How to Bet on Horses – Betting Guide

Betting on horses is one of the most popular pastimes for gamblers worldwide. The whole experience of watching horse racing live can’t be explained easily. The adrenaline rush when the horses reach the final stretch, the screaming crowd, and jockeys pushing their horses to very limits; in a word, truly unforgettable. Nowadays, it is not obligatory to visit racetracks to place wagers on horse races, as there are many off-track racing facilities. For years, horse racing and betting have gone hand in hand, and many popular online betting sites offer racetrack betting to their customers. For that reason, we decided to make this article and explain how to bet on horses and how to be successful in horse race betting.

We will walk you through everything about horse race betting, from basic terms to advanced betting strategies that professional bettors use everyday. With this guide, you will be able to take your horse racing skills to the next level.

Best Horse Racing Betting Sites

As we already mentioned in our article, you don’t need to visit a racetrack to place wagers on horse races nowadays. Modern technology innovations allowed bettors to watch races via live streams, place their bets in off-track betting facilities, or even at online betting sites from the comfort of their homes. If you wonder why online betting is so popular, you should read our article on that subject here. We handpicked a few popular sportsbooks just for you. All of these online brands are licensed, regulated, and safe to use. In addition, if you register a new account at one of those sportsbooks, you can get a lucrative welcome bonus package.

How to Bet on Horses – Types of Bets

There are many different types of bets in horse betting, and novice bettors should learn at least the basic ones before they start wagering real money on ponies. We can divide those bets into basic and exotic bets. The basic bets are pretty easy to understand, and three bets fit into this category:

Win – The win bet is the easiest bet to understand. The horse you placed a bet on must win the race first to cash a ticket.

Place – With a place bet, you bet that the selected horse will finish 1st or 2nd in the race. If that happens, you will have a winning ticket.

Show – If you decide to place a show bet, your selected horse needs to finish within the first three places in the race. If that happens, you will have money in your pocket.

Besides these three basic wagers, horse race bettors have an opportunity to place more exotic bets on every single race. Those bets are more advanced and require from bettor good money management skills and a solid betting strategy. Also, to place these wagers, you need to understand horse racing handicapping. Nevertheless, exotic bets have a much higher payout, and thus, they are quite popular among professional horse racing bettors. Now we will list the most popular exotic horse racing bets:

Exacta (Perfecta) – To cash a ticket, you need to predict the top two finishers in the specific race.

Trifecta – This bet is similar to Exacta, but you need to predict the top three finishers to cash your ticket.

Superfecta – The most complex bet you can place on a single race. You need to predict the top four finishers (in the exact order) correctly.

Daily Double – With this bet, you need to predict the winners in two consecutive races.

Aside from these bets, you can place Box, Wheel, Pick 3, Pick 4, Grand High 5, and some other wagers, but most of them are high odds wagers that are hard to predict, and we don’t advise you to try them, except you are a professional bettor.

Top tips on How to Bet on Horses – Conclusion

You need to know that nobody can turn from amateur to professional horse race bettor overnight. Also, after you read this article, you will probably know how to bet on Grand National or some other popular race in the racing calendar, but you need to keep certain things in mind. Therefore, we created a small “cheat sheet” just for you.

FAQ

  • Where to find today’s horse racing results?

    If you are interested in the latest horse racing results, it would be best to look for them in the best betting sites in the UK that offer horse betting. Our recommendation definitely goes to operators Bet365, 888sports, and William Hill.

  • Who gives the best horse racing tips?

    As horse racing betting is prevalent both in the UK and around the world, there are a number of services that offer their daily predictions for free or for a certain amount of money. We recommend that you always research well the services that provide their services for money.

  • Which are the best horse racing bookies online?

    Although each player has specific preferences when it comes to betting and choosing a favorite sportsbook, horse racing bookies are a particular category. It is always important to check the offer that these operators have and, based on that, decide whether to register or not.

  • How to place a bet?

    Before you can even place a bet, you must register in an online sportsbook and then make your first deposit. Only then will you be able to place your first bet. This is done by selecting the match you want to bet on from the offer and determining the amount of money you want to bet.

  • Where to find top horse racing sites?

    Our recommendation is to be based on betting sites coming from the UK or US, as these operators have the widest offer when it comes to horse racing betting. So take a look at Bet365, William Hill, and Unibet sports betting. You can find detailed reviews of these operators on our website.