Horse Betting Combinations
Horse Betting Combinations
Hitting the Rare Combination in Racing by Dave Saltonstall
No thrill is as great to the horseracing enthusiast than to hit some rare sports betting combination, like a Trifecta. The odds are enormous, to pick three horses to come in win, place, and show, yet, it can be done. Serious students of racing study many things before predicting such an event, including the horse’s physiology, it’s history, the jockey, how he relates to the animal he’s riding, and the pack itself. Weather conditions for the race are also examined. Has your favorite run against any of these horses before? Does the jockey seem able to work with the horse and bring out it’s best? Can you, as a fan and bettor, even determine such a thing? On some levels, people can, which makes horseracing universally loved.
The betting is part of the process of the race. It is a symbiotic gesture, the bettors need the race as much as the race commission needs them to bet. It’s what makes it “sport”.
In some regard, all or part of this process is done unconsciously by the casual bettor even on predicting a single bet situation, like a win on a favorite, the most common odds example. This happens more often than not, because the odds table may change dramatically right before betting is closed, so the bettor must rely on all his or her senses to make a good call in a race, if the field does not have a clear choice for a winner. Objectively analyzing the racing form takes one a step closer, but nothing as sophisticated as a true professional betting system. In this latter instance, many are called but few are chosen, as the mathematics of betting is itself a very involved process, one that cannot usually be executed by the layman with any degree of proficiency. Track personnel are always on the lookout for math wizards with high powered computers or calculators, and look with a jaundiced eye at someone walking away with a steady stream of money from their establishment.
Horse racing, like other forms of sport, usually favors the house. Vigorish is computed and built in to the odds tables, there is no way around it. If you plan on going to the races to enjoy the day, plan on breaking even or losing your money. Without one of the following: extreme good luck or extreme skill at calling races, you’ll go home with happy memories but not much else.
Formal racing events have the added feature of “seen and be seen”, and there is a great deal of social gloss covering up the acts of betting. Still, betting rules the race. It gives the average Joe and Jane a chance to make some money “against all odds”.
About the Author
Dave Saltonstall has been contributing to the online betting site of http://www.bluesq.com — he regularly posts articles and blogs about betting, including tips and hints for bettors — available on the http://www.bluesq.com site!