When talking about horse racing, most people think about placing bets on the results of the races. However, there is more to betting on horse races than just betting on which horse will win a given race. There are several different types of betting available in horse racing, and knowing the differences between them can help you become an informed bettor.
Each Way Betting
If you have ever been to a horse racing track, likely you have noticed the “each way” betting window next to the bookmakers’ windows. The “each way” betting window is where you can place wagers on a horse to win, place, or show. You make the bet, the race is run, and either way you win or lose.
What makes this type of betting different than simply betting on which horse wins a race is that if any of the other horses in the race finish in between 1st and 2nd place, you will win or lose based on which horse wins the race. For example, if you bet $100 on the winner of the 3rd race and BizEaze wins with a time of 1:55, you will lose your $100 since you did not pick the winner of the 3rd race. However, if BizEaze wins by a margin of 1 second or less than 1 second, you would have won $100 since you correctly predicted that BizEaze would win the 3rd race.
To make a Each Way Betting bet, you will need to find the 3rd place horse for each race that you want to bet on. For example, let’s say that you want to bet on the 3rd race for the day. You will need to look at the finishing positions for the 1st and 2nd place horses in the 1st race and compare them to the 3rd place horse in the 2nd race. If the 1st place horse in the 1st race is closer to the 3rd place horse in the 2nd race than the 2nd place horse in the 1st race, you have a match and can make an Each Way Betting bet for the 3rd race.
Lay Betting
Lay betting is when you make a wager on a horse based on its performance in a race, but the outcome of the race is not yet known. For example, if you think that a certain horse will win a race and you want to lay a bet on that horse, but the result of the race is not yet known, you will need to place a bet on that race using odds that are currently available. When the race results are known, odds for winning will be adjusted and you will be able to collect your winnings.
To place a lay bet, you will need to find the 3rd place horse for each race that you want to bet on. You will then need to look at the finishing positions for the 1st and 2nd place horses in the 1st race and compare them to the 3rd place horse in the 2nd race. If the 1st place horse in the 1st race is closer to the 3rd place horse in the 2nd race than the 2nd place horse in the 1st race, you have a match and can make a lay bet on that horse for the 3rd race.
Most people think of lay betting when they think of betting on horse races. However, there are several different types of lay bets that you can make. For example, you can make a lay bet on which horse will come in first, second, or third place in a race. You can also make a lay bet on whether or not a horse will win a race. Finally, you can make a lay wager on which horse will come in last in a race.
Lay betting can be a profitable way to bet on horse races if you know what type of lay bets to make. However, if you want to make a profit, you should generally avoid betting on which horse will win a race since the odds are always in favor of the favorite.
Oddsmatcher
The oddsmatcher looks at each horse individually and compares them to the rest based on their performance in previous races. You will need to have a fairly large bankroll to make this type of wager, but it can be very profitable if the selections are good and the odds are right. In fact, if you are looking to make easy money, oddsmatchers can be the way to go. The benefit of this type of betting is that you get to keep track of whether or not you win or lose as you go along. There is no fear of losing a large sum of money because you did not know the outcome of a race. If you make an oddsmatcher bet and win, you will win a respectable amount. If you lose, you will lose money, but it will not be a large sum of money.
What you need to watch out for is when a horse wins a race by a large margin that its performance does not match its odds. In these cases, you are likely to lose a great deal of money because the odds were not right. However, if you are looking for a way to make easy money, oddsmatchers can be a way to go.
Point to Point Betting
Point to point betting is when you make a wager on a horse based on how well it is doing in comparison to a certain other horse. For example, let’s say that you think that Lady Luck will win the 3rd race and you want to make a point to point bet on her against Bodemeister. You will need to look at the current odds for the 3rd race and find the point spread for this type of wager. If Lady Luck’s odds are -170 and Bodemeister’s odds are +150, you will need to bet $100 on Lady Luck to win the 3rd race. When the race results are in, you will win your $100 since Lady Luck did in fact win the 3rd race by a point.
To make this type of bet, you will need to find the 3rd place horse for each race that you want to bet on and look at the current odds for each of these horses. The 3rd place horse is the one listed 2nd in your chosen race. For example, let’s say that you want to bet on the 3rd race for the day. You will go to the window and find that Warrior Queen’s odds are +170 while Bodemeister’s are only +150. You have a point to point bet on Warrior Queen against Bodemeister in the 3rd race.
Point to point betting can be a way to make easy money when done correctly. You should carefully look at the current odds for each race and make sure that the odds for the opposing horses are roughly equal. If not, you are likely losing out on a potential profit because you are not betting on a level playing field. Just remember, if the favorite wins by a very large margin, there is no way you will win or lose much money because the odds will be in favor of the favorite.
Summaries
Once you have mastered the basics of betting on horse races, it is time to move on to some more complex wagers. One of the most interesting aspects of betting on horse races is that you can find summaries of races that you have previously wagered on. This can be a great way to keep track of your previous wagers and find patterns. You can also use these summaries to look at a horse’s performance over a certain period of time and see how it compares to its competition. To find detailed information about a particular horse, simply look in the “about” section of the horse’s page on RacingForm.com.