differently. Alternatively, if you aren;t fond of studying the race card or you are attending the races in person, then viewing the horses when they are escorted around the parade ring before the race can give you big indicators to help your selection. Muscle definition, sheen and the horse’s body language are all indicators of how the horse is going to perform on the day. Doing this added extra research and putting in the hours to get yourself up to date with the latest data is crucial to find yourself landing winning selections time and time again. Luck can get you so far but for you to truly master horse race betting you really want to master the ins and outs of the sport and do your research of it.
Luck does get you big winners sometimes in horse racing because of the nature of the sport. But just remember, the bookies are banking on you trying your luck time and time again. Don’t fall into their trap. Instead learn and research a strong betting selection. Get to know the ins and outs of horse race betting so that you can keep winning and bookie bashing!