Thoroughbred racing punters are a different breed from the average sports punter. In a race with 12 horses, picking the winner is a 1-in-12 proposition, no matter what the quotes indicate.
Imagine trying to pick the winner of a footy game with 12 clubs playing one another simultaneously. A $71 horse does not know that it should automatically surrender to the $1.65 favourite. This is why racing punters often place multiple bets on the same race, using various betting tactics to improve their chances of capturing money from a race. The following tips have been provided by Progroupracing.com.au
Establish your bank.
Your bank should not exceed an amount you are comfortable with. If you can only follow one rule, make it this one. The money you use to fund must be money you could accept setting on fire and this sort of mental freedom cultivates sound deci-sions.
Bank Management
Decide what percentage of your bank you are willing to bet with on any particular race. Keep with that figure. One to two percent is a reasonable amount. If your bankroll is $1000, bet with $20.
Analyse the favourite
In your initial impressions of a given race, try to determine whether the favourite is solid, vulnerable or false. Don’t waste time on races where the favourite looks tough to beat. Three to five races is a good number if concentrating on only one meeting, but this number can go up or down based on the total opportunities available.
Order of preference
Using whatever handicapping methods you prefer, establish the order of preference for your selections. Decide what odds you will accept to help you with your selections. If you get value, back 2 or more horses in the race to win.
Understand how the race will be run
If you can’t get a clear picture of what’s going to happen beforehand, you probably don’t have a good idea on which horses to bet on. Some sprinters perform well on the Flemington straight, but cannot turn. Just as people have a dominant hand, some horses run better clockwise, while others do better Flem-ington way.
Plan your day
Eliminate the poor races and determine a strategy with potential win bets, singles, exotic wagers, etc. In other words, have an idea of what you are going to do before you go to the track or login to your online wagering account.
Focus on your strategy
Once you’re in the middle of the betting, stick to your strategy. Let you and you alone determine your final decisions, not the guy at the bar who heard from his trainer that such-and-such a trainer really likes his horse in the 5th. It’s your money and you should win or lose based on your own decisions. This is one area where having a solid system for picking races and runners will most assuredly prove valuable, even if only to keep you from betting on a bad race.
Maintain pre-decided stake levels
Don’t press when you lose or increase your wagers when you win. Protect your bankroll and don’t be overly aggressive. Remember that tomorrow will bring more opportunities. Winning or losing on one individual day really doesn’t mean a thing. The long term is all that matters. Again, the self-discipline aspect of having a pre-determined plan will keep you grounded and allow you to accept inevitable racing losses.
Flexibility in your picks
Remain flexible enough to change your thinking if evidence calls for it. Perhaps a strong bias has appeared. Maybe your top selection is grossly over bet. Be prepared to move on to your second or third choices if that’s where the ‘value’ is. If your top choice is simply ‘over bet’ in the win pool and you have no strong secondary options, look for ways to exploit the short-priced horse in the exotics.
Have fun
Keep your composure and keep your sense of humour. Both are weapons that can help you overcome adversity and succeed at a game that is difficult, but not impossible to beat.
