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A Beginner’s Guide to How to Win Betting on Greyhounds

by S. Ateljevic  ·  May 26, 2021

Many punters jokingly call betting on greyhounds a knockout version of horse racing. However, greyhound racing can be just as profitable, if not even more, given that you know what you’re doing.

To show you how to win betting on greyhounds, we will tell you everything you need to know about it. Moreover, we will include a few strategies you can use to your advantage and increase your chances of making a profit whenever you bet on dogs.

The Six Quick Facts

• Always bet on a dog’s name and not the trap number.
• Strategies like arbitrage betting can help you make a profit no matter the outcome.
• If you are new to betting on dogs, you should stick to simpler bets like a win and place bet.
• Reading a dog’s form and analysing information is the most efficient way to win betting on greyhounds.
• Tracks like Crayford and Romford generally favour early sprinters, but Hove prefers dogs with better endurance.
• Always look for the most valuable bet before placing a wager.

How to Bet

Betting on greyhounds is quickly gaining in popularity, and there are multiple reasons to bet on them. If you compare it to horse racing, betting on greyhounds is perhaps even easier and more beginner-friendly.

If you wish to learn how to bet on dogs, the first bit of information you should know is that dog races generally have six runners. This is less than eight or more horse races have and is a reason you should bet on greyhounds. Namely, it is a lot easier to predict the winner when there are fewer selections.

Another good news for anyone wanting to learn how to bet on greyhounds in the UK is that there are no jockeys in greyhounds racing, which means there is one less variable to consider. As we all know, the more information you have on a match or a race, the easier it is to place a good bet. With fewer variables to consider, this process becomes significantly easier.

Anyone wondering how to bet on greyhounds to win will be pleased to know that the betting process is relatively straightforward. Whether you’re using a mobile betting app for gambling on the go or betting at the track, the important thing you should keep an eye on is always entering the dog’s name when placing a bet rather than just the trap number.

Let’s say that you want to bet on Dog A that’s starting the race from trap three. If you entered the trap number and Dog A didn’t race and got replaced by Dog B, your bet would automatically be replaced as well, and you would end up betting on the new dog that’s starting from the same trap. In this case, you would automatically bet on Dog B. Therefore, the best way to bet on greyhounds is to make sure you always bet on the dog’s name and not the trap number.

Overall, betting on greyhounds works much like betting on any other sport, and there are numerous aspects you should consider before placing a bet. If you have never bet on greyhounds before, we will briefly cover the types of bets you can expect and tell you which ones you should go for.

On top of that, we will also show you what information is crucial for placing an informed bet.

Different Ways to Bet

When it comes to types of bets, betting on greyhounds is just like betting on horses. However, if you have never bet on horses either, here’s are the most common types of bets anyone who wants to bet on dogs can expect:

• If you are new to greyhound betting, the win bet is the best way to bet on dogs. To win this type of bet, the dog you are betting on must win the race.
• With the place bet, you are betting on a dog to place. Since most greyhound races have six runners, this means you can win a place bet if the dog you are betting on finishes first or second.
• One of the ways you can bet on greyhounds is the each-way bet — a combination of the win bet and the place bet. With the each-way bet, you are technically placing two bets on the same dog. If the dog places, you will win a smaller payout, or a total payout if the dog wins the race.
• With the straight forecast bet, you will have to predict which two dogs will finish first and second in the correct order. Similarly, you can place a reverse forecast bet that you will win if the two dogs you bet on finish first and second in any order.
• The accumulator bet is the best way to bet on greyhounds if you are looking for a hefty payout. This type of bet combines several different bets into one. To win an accumulator bet, you need to predict all the selections on your accumulator correctly. If you are new to greyhound betting, we advise you to stick to simpler bets since winning accumulators can be quite challenging. If you still wish to place accumulator bets, make sure to use an acca insurance strategy to boost your chances of winning.
• One of the fun and unique ways to bet on greyhounds would be the trap challenge bet. The trap challenge bet is placed across multiple races and, rather than betting on a dog, you would bet on a trap. To win the bet, you must predict which trap will have the most wins during the meeting.

Apart from the bets we’ve mentioned, there are other types of bets, like the tricast bet, ante-post, trap challenge, double, treble, and many others.

However, they are slightly more complex, so we advise you to avoid them until you have more experience with betting on greyhounds.

How to Bet Like a Pro

After you get familiar with different types of bets, you are one step closer to placing your first bet. However, rather than just blindly guessing or relying on luck, you should always make an informed bet. To help you with that, we’ve prepared the most relevant aspects you should consider before placing a bet.

Recent Form

If you want to learn how to win betting on greyhounds, closely studying dogs’ form is the place to start.

The easiest way to do that is to check the dog’s previous races and its placement. Of course, you should consider only relevant information since knowing how a dog performed six months or a year ago isn’t an indicator of its current condition.

Additionally, if you are still learning how to bet on greyhounds, one tip we have for you is to leave some “wiggle room” if you plan to bet on a younger dog. While older dogs have more experience, they are also a lot more predictable and have somewhat set form, while younger dogs are more likely to surprise with significantly improved form.

The Box

One of the greyhounds betting strategies revolves around betting on specific traps only. The reason is that the trap a dog starts from in a race can significantly affect a dog’s placement.

Virtually every dog has its running style. Some prefer sticking close to the rails, while others perform better on the wider area of the track when they have room to move around. Therefore, check if a dog’s running style favours the box it is starting the race from.

Speed and Stamina

If you wish to learn how to win betting on greyhounds, speed and stamina are among the most relevant aspects to consider. Namely, just like each dog has a running style, they also have different characteristics. Some dogs have explosive starts, while others have better endurance. For example, short venues like Romford and Crayford favour dogs that can get ahead from the beginning and stay in the lead.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, tracks like Hove have longer straights and are excellent for dogs with great stamina who outlast sprinters that quickly run out of energy.

Weather Conditions

While the weather might not necessarily help you learn how to bet on dogs directly, weather conditions can greatly affect a dog’s performance. Some tracks are slightly contoured towards the inside, which causes water to gather towards the middle and creates worse conditions for dogs closer to the rail.

Additionally, some dogs simply perform better during specific conditions, so make sure to include the dog’s performance under particular weather conditions when doing your calculations and trying to figure out the dog’s form.

Trainer

Another viable strategy for betting on greyhounds many punters employ is to bet on trainers rather than dogs. Some trainers are well known for always getting the most and the best out of their dogs. For that reason, some punters prefer betting exclusively on runners from specific kennels.

While it may not sound like a strategy that guarantees a profit, it’s worth considering the trainer’s reputation and experience as well before placing a bet.

The Strategies

Now that you know what types of bets you can place and what information you should pay close attention to when making a bet, you should learn a few strategies that will keep you ahead of the curve. If you are serious about betting, having a strategy in place is essential for making a profit, so make sure you come prepared whenever you are betting.

Dutching

Dutching is a popular greyhounds betting strategy that allows you to reduce the risk you’re taking by distributing your bet on several different selections. The best thing about it is that it is extremely easy to use, so even if you’re a novice punter, it won’t take long before you can master dutching.

This greyhounds betting strategy aims to bet different amounts proportional to the odds of each selection. Let’s say you are willing to stake £100 in total. Rather than betting £100 on a single dog, you can split the money and place two or more bets on multiple selections in the same race.

The lower the odds of a selection, the more money you will place on it and vice versa. That way, as long as one of your selection wins, you can at least break even with bookies. Moreover, you will make a profit if two or more of your selections win.

So, how does this strategy for betting on greyhounds work exactly? Let’s say that you wish to bet on three out of six dogs in a race. One dog is priced at 2.20 to win, another at 2.90, and the third at 7.40.

By using an online dutching calculator, you can work out the stakes for each selection to make the most out of this greyhounds betting strategy. In our case, we would bet £48.64 at the odds of 2.20, £36.90 at the odds of 2.90, and £14.46 at the odds of 7.4.

If either of our selections wins, we will win £107.01 and make a small profit of 7 quid. Of course, while we can always earn a lot more if two or more selections win, we can also lose everything if none of the dogs we bet on wins the race. For that reason, you can’t simply rely on dutching to do all the work, and you have to be able to place a good bet.

Arbitrage Betting

Arbitrage betting isn’t a strategy for betting on greyhounds exclusively, and it can be applied to many other sports, just like dutching. However, unlike dutching where you can still lose money, arbitrage betting can help you make a guaranteed profit no matter the outcome. This strategy uses the difference in odds between a bookmaker and a betting exchange.

The reason arbing is an ideal strategy for anyone wondering how to win betting on greyhounds is that you can exploit the difference in odds to make a guaranteed profit. Granted, this is only possible if the difference in odds is significant enough.

However, arbing’s pitfall is that it is not always available. Moreover, it may take some time to find a game where arbitrage betting is applicable. Here’s how it works.

Let’s say that a bookmaker is giving the odds of 1.9 for Dog A to win the race. At the same time, a betting exchange gives the odds of 3.6 to lay against Dog A. The best way to bet on dogs using this strategy is to use an online arbitrage calculator to tell you how much you need to stake on each selection to make a profit.

In our case, if we bet £32.73 at the bookie and £17.27 at a betting exchange, we would win £62.18, either at a bookmaker or at a betting exchange. In other words, we are guaranteed to win £62.18 no matter what. Because we bet a total of £50, we made a small profit of £12.18.

Even though arbitrage betting is arguably the most efficient method for anyone wondering how to bet on greyhounds to win, bookies often frown upon this strategy. While arbing is entirely legal, bookies are quite adamant about preventing punters from arbing, so they may temporarily or permanently close your account if you’re caught employing this strategy.

Value Betting

Value betting is a strategy that can be applied to virtually any sport. In a nutshell, value betting refers to always looking for the best value when placing a bet. In some cases, this can mean shopping around and looking for the best odds across some of the best betting sites and betting exchanges.

Another reason value betting can help anyone wondering how to win betting on greyhounds is that, quite often, a value bet represents the odds that are significantly higher than they should be. As you already know, bookies often rely on analysts and expert punters to create competitive odds.

Contrary to popular belief, even expert analysts are not correct 100% of the time and may overlook a piece of information that you find relevant and underprice a dog, which creates a value bet.

The easiest way to show you why value betting is the best way to bet on greyhounds is with an example. To illustrate how this strategy works, let’s say that you are reading through the dog’s form and previous races statistics, and all the relevant information we mentioned earlier.

By eliminating all bias and without looking at the odds offered by the bookmaker, you decide that Dog A is a clear favourite based on the information presented to you. However, for some reason, the bookies decided that Dog A has only the third-best price. In that situation, Dog A would be a value bet, and you should bet on it.

If you are still learning how to bet on dogs, value betting might be a risky strategy since it requires a lot of knowledge of the sport. However, you should always make sure to look for the best odds available on the market.

Summary

While betting on greyhounds offers many different bets you can place, we recommend that you stick to the simpler ones, especially if you are new to betting on dogs or betting in general. As you become more knowledgeable, you can move on to accumulators and hopefully land a massive win that will make betting worthwhile.

If you wish to learn how to win betting on greyhounds and significantly improve your chances of winning at all times, your best course of action is always to do your homework. Strategies like arbitrage betting are not always applicable, and other strategies rely on your ability to place a well-informed bet.

For that reason, knowing how to read a dog’s form and which information to consider before you place a bet is essential for making a profit in the long run.