Guide to Greyhound Betting Techniques

Greyhound racing is still seen by many gamblers as the less glamorous cousin of horse racing. This may or may not be true in terms of money and profile, but those who ignore this medium are missing out on some high-octane excitement and lucrative betting opportunities. Why then should we delve into dog bets?

First of all, and this is nothing more than basic sense, it is slightly simpler to consistently select winners on dogs than it is on horses. This is solely due to a numerical reason. Six dogs are the maximum allowed in the vast majority of greyhound races, at least in the UK and Ireland.

This is far less than the typical field size for horse racing, which in the UK has been stable at little under nine for some time.

Another underappreciated advantage that dog betting has over horse racing is that there are no jockeys to sabotage our well-considered bets with an unreliable ride—possibly the most common complaint of bettors at betting outlets around the world. You can be sure that as soon as the traps open, every animal will start chasing after the hare as quickly as they can that day.

Many people consider dog sports to be among the purest forms of competition. Additionally, for excitement, betting on dog racing is hard to top. A race finished in about thirty seconds. The races and, thus, betting options, are plentiful. Let’s look more closely.

Given that the two sports are often comparable, many of the most well-liked betting possibilities are shared across them:

• To Win: The easiest and most common wager, this is just a wager that your favorite dog will win the race.
• Each Way: Place a wager for the dog to win and a second wager for the dog to finish “placed” at the same odds. The place portion pays out 1/4 of the win odds while the winning portion is paid out at the full odds specified.
• Place only: A place-only wager, which is available on the tote, varies from an each-way wager in that only one stake is needed, and the payout is the same whether the dog comes in first or second.
• Forecast: A wager that forecasts which dog will win and which will come in second.
• Reverse Forecast: In this scenario, your picks could place first or second, in any order. Because this bet is really two bets, the stake requirement is twice that of a typical forecast bet.
• Combination Forecast: In this case, you can pick three or more dogs, and you win if any of these complete the top two spots. However, the number of wagers may start to increase. For instance, placing three dogs in a combination forecast yields a total of six bets.
• Trio/Tricast: This wager, which is riskier than the forecast, correctly picks the first, second, and third places.

Step outside In Case of Rain

When assessing your dog race bets, much like with horse racing, it can pay to keep a close eye on the weather. In general, you should be seeking to support the exterior traps if it starts to rain. Greyhound tracks have a small inward shape, which causes any water to naturally flow toward the center, aggravating the already slick and slippery conditions within. A greyhound drawn on the inside may struggle to maintain speed since it must navigate a tighter turn than those drawn on the outside, which can be made even more challenging if the ground is unstable.

Since it can be particularly challenging for dogs to catch up in the face of what can be a significant kickback, it would be best if one of the outside runners were to move to the front. In conclusion, it may be profitable to side with the outside traps in the rain.

Consider enlisting youth on your side

When searching for a value betting chance or how to bet on dog racing, we are looking for a performance whose potential is not fully accounted for by its price. This factor is more likely to be present in a young animal in the realm of greyhound racing. Dogs learn from experience, therefore any animal with less than 15 runs—which is almost usually a younger dog—is likely to be capable of making great progress as it continues to develop physically and as it becomes more accustomed to the track and its many curves. As the bookmakers and betting public have often witnessed, an older dog with a significant number of runs under its belt will almost always be priced correctly. This is frequently not the case with younger puppies.

Think Outside the Box

Even while it may be tempting to back a short-priced favorite on the dogs, it often pays to pause and reconsider a race. In greyhound racing, keep in mind that many things can go wrong and frequently do. With so much dependent on the break and luck in the race, do you really want to be putting your support behind a cheap runner? Favorites may have value, but in the long run, profiting from short pricing on dogs is not the best strategy. Is it likely that the favorite will have a clear path to the first bend? Has it ever had issues with running? Taking into account the responses to these queries can frequently direct you away from a potentially dubious market leader and toward the race’s true value.

Track Your Steps

One greyhound track could initially seem just like any other. This gives the wrong impression, though, as the qualities that a dog needs to succeed on one track might not be as important to success on another.

The relatively short and condensed courses in Romford and Crayford are two of the most discriminating in favor of a particular kind of runner. In greyhound racing, getting to the first turn first is almost always advantageous. It is much preferable to be in the lead doing the turns by yourself rather than being caught up in what may turn into a dogfight for position behind. Nowhere is this advantage more apparent than at the aforementioned two courses, where the tighter turns increase the risk of disaster for those in the rear. The closers have a limited window of opportunity to gather momentum since the straights are shorter. At tracks like Romford and Crayford, split times—basically a measurement of how quickly a dog starts a race—is your best buddy. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are tracks like Hove that put a much greater emphasis on stamina. Longer straights, easier bends, and a longer strip all provide plenty of opportunities for runners in pursuit to reel in any leaders lacking in endurance.

In general, using common sense will lead you in the proper direction in this situation. The relevance of this characteristic decreases as a race’s distance increases, therefore the shorter the trip, the more you should favor those front-runners that get off to a quick start.

The Way Is Clear For Success

Many would argue that the ability to correctly forecast which dog or dogs are likely to receive a clear run—that is, to escape any potential trouble or interference with the other runners—is the most important factor when it comes to predicting winners in greyhound racing.

We can thankfully use the race cards and comments to our advantage in this situation. On the race card, any runner that prefers to run wide in their races will have a (w) next to their name. Similar to (m), (m) designates someone who likes to stay close to the middle of the track. The in-running comments from a dog’s most recent performances, which are also available on the race card, can provide additional hints: 

• The dog moved in the direction of the rail.
• The dog moved away from the rail and toward the center.
• Mid-Rls: The dog veered off the center and in the direction of the rail.
• Dog moved from the center to the broad side.
• The dog moved from wide to the middle, or W-Mid.

Reading over these comments for each dog in a race should give you a decent idea of how the race may proceed, which dogs are likely to negatively impact one another’s prospects by seeking to run in the same channels, and which dogs are likely to be allowed to plow a lone furrow. Always try to take the latter position.

Always put your dog’s name on the Betting Slip

A word of caution: After studying a dog racing bet and determining that Trap 4: Speedy Gonzalez is the one to back, we caution you to always write the dog’s name on your betting slip before making an online wager. This is necessary because if you simply specify Trap 4 and Speedy Gonzalez is subsequently removed, you will be assigned to the reserve dog that fills in for it in the lineup. Unquestionably not what you had hoped for after spending the time to research the contest. Greyhound racing is consistently the third most-watched sport in the UK, behind only football and horse racing, and for good reason—one it’s of the most thrilling forms of betting on greyhounds. Following the above tips should help put you ahead of the pack and well on your way to the winning post, whether you are wanting to make a quick profit on a night out at the hounds or seeking a more serious long-term betting opportunity.

Greyhound Betting Strategy FAQs

1. What is the most effective approach to wagering on dogs?

Greyhound racing betting is most frequently done in one of two ways: either you pick a dog and back it to win a specific race, or you back a dog to be placed in order to increase its chances of winning. Although your prizes will be less than if you pick a dog to win the race, this means that it must place in the top two.

2. How do you constantly succeed while placing a bet on greyhounds?

Look for the finest sectionals and times, but pass on anything older than 4-5 months. Look up the greyhound’s winning percentage and finishing positions. You may see figures like 45-7-4-3, which indicates that the dog has run 45 times and has won 7, finished second 4, and finished third 3 times.

3. How frequently do favorite greyhounds succeed?

At most tracks, favorites prevail approximately 30% of the time, but that doesn’t guarantee that the horse you bet on will finish in the money. If you believe the dog should have low odds, you wager favorites.