Greyhounds are probably the fastest dogs in the world. Some experts even claim that they are the fastest domesticated land animals. For this reason, they have been the stars of many global competitions where punters wager thousands of dollars on a daily basis.
If you are new to all of this, you are probably wondering what we mean. Well, here’s a quick breakdown of Greyhound racing to get you up to speed.
Basically, this is a sport where up to 8 dogs (greyhounds) are placed on an oval track and let loose to chase a dummy hare. The first dog to get back to the finish line wins.
The dogs wear numbered coloured jackets. Punters use these numbers to wager on their preferred dog.
While experienced punters make winning look easy, it’s not. But it’s not difficult either. You just need to understand the sport, race conditions, the race draws, running styles of different dogs and the racing tracks. But getting a hang of all this on your own could take ages.
For this reason, we have compiled a quick guide to show you how to bet on greyhound racing and increase your chances of winning. If you simply want betting tips, you can also check out our free greyhound betting tips.
Editor Picks – Top 3 Online Betting Sites For Greyhound Betting
| Top Bookies | Rating | Review | Go To Site |
|---|---|---|---|
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Read Review | Visit Bet365 & See Latest Offer | |
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Read Review | Visit Will Hill & See New Offer | |
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Read Review | Visit Betfred & See New Offer |
How to Bet On Greyhound Racing
Check conditions and look out for any bias, especially during wet weather
The condition of the track can affect the outcome of greyhound racing. As such, it’s advisable to sit back and watch a couple of races to understand the bias (if any). For instance, when it’s wet wide runners will perform better. The inside rail is often testing during such kind of weather. Moreover, front-runners have an advantage when it’s wet. On the flip side, during winter, inside runners have an advantage since the ground is compacted.
Always look for well-drawn dogs over the faster “unlucky losers.”
Note that the dogs with the cleanest runs often win the races, especially those that are graded. How well a dog performs in the first 100 yards after release makes a great impact on the results.
Favour a young pup with scope to improve rather the old timers
The best advice we can offer to new greyhound racing betters is to back young pups – those that have run less than 20 races. This is mainly because these pups are still adjusting, improving and learning how to negotiate bends smoothly. They have got nowhere to go but up, unlike the old timers on the race.
Make your own tissue prices and look for stand out value in the early prices
Once you have a firm understanding of a particular track or a particular race, it’s important to jot down your prices. This will stop you from taking short prices. Also, be on the lookout for the underprice dogs as they naturally end up being profitable over time.
Try and visualize how a race will be run and understand the nuances of every track
Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut for attaining this skill. You have to put in the time and effort to develop it. You see, race reading is only attained through observing and taking notes. But once you dedicate yourself to learn the art and skill, you’ll start to understand which tracks are perfect for which dogs, and which ones pose a tougher challenge. Every track comes with its fair share of curves and bends which some dogs may find difficult to negotiate, while others will thrive easily.
Although acquiring the skill is not easy, the predictive power that it affords the punters is enviable.
Specialise at a select number of tracks first, then expand
Do not try to get your hands on every race. Greyhound races can give you bursts of adrenaline. However, you should be careful not to get addicted to the action and bet every two minutes.
Greyhound racing has meetings every day and there are live coverages. As such, quick fixes are never far from your reach. But even then, you should put a leash on yourself. Strive to specialise in one or two (at most) tracks. Give them your all and become an expert in them. This way, you’ll increase your understanding of the tracks and races and consequently your odds of winning.
Keeping up with five meetings every work can be overwhelming and will take you ages to be an expert and reap better rewards.
Try to find reasons to oppose the favourite, avoiding short price bets
Punters have a bias for the favourites. For some, betting on favourites feels like a sure win. And while it most cases it is, the returns are minimal. We encourage you to find reasons to be on other runners aside from favourites. Usually, there is better value in backing one dog against the leader. The reasons you find could be the dog swerved wide at the traps several runs back or it won the race without an early draw in the previous race.
Understand how the dog’s preferred run style can affect how the race is run
Like we’ve mentioned before, take your time to study the races before you wager and be keen to take notice of the run styles and take notes. This will play a big role in how successful you are in greyhound betting.
For instance, having 3 early paced short runners could spoil the pace of the race and leave the line open to a dog with a late surge of energy.
Trainers are creatures of habit, know where they like to win, and what dogs they do best with.
Just like football coaches, some greyhound race trainers are better than others. Some do well with young pups while others simply drive the dogs to the tracks without a lot of strategy happening in between. As you learn the track, you’ll also learn the characters and traits of certain trainers. And with time, you’ll learn to factor these findings in your prices.
Note that most trainers today operate from a place of financial lack and need to keep betting to cater to their bills. And though this is not always the case and is never made to be too obvious, be on the lookout for greyhounds that are coming back from lameness, a seasonal break and those that are unexposed. Those connected to the dog will know when it is picking.
Check recent form
This is super important. The chances of a greyhound winning are only as good as its recent/current form. To determine a greyhound’s recent form, you need to pay attention to the date of its last run, the track where the run took place, the distance of the run, the trap it was in the previous race, finish time, the position at the first bend, finishing position and by how much it won. All these factors come into play when determining recent form.
Course record
As a punter, you need to also factor in how well the greyhound has performed in a particular course before you wager. This will help you know whether it’s better suited for the track or it finds it challenging.
Can it compete in the grade (is it too old to improve on the higher grade)?
As we pointed out earlier, you should prefer young pups as they have the ability to rise through the grades with ease. On the flip side, old-timers have a difficult time to compete in their grade or even rise to a higher grade. With time, greyhounds get tired and their performance dips regardless of their training and diet. Knowing where the greyhound stands helps you make an informed decision.
Never chase losses and only bet when you have a perceived value bet.
If you think about it, chasing losses is the number one reason why bookies make profits. If you’ve placed a bet on a particular hound and it’s not giving returns, move on. As a sensible punter, you should make reasonable wagers and know when not to. Also, you should only wager an amount corresponding to the value of the bet.
Types of Popular Greyhound Racing Bets Online
Bet to Win
These are by far the easiest and the most popular bets made by punters on greyhound racing. Punters select the dog to win. If the dog wins, you earn cash. If it loses, you lose.
Place
Place bets allow you to select a dog that will finish either in first or second place to win. In this bet, it doesn’t matter which position the dog finishes, the payout remains the same. In the event the dog you bet on wins, you get a lower cash reward than if you had placed a win bet.
Each Way
This bet consists of a place bet and a win bet. For the win bet to earn a return, the dog must come in first place. And for the place bet to earn a reward, the dog has to finish in the predetermined position.
Forecast & Tricast
This bet allows punters to bet on the right order of the top 2 or top 2 dogs in the race.
Reverse Forecast/Tricast
This bet has two selections, which consist of your selections of dogs to finish in first or second place irrespective of the order.
Exacta
This bet requires you to select two winning hounds in the order in which they’ll win. It emphasizes on the order of winning. If the greyhound selected wins, but in reverse order than what you predicted, you lose.
Trifecta
This works more or less like an exacta box, only that it covers the punter with regards to the order of winning. It allows you to pick first, second and third place positions. If any of the dogs you select end up in the top positions, (regardless of the order), you win.
What is a Multiple Bet/Accumulator Bet in Greyhound Racing?
Accumulator bets are single bets that link several bets. All bets have to win before a punter can realize a profit. In greyhound racing, there are a couple of multiple bets that you should know about.
Double – 2 dogs are combined, and both have to win for you to realize a profit.
Treble – 3 dogs are combined and all must win for you to win.
Trixie – 3 greyhounds are combined in a treble and 3 doubles (4 bets). With this bet, you only need two hounds to win to earn a profit. Since there are 4 bets, the stake placed will be X4.
Patent – this works more like a Trixie, only that it includes 3 singles, so only one dog needs to win for you to realize a profit. The patent consists of 7 bets. As such, the stake you place shall be X7
Yankee – this bet consists of 11 bets. 4 trebles,1 accumulator and 6 doubles. You only need two hounds to win
Super Yankee – this bet includes 5 picks covering 26 bets. It consists of 1 5-way accumulator, 5 4-way accumulators, 10 trebles and 10 doubles
Lucky 15/31/63 – these include 15, 31 and 63 bets respectively. But in all of these, you only need a single winner.
Heinz – you make 6 selections. The bet includes 20 trebles, 6 5-folds, 1 accumulator, 15-doubles and 15-4 folds. Only 2 selections are needed to win.
Super Heinz – this has 120 bets consisting of 35 trebles, 21 doubles, 35 4-folds, 21 5-folds, 1 accumulator, and 7 6-folds. You need a minimum of 2 selections to win.
Greyhound Ante Post Betting
This market is profitable, but it has its fair share of risks. The idea here is for bookmakers to provide enhanced odds for future races. But the risk in this is that the dog you pick might not even be in the race, which counts as a loss. There’s also the risk of a dog getting injured close to the date of the race and other dogs being listed when their owners don’t intend to have them in the race. For this reason, you should do your research before you commit.
Greyhound Special Bets
Most bookies tend to offer some enhanced prices for specific trainers to win meetings. You can wager on the number that wins meetings. Most greyhound races have incentives like best odds and free bets.
What is the Tattersalls Rule of Greyhound Racing
Last but not least, all bets are subject to the Tattersalls rules, which govern the process of handling the withdrawal of a dog from a race.
And there you have it, every bit of information you need to get you started on the path of greyhound race betting success. Be keen to learn and keep building on your knowledge and mastery of the tracks.