Horse Racing advice, Increasing Value, Best Odds Guarantee...
Gambling profits are not easy to come by; it is not as simple as just predicting what will happen! This is where the "mugs" go wrong as they only bet on what they think will happen. Well, it's not that easy boys and unless you are psychic then that strategy is never going to work. Do NOT place a horse racing bet because you are told “it will win” or take the SP (Starting Price) because what really matters is that the odds you receive relative to the chances of the selection winning are in your favour. Betting on something because you think that it will win is only half the battle as you need to make sure that you are getting value from the bet too and it is this search for value which is inevitably missing from every failed gambler's armoury.
So, what exactly do we mean by value? Well, if Horse A has a 5s chance (real chance, ie. 'true' odds) of winning a race and you can bet on that horse at 6s or higher then you should. Why? Because, if your bet wins, your profit will exceed the profit you would have received betting at the 'true' odds. On the other hand, if Horse B's real chances are 2s but you are only able to bet on it at 1.8 then even though Horse B is more likely to win than Horse A (on the grounds it is at shorter odds) you should NOT take that bet because the 'true' odds of the horse are not reflected by the unfavourable price you are taking. Of course, value bets don't always win and mug bets don't always lose but there is at least mathematical sense to value betting.
To help you with your betting, we suggest you take three measures:
1. Make a betting selection but don't bet on it yet.
2. Use a price comparison site to check where you can get the best price for your selection. One such site is Oddschecker.
3. You will often find multiple sites offering the best price available so... be savvy.
Be savvy? What does that mean? It means you consider some of the other perks beyond odds which some sites offer as this is almost as important as knowing what to bet on and at what initial odds.
One such perk is called Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) and a number of bookmakers offer it. BOG is when a bookmaker settles your fixed odds winning bet at its SP (Starting Price) if your horse's SP was higher than the odds you originally bet at. If the SP was not higher than the odds you bet at then you still get paid out at the odds you originally accepted. So, after picking a horse and using a price comparison site to find the best price, it would be folly to bet at a bookmaker which didn't offer BOG given the opportunity to do so. Betting with a BOG bookmakers means that you can bet on your horse at 4, see it drift to a SP of 6 and when it wins, you are paid out at 6!
So from now on ONLY bet on a horse if it is at a BOG site and NEVER take the SP. Following this advice is certain to increase your profits.
Best Odds Guaranteed sites which we recommend are =
Bet365, Totesport, Boylesports, VictorChandler, Paddy Power, Stan James, Ladbrokes, Coral, William Hill, Centrebet
From that list you can increase your edge still further by looking for specific offers and promotions which may be combined with your bet. For example, is there a payout for “First Past the Post” as well as the official result? What this means is that if your horse finishes first but goes on to be disqualified or downgraded in placings, you still get paid out as if it won. Of course if your horse didn't pass the post first but was announced as the official winner then you get paid out as having the winner too. If you have ever had a winner thrown out after a stewards enquiry you will know the sickening feeling of the cash you had just mentally banked being snatched away! Dont let it happen to you.
From the above list of BOG sites, those that also have First Past the Post are =
Bet365, BoyleSports, VictorChandler, PaddyPower, WillHill
Having narrowed it down to those five sites there are then a whole host of other offers and promotions which you should look out for to make sure that, if your selection doesn't come through, you get as much of your money back as a saver. As well as maximising your returns it is also imperitive that any investment strategy does its very best to protect your capital. PaddyPower, BoyleSports, and VictorChandler regularly have “Featured Races” where if your horse is a faller (Victor Chandler) or if it comes second to the SP favourite (PaddyPower) or if he loses by a short head (Boyles) then you'll be refunded usually in the form of a free bet to the value of your stake (always a maximum refund level so check).
Although the odds in such promotional races can sometimes appear worse than normal, it is still worth checking if your horse would be covered by any site's particular offer. It is also imperative to understand that some of the promotions and even BOG for example, may only be available through particular betting mediums such as online betting rather than telephone betting or in-shop betting and may not apply to antepost betting.
This short amount of extra time spent doing your research is what makes the difference between a Pro and a Mug. Having £200 on a horse that falls clear at the last and moaning about it in the shop is what the Mugs do. The Pros placed that bet at VC and under the Faller promotion running that day they got the money back as £200 in freebets. Thats £200 of extra ammunition to use the next day and that is how you beat the bookie in the end.
Good luck.
