How to Bet on Greyhounds
Greyhound racing has formed a major part of the gambling industry for decades, allowing punters to descend on tracks in Britain and all over the world and enjoy the thrill of a great night out, and betting on greyhounds has only increased in popularity with the rise of online bookmakers. The remarkable speed of the dogs is breath-taking to watch as they are unleashed from their traps to chase an artificial lure (a form of mechanical hare) and customers cheer on their chosen selection.
Visit any of the following recommended online sportsbooks for a great array of greyhound racing markets.
Common Bets
There are numerous meetings almost every day and the races come thick and fast, giving bettors a wide range of markets to delve into. You can bet on the winner of a race or take the each way option, where you also bet on a selection to place (specified as the first two, three, etc.) as well as to come first. Much of the time, the odds are not declared until just before a race, so if punters want to bet early they have to take the Starting Price, which are the official odds given immediately prior to the race.
Forecasts and tricasts allow customers to back which greyhounds will finish first and second, or first, second and third. It is also possible to bet on which trap number will have the winning dog in a particular race or which trap number will have the most amount of wins during the course of a meeting.
Other common bets include predicting how many favourites will go on to win at a meeting or backing the winning distance in a race to be a certain number of lengths. When looking forward to high-profile races in the future, prices will be quoted so that punters can make ante post bets (wagers made in advance of the event).
Tips and Strategy
There are many aspects to consider when betting on greyhounds, and one of the most important is the class of the runners. A dog’s class is based on the times it achieves in trials before starting to race and managers will then decide the grade in which to enter it. This means that while all greyhounds in a race should be roughly of a similar ability, on some occasions there will be dogs which have been miscategorised.
Studying the recent form is therefore essential to see if a greyhound has been winning regularly and is worth betting on, or has always come near the back of the field and needs to be avoided. The trap number is also vital as some greyhounds have greater success when they race from certain positions, e.g. trap No.1, where they are not surrounded by others right at the start. In many races the dog which is leading into the first bend goes on to win, so good early speed is also crucial.
Dogs are thought to hit their racing prime at around the age of two or three, and actually being at a racetrack can give further clues as to who will perform well. A lot of serious bettors at the track will look at the dogs before a race for signs of how well they are feeling or whether they are looking lethargic. Weather conditions also affect different dogs differently, with lighter dogs thought to struggle in the wet.
In terms of the type of bet, greyhound racing attracts a lot of accumulators, as punters tend to go for the favourites and try to land some big rewards without having to put down a large stake.