HOW TO BET

 

 

How To Bet On Horse Racing

The internet revolution has produced a golden age for punters. This has produced fantastic opportunities for those disciplined enough to exploit it, with margins virtually non-existent if you shop around to get the best prices. Essentially if your opinion is any good you really ought to be winning and winning regularly. Here's how.

1 - Specialise

There is so much horse racing today, especially in the summer, that it's virtually impossible to be on top of all of it and attempting to do so is liable to dilute ones views and lead to errors in judgement.

Try and find an area that you can get to grips with the form in. Bet only in these races and watch every one of these races.

2 - Maintain A Database

Specialising in one area means you can easily use a database to log all your views and notes on every race.

Make your own notes along with the views of the experts. Maybe in the BOL racecard and include that in your database.

3 – Set Your Own Odds For Every Race

This is essential to anyone who wishes to try and make money betting on horses racing. There have been thousands of excellent judges of horse racing form who fail at gambling simply because they "bet what they fancy and a winner is a winner".

The only way to form an accurate view of when it is time to bet is to “price up” the races to 100 per cent. If for instance you price up a three horse race at Evens (2.0), 3-1 (4.0) and 3-1 (4.0), but the actual prices available are 6-4, (2.50), 2-1, (3.0) and 5-2 (3.50), then the "value" lies in betting the 6-4 chance. You're getting odds of 6/4 for a horse you feel should be at the shorter odds of even money.

Clearly this is a simplistic example and racing is not black and white but it is still an excellent habit to get into and stops ill-discipline and having too many bets.

4 - When The Weather Changes, Be Patient And Wait

The summer months of racing are traditionally the hardest for the bookmakers. Put simply, the weather is usually dry and the ground stays the same, on the fast side of good.

However when the weather changes so do racing results. Be careful analysing horse racing form on fast ground when the actual race may be on soft. This is why there are bookmakers!

5 - The Shape Of The Race

This is the least considered but arguably the most important factor in analysing a race you intend to price up and wager in.

Try to understand the run styles of the protagonists and what suits them best. For example if there are two headstrong frontrunners in the race, both are liable to ruin each other up front and tee the race up for a hold up horse.

Similarly if something is sure to get a soft unpressed lead it is much more probable it will give its best running. A lot of this is a "feel" thing that will come from experience of watching thousands of races and keeping accurate notes.

6 - Follow An In Form Small Yard Over A Big Name Stable

Generally the horses from the bigger, well established yards tend to be overbet in relation to the form they have actually achieved. Try and steer clear of hype and "info" and focus on what you have seen with your own eyes.

Younger trainers just starting out tend to be more up for the game than those that have already enjoyed success in the past.

7 - Record Every Bet You Make And Review Them Each Month

Discipline is paramount and essential for weeding out bad value bets. Do not bet when there is no value. Keep your staking to a set plan. And do not bet out of frustration when things go against you. Be patient, ride out the tough times and stick to your plan. To do otherwise is to make failure a certainty.

8 - Never Bet Odds-On And Try To Find Each-Way Value

Try and avoid betting odds-on and focus mainly on each-way opportunities. Much better to play in 8, 9 or 10 runner races each-way where the terms are very much in the punters favour.

9 - The Effect Of The Draw

This is becoming more and more relevant to finding winners and is a constant source of frustration to punters on the flat. More and more, for whatever reason, certain parts of racecourses have faster strips of turf that see those horses drawn high or low enjoy a huge advantage.

It is important to record this bias and remember it for future betting.

10 - Latch onto A Young Claiming Pilot Over A 'Star'

So often horses ridden by star "name" pilots are under-priced simply because punters believe they have been booked because connections expect them to win. Also, they have a huge betting shop following who simply bet anything they ride.

As is so often the case with successful horse racing betting, staying away from the mainstream view is often the best option. Try and spot young riders who are strong and decent judges of pace. With their claim (a reduction in weight the horse must carry because they have yet to ride a certain number of winners), they can represent more value if you notice them before everyone else.