Best Way To Bet On Horses
BET TO PLACE: You're betting on a horse to finish either 1st or 2nd in the race. BET TO SHOW: You're betting on a horse to finish either 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the race. EXACTA: You're betting on both. For example, in an 8-horse field, a $1 Trifecta wheel of 3-All-All (horse three to finish first with the other 7 horses to finish second or third), would result in 42 possible $1 combinations at the cost of $42 and would pay off if horse 3 won the race and any of horses 1,2,4,5,6,7,8 finished second or third. The Daily Double – Horse Racing’s Best Bet. In our opinion, the Daily Double is the best bet in horse racing, smartest bet in horse racing. Before you send us emails or leave us. Unlike matched betting, this isn’t always a guaranteed way of winning every time. If you only bet on a selection of horses then you increase your chances of winning. Yet, you might also fail to choose the right horse. You can avoid this risk by dutching the whole field. This means that you bet on every runner. Win, place, and show bets are some of the simplest horse racing bets that you can make. With each bet, you pick a horse, and if they finish in the correct position, you win! If you bet a horse to win, they have to win the race for you to win your bet. It’s that simple. A place bet is a bet for a horse to finish in first or second place.
Betting on a horse race for the first time — even the first few times — can be an intimidating endeavor. What are all of these options? Here’s all the lingo you need to know before you place your first bet:
The Basics
Winbet – A bet on a horse to finish first.
Place bet – A bet on a horse to finish first or second.
Show bet – A bet on a horse to finish in the money; third or better.
In the money – A horse that finishes first, second, or third.
Across the board – A bet on a horse to win, place, and show. If the horse wins, the bettor collects three ways; if second, two ways (place, show); and if third, one way, losing the win and place bets. It’s actually three bets.
Morning line – The odds that the track handicapper predicts a horse will go off at.
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Exotic (bet) – Any bet other than win, place, or show that requires multiple combinations. Examples of exotic wagers are exacta, trifecta, Pick 6, Pick 4.
Daily Double (or Double) – Type of bet calling for the selection of winners of two consecutive races.
Exacta – A wager in which the first two finishers in a race, in exact order of finish, must be picked.
Box – A betting term denoting a combination bet whereby all possible numeric combinations are covered for certain horses.
Exacta box – A wager in which all possible combinations using a given number of horses are selected. For example, an exacta box using horses 2,4,6 would produce a winning ticket if any two of those three horses finished first and second, regardless of the order (2-6, 4-2, 6-4, etc.).
Trifecta – A bet in which the first three finishers must be selected in exact order.
Trifecta box – A trifecta wager in which all possible combinations using a given number of horses are bet upon.
Pick (6 or other number) – A type of multi-race bet in which the winners of all the included races must be selected. Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Pick 6 are commonly used by tracks in the United States.
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Bounce – A racehorse’s especially poor performance on the heels of an especially good one.
Chalk – Betting favorite in a race.
Chalk player – Gambler who wagers on favorites.
Key horse – A single horse used in multiple combinations in an exotic bet.
On the board – Finishing among the first three.
On the nose – Betting a horse to win only.
Overlay – A horse whose odds are greater than its potential to win. Professional bettors target overlays, meaning they target bets that offer better than fair value odds.
Best Way To Bet On Horses Gta
Underlay – A horse whose odds are less than than his potential to win. Betting horses whose odds are worse than fair value is a poor strategy.
Parlay – A multi-race bet in which all winnings are subsequently wagered on a succeeding race.
Speed Figure – A metric that rates a horse’s performance in a race, which is determined by a combination of the horse’s performance and the level of competition he/she competed against.
Wheel – Betting all possible combinations in an exotic wager using at least one horse as the key.
How To Bet On Horses
Picking a winner can be tough, but our best five tips will help narrow down the field to just one standout runner.
Horse racing is one of those sports that has many variables, so a lot needs to go right for the winning horse. However, having an edge before the race is run is important for punters.
In this article, we discuss things such as barriers and weights, but firstly, the most important tip for picking a winning horse is finding value.
1. Find the value
Picking winners is fun, but betting on horses at a price we didn’t like is a horrible feeling.
What do we mean by that?
If you think a horse is going to win the next race at Randwick, but bookmakers are offering $1.80, that doesn’t mean you automatically back that horse.
You might think those odds are too short, so instead of backing it, you wait for a better value betting opportunity.
But what if the horse wins?
You have given up a winning selection, but you’ll find yourself winning more money if you have patience. If the horse loses, you have not only backed a loser, but you weren’t going to get your desired odds to begin with.
It’s not necessarily a rule to picking a winner, but it’s the rule every punter should put above the rest.
Sometimes you’ll have to pass on a horse you think will win, and that’s OK. Betting on horse racing is all about waiting for the best time to strike.
2. Form matters, but it’s not everything
If form runners continued to win every race, betting on horse racing would be a piece of cake.
It’s good to follow horses that are in form, because confidence levels are high and the horse is generally in fit condition.
However, conditions of the race play a huge factor. For instance, a horse might have form of 26774, which isn’t overly appealing. However, its last four starts all came at group level and now it’s dropping back to a benchmark 90 grade.
It has the class edge over the field, despite not having the best form. Punters need to look for these runners, as they can escape the bookmakers’ eye.
3. Hot jockeys are hot for a reason
You often hear someone say “that jockey is hot,” but they’re not talking about their looks.
A hot jockey is worth following, especially at the big carnivals. They get confident and a confident jockey is a better jockey.
We have all backed a learning apprentice and wondered why they didn’t give the horse every chance. Whilst we go easy on apprentices, backing the experienced and in-form senior riders is the way to go.
For example, James McDonald used to win the first race with great frequency. Therefore, punters would back him in Race 1 and make a tidy profit.
These trends and hot jockeys won’t continue forever, so you need to identify when a jockey has lost their touch.
Conversely, stay away from the jockeys that couldn’t win aboard Winx in a maiden contest.
4. Barriers
Barriers are relatively boring and mundane, but they are important when picking a winner.
In most cases, the wider the barrier, the less chance they have of winning. It’s not always true, but sticking with the horse with good barriers is the way to go.
It doesn’t matter so much over staying distances, as horses from out wide have a chance to find cover. However, if a horse draws barrier 14 in a sprint contest, they’re already behind the eight ball.
Something to look out for are horses drawn barrier one. If they like to get back in the race and make a late run, drawing the inside barrier is a negative.
If they like to lead, drawing the inside barrier is ideal.
5. Weights
Weights aren’t the be-all-end-all of picking a winner, but they are important in handicap races.
Take the Doncaster Mile for an example; it’s rarely won by the top weighted horses, because under handicap conditions, talented three-year-old thoroughbreds carry around 50kg.
It doesn’t so much in midweek maidens, but races like the Doncaster Mile, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup factor weights in heavily.
6: A light relief (bonus tip)
It might seem crass, but if you see a horse ‘relieving’ itself before the race, it could pay to jump on.
It shows that a horse is relaxed and ready to run. Many trainers often jump to the tote when this happens, so look out for it, but not too closely!
About the Author: Daryl CurnowAfter graduating from the University of Auckland (BA – English), Daryl was thrown into the world of sports and horse racing journalism.
Having worked as a racing journalist for two years, he decided to move into the online world of horse racing and sports writing. After years of honing his craft, Daryl became a professional punter in 2009 – with a focus on horse racing, NRL, AFL, NBA, Rugby, NFL, and US college sports. Daryl’s tips have been featured on various websites around the world before joining the GoBet team. When he’s not working, Daryl tries to avoid making bogeys on the golf course.