Betting on horse racing is one of the most popular available online sportsbooks. However, for those that enjoy betting on the sport, there is more to it than simply glancing at the race card and finding a selection with a nice name. Millions of people bet on horse racing around the world and follow strategies that help make better wagers on the action.
There are a number of ways to make wiser selections, which will, in turn, increase your chances of landing a winning bet. Below, we will go through some of the main tips that all bettors should follow when making a bet on the racing action, no matter whether it’s the Kentucky Derby or the Melbourne Cup.
Do The Research
Unlike other sports, the research part of making bets on the horse racing action is vitally important. Bets shouldn’t be placed on any race before you have studied racecards intensely.
This will immediately improve your chances of finding a winner in the race, but what should gamblers be looking at? Firstly, you should understand the race that you’re betting on, which means looking at whether it is a flat or jumps race, and how long the distance of the race is.
Also, it is important to understand whether it is a handicap, stakes or graded races. Next, you should examine the horses involved, and look to see whether they have run over the distance covered and at the track where the race is taking place.
Horses with graded wins at the track over the same distance will immediately have a better chance of getting the win again. Check some horse racing results providers like TwinSpires for info.
Try Different Bets
The tried and tested win bet is always the most popular when it comes to race fans that want to place a wager, but there are so many different avenues for profit when it comes to horse racing betting. For example, bets can simply be placed on a horse to place, which means in order to get returns, the selection will only need to finish in the top three. Some of the leading sportsbooks also offer promotions when it comes to places, as they will offer more places on selected races throughout the day, which could open up some profit on an outsider finishing in the places.
Forecasts and Tricasts can also be explored, but these are typically much harder wagers to get returns. Here, bets must be placed on the horses that will finish in the first two (Forecast) and three (tricast) places, and in the correct order. Multiple betting is also very popular with horse racing, with Lucky 15s being a type to keep bettors invested throughout the day.
Compare The Odds
The final strategy that all expert gamblers take into consideration is shopping around to find the best odds. Horse racing is completely different compared to betting on other sports, as there could be huge differences in the odds that are offered depending on the bookmaker. For the most part, when betting on football, the teams will be the same odds at the majority of the sportsbooks. However, when it comes to racing, one sportsbook may offer odds of 9/1 on a selection, but you could potentially shop around and find odds of 12/1.
Understanding the importance of the odds is integral when it comes to betting on the sport, as the best odds that you can find will ultimately mean that you are able to take home higher returns should your pick be a winner. Shopping around and finding the best odds avoids misery, in the long run, finding out that you could have won more should you have made the wager at a different site.