Dog Racing Bet Types
People have been betting on horse races since horses have been running. Betting on the outcome of formal horse races can be fun and profitable if you know what you’re doing and can beat the odds. Betting on Horse Racing For Dummies offers lots of info to help better your odds including advice on what. Find everything about Greyhound betting on our detailed review. Find important tips on how to win on dog racing and see the betting markets explained. Greyhound racing betting odds, with all UK and Irish dog meetings over the next 48 hours listed on the page. Find best odds on the next greyhound race off.
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Features of the Best Dog Racing Betting Sites
When we review betting sites, we consider a wide range of factors. Only the best dog racing betting sites can make it onto our recommended list. We look for excellence in a few key areas to decide what sites to recommend to you.
Free Bets and Bonuses
We want you to get the most out of every deposit you make at a betting site. That’s why we seek sites that offer you free bets and lucrative bonuses. Each of our recommended greyhound betting sites features generous promotions, ranging from free bets and loss protection offers to matching deposit bonuses and loyalty rewards for existing players.
Virtual Greyhound Racing
Don’t have a race to bet on? Virtual greyhound racing offers an alternative to traditional races by allowing you to bet on simulated action anytime you like. These simulated races are also perfect for bettors who may not love the idea of actual dog racing, but who still love the idea of a day at the track. We look for sites that offer the most advanced and enjoyable virtual greyhound betting systems possible.
Live Streaming
It’s more fun to bet on dog races when you can actually watch the greyhounds run in real time. That’s why we favour sites that offer live streaming coverage at races from top tracks. Our recommended sites most commonly offer streams from UK and Irish tracks, while some offer additional coverage of races from other parts of the world, such as Australia.
How to Bet on Greyhound Racing Online
It’s easy to bet on greyhound racing. With just a few simple steps, you can go from never having looked at a dog betting site to putting money down on your first race.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to placing your first ever bet on a greyhound race.
- Choose one of our recommended greyhound betting sites. You can pick any of our top choices, depending on which site looks best to you. Click on one of the links on this page to visit a trusted betting site, where you’ll continue the registration process.
- Create your account. You’ll must supply some personal information such as your name, address, and email to make a new account. You will also choose a unique username and password that will allow you to log into the site.
- Make your first deposit. To place a real money bet, you will need to deposit funds into your account. Betting sites offer a range of deposit options, ranging from credit cards to e-wallets like Skrill and NETELLER, as well as prepaid options or cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Navigate to the cashier area at your greyhound betting site, choose your banking method, and follow the instructions to complete your deposit.
- Next, you’ll want to find a race to bet on. Each site organises its offerings so that you can search by track, race date, or even races that are already underway.
- You’re now ready to place your bet. Choose the dog – or dogs – you’d like to bet on, and the type of bet you want to make. Your choices will show up on your bet slip. Choose a stake amount, and the site will show you the potential payout. If you like what you see, hit the confirmation button to place your bet.
Popular Greyhound Bet Types Explained
One of the big attractions of greyhound betting is the sheer number of options available to you on each race. While you can probably imagine that you might bet on which dog will win a race, that’s only the beginning of the menu of betting markets available to you.
Here’s a breakdown of the most important bets you should know before you get started.
Win
This is a bet on which dog you think will win a race. If your greyhound wins, the bet pays out. On any other result, your bet loses.
Place
In a place bet, you will win if your greyhound finishes in either first or second place in their race. If it finishes in third or lower, you will lose. There is no bonus for you if your greyhound wins the race: you will win the same amount no matter which paying position the dog finishes in.
Show
A show bet will pay out if your chosen greyhound finishes anywhere in the top three. The bet loses if the dog finishes in fourth place or lower. Once again, you’ll win the same amount no matter where your dog lands on the podium.
Show bets pay out at lower rates than place bets, which pay less than win bets. You may see the following odds on a dog before a race:
- Win: 4.70
- Place: 2.40
- Show: 1.80
If you make a £10 win bet and your dog finishes first, you will win £47. However, the same first place finish would pay just £18 if you made a £10 show bet. Of course, the show bet has the advantage of also paying out should the dog finish in second or third.
Across the Board
An Across the Board bet is actually three bets in one. When you make this bet, you are making separate win, place, and show bets on the same greyhound. Each bet will pay out individually, meaning that if your dog finishes first, you’ll win all three bets.
Pick 3
A Pick 3 is a bet that lasts over three consecutive races. To win, you must correctly pick all three winners. You may pick multiple dogs in each race, but you must pay for each individual combination.
For instance, if you want to play a £1 Pick 3, but bet on two greyhounds in each race, it will cost you £8 in total (2x2x2). If one of your combinations wins, the payouts can be quite large, especially if some longshot dogs are among your winners.
Pick 6
The Pick 6 requires you to correctly predict the winners of six greyhound races in a row. Like the Pick 3, you can choose multiple horses per race if you’d like, but the cost adds up quickly: choosing just two dogs per race at £1 per combination costs £64.
However, the payouts are also huge, as correctly predicting all six winners is a difficult task. Often, a Pick 6 winner will return tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Dog Racing Bet Types Beat
Straight Forecast
In a straight forecast, you must correctly predict both the winner and the second-place finisher in a race. In order to win, you must not only select the right two dogs, but pick them in the correct order. Any other combination – including having the correct dogs in reverse order – will result in a losing bet.
Reverse Forecast
A reverse forecast once again asks you to pick the greyhounds that will finish first and second in a given race. However, the reverse forecast will pay out no matter which order your two dogs finish in, as long as they occupy the top two spots. As a result, reverse forecasts pay out at lower odds than straight forecasts.
Lucky 15
A Lucky 15 bet requires you to make four different bets on four separate dogs, usually in different races. You will make 15 bets: straight bets on each of the four greyhounds, all six possible two-bet accumulators, all four three-bet accumulators, and a single fourfold accumulator.
A Lucky 15 bet can pay handsomely if three or four of your selections win. Many greyhound racing betting sites also offer a bonus if only one of your dogs wins, helping to cut your losses in that scenario.
Yankee
A Yankee bet is similar to the Lucky 15, in that you will choose four dogs to bet on, but eliminates the four singles bets. That leaves 11 bets in total: six doubles, four triples, and one four-bet accumulator.
This reduces the cost of making this combination bet, while retaining the potential for large payouts if three or more of your greyhounds pay out.
Odd vs Even
In an odd vs even bet, you can cover half of the field of a race with a single bet. If you choose odd, you will bet on all the dogs starting in odd-numbered shoots. Conversely, betting even gives you all of the dogs in the even-numbered shoots. If any of your picks win the race, you’ll win your bet.
Inside vs Outside
The inside vs outside bet once again gives you the opportunity to bet on half of the field at once. The inside bet covers the inside half of the draw – the lower half of the numbered shoots, which will start closest to the rail – while the outside bet covers the rest of the field. If one of your dogs finishes first, you’ll win your bet.
Greyhound Racing Betting Tips and Strategies
While anyone can bet on greyhound racing, it takes skill and experience to become a profitable punter. But even if you’re a beginner, you can start betting smarter by learning a few key strategies and concepts.
We’ve collected our favourite tips for greyhound betting below, each of which can help you turn the odds in your favour.
Always Research Form
All good handicappers follow this rule, whether they’re betting on dogs or horses. It’s important to know how each greyhound has performed in its recent races, as this will be the biggest indicator of what you can expect to see from them today.
You don’t just want to look at where they finished in their races, however. You should also consider the level of competition they faced, as your dog may have been beating up on weaker competitors, or just barely coming up short against high grade greyhounds.
Consider the Distance
Not all dogs excel at the same distances. Before you place your bets, make sure that your dog has been successful in similar races in the past. You might glance at a form chart and see that a greyhound has placed in four of its last five races, only to find that those were sprint races. If that dog has never run the standard 480 metres, it might not have the staying power to compete.
Think About Value Betting
The goal of greyhound betting isn’t to pick as many winners as possible. Instead, you should be looking to make profitable bets by finding dogs that aren’t properly valued by the betting site.
For instance, you might feel hesitant to bet on a runner that you believe has just a 20% chance to win a race. But if that dog offers 10.00 odds, then you’ve found a very profitable bet. Even if you lose this time, finding those value bets will help you come out ahead in the long run.
Dog Racing Bet Types Beat
Take Advantage of Promotions
One of the biggest benefits of betting on dog races online is that betting sites regularly hand out bonuses and other promotions like free bets to players. Taking advantage of these offers can be a key part of a strategy designed to maximize your winnings. Signing up at new betting sites can be especially lucrative, as new sites often provide huge bonuses to attract punters as they try to establish themselves in the market.
Read the Weather Report
Weather can be the great equalizer in a greyhound race. Different dogs prefer dry or wet conditions. On a rainy day, knowing how dogs perform in mud can give you a big edge. As a general rule, both larger dogs and those running from the outside traps tend to hold up betting in sloppy track conditions.
Bet on Major Greyhound Racing Events
Tracks around the world hold a variety of major greyhound meets throughout the year. You can bet on all these competitions at the top greyhound betting sites, whether the dogs are racing in the UK, Ireland, or Australia.
Here’s a look at a few of the most notable events on the greyhound racing calendar.
English Greyhound Derby
The English Greyhound Derby is the biggest and most prestigious race in all of British dog racing. White City Stadium traditionally hosted this race, but the venue has changed several times since the first competition in 1927. Nottingham Greyhound Stadium took over hosting duties in 2019. While the distance has changed slightly over the years, the English Greyhound Derby currently runs 500 metres.
Scottish Greyhound Derby
The Scottish Greyhound Derby enjoys a similar history to its English counterpart. First run at Carntyne Stadium from 1928 through 1968, the race changed tracks multiple times, and Shawfield Stadium now hosts the event. This race is slightly shorter than the English Greyhound Derby, coming in at 480 metres.
Irish Greyhound Derby
The Irish Greyhound Derby stands out as the strongest dog racing competition in Ireland. First held in 1928, Shelbourne Park has hosted the race since 1970. Run over 550 yards, the Irish Greyhound Derby is considered one of the most important races of the year, arguably on par with the English Greyhound Derby.
TAB Topgun
The TAB Topgun races are among the top greyhound competitions in Australia. Since 1993, the Melbourne Greyhound Racing Association has chosen only the top dogs in the country to compete in the prestigious Group 1 Topgun races at the Meadows. That includes the TAB Topgun itself at 525 metres, and the Topgun Stayers, a longer 725-metre race.
East Anglian Derby
Yarmouth Stadium has hosted the East Anglian Derby every year since 1975. Run at a relatively short 462 metres, this race currently awards £15,000 to the winner. That prize pool has attracted elite competition to Yarmouth each year, making it one of the major races in the UK greyhound racing calendar.
Select Stakes
Nottingham Greyhound Stadium currently hosts the select stakes, a 500-metre race which was traditionally run at Wembley Stadium from 1952 to 1996. This invitational competition offers £7,500 to the winner, enough to attract a very strong field annually. Kilcohan Park in Waterford, Ireland also holds its own Select Stakes, one of the nation’s biggest greyhound races of the year.
Greyhound Betting FAQs
You can bet on dog racing at any of our recommended greyhound betting sites. Each of these bookmakers has proven itself to be trustworthy, safe, and reliable. These sites also offer bonuses and promotions for new greyhound punters.
Individual states regulate greyhound racing in the United States, as the practice is still legal on the federal level. However, only four tracks remain open: two in West Virginia, and one each in Arkansas and Iowa. Many states have outlawed dog racing, including Florida, which banned all greyhound races at the end of 2020. However, greyhound betting is still legal, and US betting sites offer some bets from the remaining tracks.
There are many popular ways to enjoy greyhound betting. You can bet on individual dogs, or try exotic bets that stretch over multiple races with potentially massive payouts. The best way to enjoy any of these options is by opening an account at one of our top-rated dog racing betting sites, where you can place your bets from your computer or mobile device.
The rule of thumb is that favourites win about 30% of the time in greyhound racing. However, that doesn’t mean that every favourite has that chance of winning. If there is one dominant dog in a race, it may be close to certain to finish first. On the other hand, a race with several runners that rate as co-favourites could be wide open, with no dog having a clear advantage even with careful handicapping.
Greyhound betting is a skill-based activity, which means that it is possible to make money by betting on dog races. Becoming a profitable punter takes time and effort, with extensive research required to understand which greyhounds provide value in each race and how to best exploit your opportunities. There’s always a little luck involved, too: even the best dogs have bad days at the track.
There are a lot of different types of bet that you can place on greyhound racing. The most common types are listed, and explained, in this guide to gambling. Remember to always gamble responsibly – the bookmakers always win in the end, so only bet what you can afford to lose!
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- Winner – As the name may suugest, a winner is the dog that crosses the finish line first.
- Place – This bet costs twice as much as the “winner” bet, as it pays money if your dog comes first or second. The odds are reduced – by how much depends on the individual bookmaker.
- Forecast – This is a bet where you pick two dogs, and specify the order in which you think they will finish the race. If they finish in the exact order you specified, you win.
- Reverse Forecast – Pick two dogs to finish first and second in the race – if they do so in any order, you win money. This costs twice as much as a regular forecast bet, as it is just two forecasts in one.
- Tricast – Pick three dogs – if they come in first, second and third in the specified order, you win.
- Reverse Tricast/All-Ways Trio – Pick three dogs, and if they all come in the top three, in any order, then you win money. This costs six times as much as a regular tricast, as it is six tricast bets all in one.