Horse racing betting is considered to be one of the most difficult and involving types of gambling. This is an instruction on selecting winning horses regardless of the kind of race. You will learn how to study the form in horse racing in a comprehensive manner, how to handicap the races and how to make the best out of your bets by applying particular betting strategies. We need first to discuss the most widespread methods that you will see horse racing odds presented before we can move on to strategy.
Fractional vs. Decimal
Odds are usually expressed in two major forms, which are fractional and decimal.
- Fractional: The numerator is what the return would be in multiples of the denominator. The fractional odds may also be the non-round figures, such as 11/4 or 3.75 in the decimal form.
- Decimal: This is the format (6.0) that reflects the total return of each unit that has been staked.
Evens / Odds-On / Odds-Against
A horse fetched at evens (1/1 fractional or 2.0 decimal) is a bet that is a double-your-money bet. Any price that is lower than evens is termed as odds-on. The left of the fractional odds, in this case, qualifies as a smaller number than the right (e.g. 2/7). On the other hand, any odds-against price is greater than evens. When a horse is heavily favored, then it is normally odds-on.
Types of Horse Racing Bets
- Win Bet: It is the simplest type of bet where you bet a selection to win the race.
- Place Bet: In the place bets, you only have to come in a place position to earn yourself a payback.
- Each-Way Bet: It is a bet that consists of two other bets: a win bet and a place bet, the place part only gets paid out when your horse wins in a specified number of top spots.
- Doubles: These are two picks of two different races, on which the odds of either pick are compounded.
- Trebles: It is a combination of three selections representing three different races with odds of the two selections being multiplied.
- 3/4/5-Fold Accumulators: These are based on over two selections with it being mandatory that all the selections need to win in order to pay off the bet. They can also be each-way accumulators and you get a win when all your horses place.
- Trixie: This bet will consist of three choices and will contain four distinct bets- three doubles and a treble.
- Yankee: This is four selections and 11 bets (six doubles, four trebles and 4-fold). The payback can even be made on two out of four of the selections.
- Lucky 15: A Lucky 15 is a bet that consists of 15 similar bets on four selections- four singles, six doubles, four trebles and one four-fold accumulator.
Types of Horse Racing
Horse races may be classified into Jump and Flat.
Jump Horse Racing
Jumps racing is a type of racing that requires horses to scale over hurdles. The closest distance is a little less than 2 miles. Hurdle races may be longer than 3 miles, and fences races may be more than 4 miles. The fences are normally used in races known as chases. Jump horses are taller and are more prone to a longer career as compared to Flat horses.
Flat Horse Racing
Flat racing is much shorter as opposed to jumping races. The shortest distance will usually be 5 furlongs and 2 miles 4 furlongs is the longest distance. Due to this reason, Flat horses are smaller, quicker, and stockier, and they have shorter career length as they race not much more than two years before retiring. The races are also held mainly in warmer weather.
Horse Racing Betting Tips
- Bet against Short-Priced Favorite: This is a kind of betting where you bet against a favorite horse. Bad draw horses will work to their advantage, especially in a racetrack where the pack runs early.
- Maximize Each-Way Bets: This gives the ability to make a good profit in case your choice in the selection is placed in a given place. To find bad each-way races and bet behind the second or third favorite.
- Follow In-Form Trainers: Following trainers on a winning race can be lucrative, particularly when it is a smaller stable and its runners are not conspicuous. Be early and rely on ratings to check whether the horse is performing over and above its expectations.
- Watch Sectional Times: The records of a horse when it competes in certain parts of a race are becoming open to view. The analysis of this data will help to estimate what performances are good and what are illusory.
- Betting Exchanges: Betting exchanges, unlike more traditional betting sites, are usually able to provide punters who place their bets on long shot outsiders with better prices and higher returns.
Also Read: Live Horse Betting Secrets: 10 Proven Ways to Win More
How to Pick a Winning Horse Racing
You have to go beyond the gut feeling or the name of a horse in order to select a winning horse. Stakeholders are serious bettors who establish more logical plans, which are founded on the following aspects. You will be able to combine all sorts of approaches based on the type of race, the amount of runners, the kind of bet, and the amount of stake you wish.