Golden Rules of Horse Racing Betting
Forget old wives' tales, home-spun wisdom and the advice of cabbies, says Tony Paley. If you really want to know how to punt on horses, you should engrave these 37 Commandments on tablets of stone and carry them with you wherever you go. Not literally, of course - that would be impractical. Rules. Mavericks and misfits might not like to admit it, but it's especially true in gambling that some solid guidelines are a major help in formulating a strategy to beat the bookies. There's no short cut to making money backing horses. The bookmakers work full-time at getting money from punters, so backers shouldn't expect to have to do anything different. Victor Chandler, for instance, not only has a form expert but a speed ratings buff, a breeding analyst and a man whose job it is to collate inside information. Punters need to take their betting just as seriously, but if they take the following 37 Commandments on board, they will give themselves a much better chance of getting in front and staying there. RULE 1
The first question to ask when you want a bet is: 'How will this race be run?' And the second: 'Will it suit the horse I am interested in backing?' RULE 2
Watch as many horse races as possible. Even if the over-excitable Mark Johnson or the almost terminally bored Graham Goode is commentating. RULE 3
Look at every horse in the race, not just the one you've backed. RULE 4
Concentrate virtually without exception on the better class of animals in the higher-grade races. RULE 5
Cram as much form study in as time will allow. RULE 6
When you find a horse 'coming to the boil' and running into form, back on a winnable rating, stick with it. It will almost certainly pay its way in time. RULE 7
The going and the draw are the two most important variables in determining the outcome of any horse race. RULE 8
If there are doubts about the going, draw bias, the price or any other highly important variable, wait till the very last minute until having a bet. RULE 9
Keep your pockets sewn up when the ground is officially heavy. RULE 10
The influence of weight is vastly overrated. In the majority of cases, horses will not reverse the form, no matter how favourably off they are in terms of the weights. RULE 11
Only forgive a horse an 'unlucky-in-running' run once. The vast majority who repeat the offence will repeatedly find trouble. RULE 12
Follow horses that travel well in races and/or have demonstrated a turn of foot in a truly run race. RULE 13
The Ei Ei Memorial Rule. Favour horses with a willingness to win. RULE 14
Never ever back a horse in a major handicap first time out, unless it is trained by Sir Mark Prescott. RULE 15
Look, look and look again at the stats history of the big races, but use them intelligently. Buffoons on television telling us that no horse above draw 9 can win the Magnet Cup should remember that this is only true when the ground isn't on the soft side of good. That's a fact. RULE 16
Be wary of each-way betting. In the long run, you're almost certainly going to win more having all-win bets of £50 than £25 each-way. And, anyway, if you're dithering about dabbling each-way because you're unsure if your horse will win, why are you having a bet? RULE 17
It's the Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot, the Derby, the Grand National. You don't have to bet. RULE 18
Concentrate at specialist courses like Brighton or Goodwood on horses that have demonstrated an ability to perform at those tracks, or have so much in hand their relative inability to do so won't matter. RULE 19
Study courses until you can study them no longer. Take on board the fact that Ascot's short straight requires different qualities in a horse than York or Newbury's galloping terrains. RULE 20
Seven furlongs is a specialist distance. End of story. RULE 21
In sprints, concentrate solely on horses in form. RULE 22
Cut out and keep the entries for big races. They are stuffed with clues about what trainers expect and, even more crucially, know about the horses in their charge. RULE 23
Similarly, read and keep all the stable interviews with trainers. They will often give information about going and distance preferences for their horses. RULE 24
Don't pay over the odds for tips. There is enough quality information around for the cost of a newspaper. Graham Wheldon's Sprintline column (Racing & Football Outlook), Andrew Barr's Mark Your Card feature (Racing Post Weekender), The Guardian's inside info Horse Sense column on Saturdays and Malcolm Heyhoe's internet tipping service (gg.com) are all highly recommended. RULE 25
The number of race meetings is set to continue growing at an alarming rate. Have an area you can specialise in, whether it be Group races, sprints or middle-distance handicaps. RULE 26
Think like a bookmaker. Compile your own betting forecast, but above all, be honest with yourself. Ask yourself if you would really offer those odds if you were a layer. RULE 27
The following books are a must for any serious punter's library: Nick Mordin, Betting For A Living; Alan Potts, Against The Crowd; Mark Coton, Value Betting. The best volume to start with is the Racing Post's Definitive Guide To Betting On Horses. RULE 28
Open up accounts with as many bookmakers as you can, in order to take advantage of the best prices available. RULE 29
Get access to the net and use the free Racing Post form at racingpost.co.uk. The races are laid out in a line-byline format, which is much easier to use and far more useful than the form in the newspaper version. RULE 30
Subscribe to a form book. The official Raceform version, Timeform's Perspectives and Superform are all more than adequate. Stick with the one that suits you. RULE 31
Put a bank together that you're comfortable with, and have a staking plan sorted out that suits your particular style of betting. RULE 32
If you're at the track, don't go for a drink before the race, watch the horses going down to the start. You'll learn an awful lot about what sort of horses are suited to different types of ground and what plus and minus points to look for in a horse just prior to running. RULE 33
Don't believe all the recent press about ignoring the effect of the draw. Stalls positions are often crucial to the outcome of a race, especially in the big handicaps. This is even true of the long-distance races like the Tote Ebor at York, the Cesarewitch at Newmarket and the Ascot Stakes at Royal Ascot. You'll find Graham Wheldon's detailed analysis of draw biases in the Racing Post Definitive Guide book (see the 27th Commandment) or at the front of the official Form Book. RULE 34
Big-name jockeys invariably win big races. Be wary of backing runners in the major races with lesser-known or inexperienced riders on board. RULE 35
Have your biggest bets in a period, normally between June and September, when the ground remains fairly constant. RULE 36
Never underestimate the psychology and emotion involved in gambling. If your mood swings are extreme, you'll find it difficult to survive the inevitable losing runs. RULE 37
Go to the paddock. Learn the different types of physique and the good and bad signs displayed by horses before the race. Nick Mordin's book The Winning Look covers all the bases. Find more articles here www.inside-edge-mag.co.uk Inside Edge Magazine
Submitted By Q
Other Horse Racing Betting Articles
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (Season 2) DVD Review Nominated for 19 Emmys and 5 Golden Globes, including Best TV Series - Drama, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman experienced the rare double victory of audience loyalty and widespread critical acclaim. Premiering in mid-season (January 1993), the hour-long CBS original series illustrated American frontier life like few other shows before it. Like the sma ...Oriental Gambling The tree of gambling is growing and its roots expanding day by day. While few decades before the tree was deemed as a weed and left unattended, in recent years it has received immense attention and nourishment from different countries of the world. This is mainly because of two interrelated reasons- the alarming rate at which the gambling tree i ...Preview Of August's UK Horse Racing If Wimbledon in June means strawberries and cream, then racing in August can only signify Goodwood and York, two flagship festival meetings that dominate the month’s action beginning with five exciting days on the Sussex slopes.As popular as ever, Glorious Goodwood offers some top-class action and is often a meeting that puts profits in p ...World Cup 2006 Round Up - Quarter Finals The World Cup is down to eight countries as we approach the business end of the tournament. This is what happened the four quarter finals and who will be squaring off against who in the semis.In a match billed as the 1990 World Cup final replay, hosts Germany ousted second favourites Argentina on a penalty shoot-out. Roberto Ayala headed ...Beat Roulette - The Only Way To Beat Roulette & Win Big Is Many players try to beat roulette by buying roulette system they buy for hundreds of dollars. These systems massive riches and promise to make the buyer huge gains and beat roulette consistently.The reality is these systems are ALL fail.You lose money at roulette and never beat it and the only person who wins is the person who sold ...Trading Software – Profit Machines or Losers? Thousands of people every day trade on the worlds stock markets, with the majority now using software to aid them, but does it help them make more money?This software is known as a ‘bot’, short for robot, but it is only ever as good as the user. If the user does not know how to trade successfully on his own in the first place then he is u ...The Pool Table Bars and recreation venues in rural or urban areas offer to their visitors the excitement and the sportsmanship of a famous table-played game, called pool or billiard. On the billiards table’s totally flat surface, pool game fans strike, with the use of a specially designed long wooden stick known as “cue stick,” colorful balls moving them aroun ...Movie Review -- The Awful Truth (1937) Another Leo McCarey film starring Cary Grant (like AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER (1957)). And another Cary Grant screwball comedy in which a married man is trying to stave off his wife's (THE GRASS IS GREENER) or ex-wife's (HIS GIRL FRIDAY, THE PHILADELPHIA STORY) marriage to another man.This movie which launched Grant into the orbit of a bona-fi ...Siena, Italy - Medieval Life and Horse Racing Italy has many well-known travel destinations such as Rome. Less publicized destinations such as Siena are even better.SiennaLocated roughly an hour outside of Florence, Siena is one of my favorite places in Italy. When you think gothic architecture and medieval town, you think of Siena. Built as a fortified city behind large, thic ...October's UK Horse Racing Action The first Sunday in October can mean only one thing and that’s Paris in the autumn for the Prix de l’Ac de Triomphe at Longchamp on October 1. Not content with staging Europe’s premier Group1 contest for middle-distance racehorses, the French racing authorities have done plenty to develop this day as a fixture to match next month’s Breeders’ Cup ...How to Play Online Casino Safely There is nothing more exciting than betting on the World Cup online, melting gambling odds with soccer passion, and feeling like being on the football field. The 2006 World Cup betting is already up in most gambling sites with sportsbook betting, however, many people have a safety concerns when it comes to placing a bet on the Internet.No ...Pinstripe your Car - Basic Customization Prior to the invention of the car, pin striping was being used as ornamental decoration on horse drawn buggies, coaches and carriages.However, the use of pinstripes to customize cars began to appear on them during the middle of the 1950’s. Even though it seems that pin striping had in fact been appearing on cars prior to this time and th ...The New Billionaires For the twelfth straight year, Bill Gates continues to be the richest man in the world with a net worth of $50 billion, according to the authoritative Forbes magazine, the business world's bible of wealth and fortune. Microsoft's founding father may be less active in the corporate world these days, but he still sits comfortably at the top of the ...Manchester United March On After A Convincing Victory Over Wigan Man Utd showed their championship winning composure to take a vital three points against Wigan this weekend. The Reds went down to an early free-kick scored by the emerging Leighton Baines but fought back valiantly to ensure that the pressure was maintained on last years champions Chelsea. The main talking point for the game was the performance ...Alabama Casinos Alabama is a southern state located in “the Heart of Dixie”, with a rich history dating back to the Civil War. It is known for its Magnolia trees, lush gardens, grand old historic homes, and southern hospitality. Alabama, with a population of over 4,500,000, is adjacent to Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida. The capital of Alabama is Montgomery, ...How to Bet on Horse Racing So you’ve decided to get in on the exciting world of horse racing. But before you can throw down some money on the ponies, you’re going to need to know what kind of bets are available and what each one means. Read on, and all will be explained.First, let’s look at the three most common types of bets. They are to win, to place, and to s ...Be a Sharp Gambler The gambling world is full of people who just throw down hard earned money without thinking about what they are doing. Are you one of those people who will just go with the flow? If so, you are most likely a losing gambler or you are not winning as much money as you could be. There are three main factors that make up every successful gambler ...Halftime Wagering Part 1 - Hedging Your Bet: Halftime wagering is done exactly how it sounds...at halftime. If you want an exact definition of halftime wagering, it is a bet that is made after the first half is played. In other words, a halftime wager is a bet made at halftime of a sporting event and is solely based on the action that occurs only in the second half of that event. The halft ...Currency Options - 3 Secrets Of Options Trading For Huge Gains! Many traders love the idea of currency options, they have unlimited gains and limited risk – sounds great in theory, but in practice 90% expire worthless!This article is all about how the pros use currency options to generate big consistent gains and how the losing majority don’t understand the odds of success.This article will giv ...Easy Ways To Make Money Today, there are umpteen easy ways to make money effortlessly. These avenues may be legitimate or illegitimate, but they share the common trend of providing easy money. However, it must be said right now that "easy money" is just a euphemism for a way to make money in a non-traditional way. There is no such thing is truly easy money.Betti ...What You Need To Learn To Ride You need 3 essential things to learn to ride - an instructor, the right equipment and a love for horses. A love for horses is not something you learn or you can buy. It is a love already have. You might not know it yet, but usually if you love most animals then you will for sure fall in love with horses.Looking for a good instructor shoul ...Be Observant - A Poker Player's Foundation The number one important thing in poker besides skill boils down to how focused you as a player are at the table and the level of your concentration. You could have superior psychological skills then anyone else at the table and yet they are rendered useless if you are not paying attention.Top reasons you will be distracted at a poker ga ...Horse Betting Racing System that Uses Form Only to Quickly Pick Out Winners IntroductionThe most basic information supplied at any horseracing meeting in the world will be all the horse’s form. Form is simply the result of the 3 to 4 races the horse ran.For Example: 0X624 JoyjoyThe horse Joyjoy above came fourth at its last race, second at its second last race, sixth at its third last race, had a br ...
| 