How to bet on horse racing? A brief guide for beginners in gambling. (Photo credit: © Wingbeats551 | Dreamstime.com)
Horse racing is one of the most particular sections of every betting website. This kind of sport is one of the most popular and high-end in many countries including the USA, Australia, Great Britain, the United Arab Emirates, and the others. Betting on horse racing can bring one a fortune; however, you need to have enough knowledge besides basic luck to succeed in gambling in this field. Punters have to keep in mind many factors to predict which horse finishes first, and while it is quite obvious in some cases, there are many side factors, pitfalls, and details you should at least know about.
What to check before betting on a horse
Firstly, you should understand that horse races are not the same: there are plenty of horse racing types. The most popular ones include flat racing, maiden racing, harness racing, endurance racing, stakes racing, and multiple others, a bit less popular. Before you make your bets, make sure you understand how your chosen race works and what the horse should be like to be able to finish first.
No matter which kind of race you choose, you will have a table of the race behind you. Check it accurately: here you will find some key factors in numbers. The main thing that should draw your attention is the horse form measured in figures that show which places did the horse take in the previous races. The race type here also matters: for instance, if the horse shows great performance in the flat race, it does not mean it will be the same with a maiden race so be careful when you choose your favorite. A racehorse should also be an experienced one in the distance it runs; it is an enormous risk to bet on a horse that has never run a similar race before.
One more factor is the number of days passed from the previous start of the horse. This value is also indicated in the race table and you should analyze it thoroughly. The horse might be too tired to show decent results if it participated in a race a last a couple of days ago; however, long breaks can matter even more, because horses tend to lose their shape; in addition, if the horse trainer changed to another one, this can also become an issue as this will be a fresh start for the particular horse.
Finally, there is such a parameter as the additional weight of the horse, added by the handicappers’ commission. This is applicable not for all race types, but in short, it is an additional weight put on the horseback in order to make all horses more or less equal. It may seem obvious to suppose that the horse with the lightest added weight is the weakest one; however, it may not be as easy and sometimes, the real situation is absolutely opposite.
How to make a correct bet
If you are ready to gamble, you should first choose a convenient betting platform. It is better to choose the ones with high ratings and a user-friendly interface in order not to create additional issues for yourself. The best solution for beginners is to choose a platform that allows you to make bets before the race starts so that you could do all the preparation work taking your time and not during the last minutes of the competition. The latter options work better for the experienced cappers.
Before making a bet it makes sense to go through the reviews of the horses. Special betting forums are here to help. They provide gamblers with the forecasts, personal professional opinions, and previous experience of betting on horse racing. This will make the choice more clear. In addition, such platforms contain detailed descriptions of the competing horses.
Finally, choose a bet type on the betting website you work with.
How to choose a bet type
You can bet differently. Your choice is only restricted by the options your bookmaker offers to you. The most popular bet types are the following:
- Win bet
This is the easiest way to make a bet you just have to choose a horse, that you suppose will win the race.
- Place bet
A bit more complicated bet type: your horse may finish first, or second, or third. If it happens, you win a dividend of the place. This bet type is applied for races where more than eight horses compete.
- Each Way bet
This is a combination of the previous two bet types. The rules are simple: if your horse comes first, you receive your winning prize as well as the place dividend; if it finishes second or third, then only the place dividend is your profit.
- Quinella bet
Here you have to pick two runners who you think will manage to take the first two places. It does not matter for this bet type who will exactly finish first or second.
- Exacta bet
This one is more like a variation of the previous bet type. Here you are supposed to predict who will come first and who will get the second place; the order here matters so you have to be precise.
There are more bet types for horse racing, but for the new gamblers, it is better to start with this list above and concentrate on these bets at first.
Conclusion
Now, when you know a bit more about betting on horse racing, you can try your luck and see what happens. There are plenty of resources on the Internet with tons of details and lifehacks of horse race betting so if you feel you are into gambling, you can do your own research. Remember to start with a smaller amount of bets and don’t forget that this is only a game with quite an unpredictable result. In the end, this should bring you enjoyment in the first place, and the win is an optional feature.
