Best horse racing betting strategies for advanced punters
Betting on horse racing isn’t an exact science but experienced punters usually have a wider range of possibilities when it comes to placing wagers. Nothing is guaranteed in horse racing, yet smart bettors exploit the mechanisms offered to them to secure bigger odds and better profits.
This guide aims to give you an overview of advanced horse racing betting. We’re not talking about singles and each way bets anymore. You’ll already be familiar with places and how Rule 4 works, so it’s time to look at more intricate methods of betting on horses.
Advanced Horse Racing Betting
This guide is for experienced bettors who already have a good sense of horse racing, how the odds work, and how to read a race card. If you’re new to the sport then check out our horse racing beginners betting guide.
Below are four advanced strategies for punters to consider. They each aim to maximise your odds while also keeping risk within the realistic bounds.
Four Horse Racing Betting Strategies
Grow Your Multiples – Most bettors will have placed doubles and trebles before, so it’s time to start thinking about multiple bet structures. These are wagers such as trixies and patents that add an extra layer to a multiple bet to force betting profits.
Let’s use a trixie as an example. Rather than betting on horses A, B and C to win their respective races, it’s possible to structure a bet that includes 3x doubles and a treble, as shown:
- A + B to win
- A + C to win
- B + C to win
- A + B + C to win
Creating a trixie here can hugely increase your odds and therefore your profit potential, even though you’re still simply betting on all three horses to win their races.
It’s possible to go bigger and bigger with these types of bets, including Lucky 15s and Heinz wagers.
80/20 Strategy – The 80/20 strategy is a great way to cover your risk and target more reliable profits. The idea is that you place 80% of your stake on one horse, and 20% on another.
Our 80/20 betting guide explains how it’s done in one of two ways. The first is to bet on the same horse to win and to place. Unlike an Each Way bet, this method pays out more if the horse places because you weigh 80% of your stake on that outcome. The win portion of the bet effectively acts as an insurance, which is why bettors use the 80/20 for big favourites.
The other option is to do an 80/20 double bet. Here, you back two horses to win the same race. You know one bet will definitely lose but that doesn’t matter because the other bet will cover the loss if it wins.
Here’s an example of the 80/20 double:
- £8 on Race Favourite to win at 3/1 = £24 profit
- £2 on Outside Chance to win at 9/1 = £18 profit
The 80/20 is an advanced betting strategy that works when you aren’t totally sure who is going to win.
Live Betting – Live horse racing betting requires a lot of pre-race research and quick fingers. Odds can change in a flash and you need to know what’s going on among the horses. Our in play horse racing strategies guide is the best place for a full breakdown of live horse betting.
The big strategy for expert racing punters here is to lay horses they think won’t win as the race is unfolding. A little bit of form studying will show you which horses like to bolt into early leads, only to fall back into the pack towards the end.
These are the sort of horses that, if you spot them, can prove very profitable. Betting against them when they’re in front is often as worthwhile as backing a mid-pack runner at wider odds heading towards the final jump.
Dutch Betting – Dutch betting, or Dutching, is all about securing profit or locking in a set stake. This horse race betting system is similar to the 80/20 method because Dutching involves selecting more than one horse to win the same race.
The difference is your aim is to match up the horses and weigh your stakes so that you earn the same profit regardless of who wins.
Say you have a £40 maximum stake and plan to bet on a race. Instead of throwing all your cash at one runner, you split it between two. You’ll make a profit so long as the odds on both horses are higher than evens.
Read our guide to Dutch betting for more insight!
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