What to remember when betting on horses

Photo by Anthony92931 / CC BY-SA 3.0

Betting on horses can be as much enjoyable and rewarding experience, as it is not too easy to perform, especially on some higher than recreational level. There are quite a few things to have in mind when exploring this idea. Perhaps even more to learn along the way, if you are serious about it, or just would like to turn some profit.

First difficulties appear with the seemingly simple choice of the kind of bet you can actually make. Generally, there are straight and exotic bets. The latter category may contain various combinations of complicated wagers with unfamiliar sounding names like Quinella, Trifecta or Superfecta. While it could very well be worth a while, as they have bigger payouts than regular bets, beginners should consider steering clear off of those and stick to simpler solutions. They are more difficult to understand, let alone take a full advantage of, and require considerable skill and knowledge. With straight bets, you deal with just one horse, backing it to win, come in a certain position, or fulfill some mixed configuration.

When approaching the horse betting issue, what determines the success or failure in the long run, is the proper strategy which could be quite an elaborate concept, depending on various factors and even particular racing events. Again, however, the inexperienced should focus on the basics. Those can be described, in very general manner, by two things: knowledge and odds. Every information that can help better assess our chances to make a buck is worth careful consideration.

For one thing, knowing the race day program to make smarter bets and pick ponies with greater handicap can’t possibly hurt. While at it, it is good to keep track of horses changing class levels in order to identify favorites and have a better chance for picking winners. Other useful details to be focusing on are: horse’s past performance (especially on the specific type of surface), its behavior in the paddock, and history with jockey, as well as jockey’s success rate riding various ponies. Ultimately, the goal of every punter is to take the most advantage of the odds. This ability may not be easy to learn. Perhaps it should be considered something of an art of its own, but it is definitely the kind of skill you would want to perfect at all times.

Some of the valuable lessons can be derived from other disciplines. There’s a lot to remember when starting to play poker, for example – getting to know rules and strategies, choosing the right room and suitable game variant – and quite a bit to learn from it. One of the most essential rules of conduct needed to be remembered when trying to make a long-run profit out of poker is the size of your bankroll. Although it may not seem like much, it is actually pretty fundamental rule common to all betting activities. It simply means that we need to assume proper discipline, in the form of spending a fixed portion of the budget on a single wager. In other words, it all comes down to the intuitive but powerful principle of not putting in line the kind of amount we cannot afford to lose.