Far from being a mere spectacle of athleticism and speed, horse racing is a fascinating game that requires a well-thought-out strategy to outsmart the odds and shrewd bettors know this. Discovering the right strategy in this kind of wagering game can be both profitable and thrilling as it boosts a gamer’s chance of winning. The horse betting scene is bursting with multiple great strategies and it is very important for enthusiasts to first assess their risks and values before delving in. Whether a newbie or old hand, it does not matter but by understanding the odds, analyzing trends, and applying great betting principles anybody can win a bet.
Some of the Best Horse Betting Strategies
There are a lot of horse betting strategies to choose from including;
Dutching
At the top of the list of the most common types of horse betting strategies is Dutching, often favoured by old hands and beginners in the game. Dutching is also popular on multiple horse racing betting sites on the internet space and has seen many bettors to victory.
In Dutching which is also called Dutch, bettors place their winning bets on multiple horses within the same race. The sense behind this is that, losing one bet does not make a bettor an outright loser, the other bets can still guarantee some returns for him if they are lucky enough to win. This is a great way of spreading out your stake and boosting your chances in the race. For instance, a bettor whose betting budget is $100 can decide to spread it out on three horses after understanding the odd board.
- Horse number one – a 30% chance of winning,
- Horse number two – a 25%
- Horse number seven – a 20% chance
In spreading his $100 overall stake across these horses, the bettor would use a ration that would see him earning the same return whether it is horse number one, two, or seven that won the race. Leveraging the Dutch calculator tool, the bettor spreads the total bet thus;
- Horse number one – 43.48
- Horse number two – $36.96
- Horse number seven – $19.57
On the occasion of a win by either horse number one, two, or seven, the total profit for the bettor would be $91.30. But then, you must also consider the risk of none of the three winning the race whereby the total bet of $100 would be lost. This is the downside of Dutching.
Use a Key
In the key strategy, the bettor selects a single horse as the potential winner of the race, and the same horse is used as the basis for multiple bets. This strategy can only become effective when the bettor has so much confidence in the champion of a particular race to aid possible payouts in the mounts that finish the race behind the key, it can also be for horses in ensuing races later the same day.
A bettor who perceived the number one horse as the strongest and most capable contender to win a certain race can go ahead and pick the mount as a “key”. A key is commonly used to make a trifecta or exacta bet. Here, the bettor picks the number one horse as the potential winner while selecting a few other mounts to finish in 2nd and 3rd positions and this can occur in no particular order.
Key strategy can also work in double wagers, it can equally be effective in pick three wagers and pick four wagers. There are also double–select three and select four wagers picking the victorious mounts for 2, 3, and 4 races in a row, correspondingly. The key horse should be picked carefully because it drastically reduces the picking and total ticket price if just a single horse is used for just one of the impending races in the double, pick three, or pick four tickets.
80-20 Betting
The 80-20 betting takes inspiration from the Dutch or Dutching strategy and both share some similarities. But in this instance, the bettor places the larger bet on his preferred choice and the smaller on a second horse called the outsider. In a scenario where a potential bettor has $100 as his overall bet for a particular race – $80 or 80% goes on a 2/1 favourite and the outsider gets the balance of 20% or $20 at 8/1
Any of the mounts that emerge the winner in the racing context will rake in returns to the tune of $160 which produces value for his selection. In the same way as the Dutch horse betting strategy, 80-20 betting has a downside in the number of unpicked contestants in the race, and there is the possibility that you could lose both bets; this only happens when one of the other contestants becomes the first to cross the line.
Laying Favorites
When experienced bettors decide to place bets on horse racing, they usually aim to get the top contestant beaten. Conversely, there are a lot of bettors who would prefer to go with the opposite approach by backing every favourite on a card.
When the talk is about solid strategies in horse racing, then laying favourites deserves mention and is especially great for people who have researched the race extensively and those who have discovered an angle that may make the market leader or top horse appear vulnerable. This strategy simply means “placing bets on the favourite not to win”. What this means in essence is that your bet will encompass every other potential contestant/runner in the field. For instance – in a seven-contestant/ runner race, a bettor can lay a 2/1 favourite bet and would win if one of the other six contestants lands a victory.