I did briefly touch on spread betting on horses in a previous article, so as promised, I am going to elaborate on it in this article.
I have noticed that spread betting is becoming a more popular way for punters to bet on horse racing, as if it's done correctly it can enable you to really rack up large amounts of cash in a relatively short amount of time.
As with all gambling however, the risks are still there. If you're new to horse racing or a bit of a novice punter, you should be aware that spread betting on horse racing is a little complex, and due to the nature of how it is structured, although you can win big it can also cause you to lose a drastic amount of money if you are not careful.
This makes it absolutely essential that you must be sure that you clearly understand the methods of spread betting on horse racing.
Spread Betting On Horses Is Growing In Popularity
Spread betting is a concept that is traditionally more popular with sports that have the potential for big winning margins, so American football, rugby, cricket and darts immediately spring to mind.
Its also used by people who want to bet on the financial markets and so they bet on whether a stock will rise, fall and by how much.
I'm not actually convinced by spread betting on horses myslef, as I find that the risk is just too high, yet many people successfully achieve great results with it. For many, it's a more intriguing and enjoyable way to take calculated risks but everyone has to be aware that the risks are also pretty high, and this is what dissuades many people from trying it.
How Do You Go About Spread Betting On Horses?
The first type of spread betting on horse racing is based on what is known as the favourite's index. Each favourite is awarded a certain amount of points. A hot favourite (for example at a price of 6/5) would likely get the maximum amount of points (which is 25), whereas a 9/1 favourite in the Grand National would only attract say eight points for the index.
Of course, what the bookies are doing here is protecting themselves, as the payout at 9/1 is going to be appreciably more that the 6/5, hence the reduction in the number of points.
So with the allocation of points, a spread is created and essentially what punters will do is buy if they feel the horse will win, or sell if they think it won't.
A real twist from traditional betting is that you can bet on the jockeys. The way jockey betting works is pretty much the exact same way as the favourite's index, with the only difference being that you are betting against a quote of how great a race (or more than one) a jockey will have.
Predicting Winning Distances Will Pocket Cash Too
Similarly, the winning distance index is played in essentially the same way but with a slight difference, as points are awarded based how much you think a horse will win by. These are broken down into short head, head, neck, half a length, ¾ length, a length and then multiple lengths (two, five, ten etc).
Typically the going of a racecourse affects what the spread and points allocation will be for distance betting, and this is where the bookies can really earn their corn. Poor judgment of how the conditions are going to affect a race could cost the bookies thousands, so they have to get it right.
In my opinion, spread betting on horses involves too much work. That is not to say that I am lazy, quite the contrary, but there are multiple factors and several key things that have to be considered properly even before you consider looking at what to back.
I do prefer a more simplistic approach and perhaps this is why I have done well, as I have kept it simple.
I'm also a firm believed in effective money management, and unlike traditional betting, or even betting on the Tote, you do not know how much you stand to lose with spread betting, until the race is over and then its possibly too late. That to me is a major drawback.
There are punters who do very, very well at this form of betting but call me old fashioned, I just prefer the more traditional approach, and certainly for all beginners out there, I advise that you do the same.
Cliff Thurston is the owner of Grosvenor Racing Club, a successful horse racing tipster service. For more information and free horse racing tips for 21 days, please visit: http://www.grosvenor-racing-club.co.uk
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
Fly Fishing Tips to Safe and Successful Fishing
By: Steven Magill | 08/11/2009Fly fishing is a challenging activity and many fishermen wants to master the art of fly fishing to be successful. Fly fishing is all about the right precision and movement in order to lure fishes of different species. In order to be successful in fly fishing, there are tips that...
A One-Stop Guide to Fun and Exciting Fly Fishing
By: Steven Magill | 08/11/2009Fly fishing has been used for more than ages already. It is a unique and distinct way of catching trout and salmon. It the most known way of catching fishes and have been used also to catch a new variety of fish species like the spike, bass, pan fish, carp...
Check Out Fly Fishing Secrets of Successful Fly Fishers
By: Steven Magill | 08/11/2009People do fishing for a lot of reasons. They say that there is nothing compared to the feeling of getting the big catch for the day. But perhaps the best and number one reason they would give you is to be one with nature, to savor the natural surroundings and...
The Exhilarating Action of Bass Flying Fishing
By: Steven Magill | 08/11/2009Bass are modern fishes. They are the strong kind of specie which thrives in the warmest of the weather and they also thrive in the dirtiest and filthiest ponds. They fight harder and longer out of the water because of their size and their character as a predator in the...
Check Out the Basics in Fly Fishing and Fly Tying
By: Steven Magill | 08/11/2009Fly fishing is a skill that is achieve thru use of right equipment, right angle precision, and right fly tying. The techniques in fly fishing and fly tying should come hand in hand to achieve fly fishing success. Tying the knot is as important as choosing the right equipment in...
Landyachtz and Waterboyz is a Beautiful Mix
By: Gilles Sabas | 08/11/2009Skateboard Wheels The skateboard will without a doubt not play the correct way if it does not stimulate the exact skateboard wheels. This is in fact the most important part to a skateboard, along with all the other constituents such as, trucks, deck and bearings. The skateboard wheels are obviously connected...
What Demographics Are Best For Your School?
By: Brian Tracy | 08/11/2009A lot has been written about which demographics are best for a martial arts school. In virtually every case, the answer has been presented as though all schools are the same, so the answer has been a “one size fits all” answer. If you know anything about me, it’s that I don’t believe in “one size fits all.”
A Short History of Squash
By: Edward Smith | 08/11/2009Squash historians assert that the game originated in the 19th century at Harrow School, just outside London, as a derivative of the game of Racquets. The first recorded construction of purpose-built squash courts was at Harrow in the 1860s. It is possible that earlier squash courts were created at Harrow by sub-dividing a racquets court, which is almost exactly the size of three Squash courts (to allow more players on the courts at the same time).
Famous Race Horses - Red Rum Part Two
By: Cliff Thurston | 30/07/2009 | Sports & FitnessThis is the second in a three-part series of article written by me about the famous race horse Red Rum. You may remember that Part One of this article ended with Ginger McCain purchasing Red Rum at the end of the 1972 National Hunt season. Part Two of this series now looks...
Famous Race Horses - Desert Orchid Part Three
By: Cliff Thurston | 29/07/2009 | Sports & FitnessThis is the final article about one of the most famous race horses to grace our race courses around the UK and Ireland, the great grey Desert Orchid. Dessie Retires And Shows Courage ... Yet Again After that final race in 1991, Dessie went into a well deserved retirement, and no one...
Famous Race Horses - Red Rum Part One
By: Cliff Thurston | 27/07/2009 | Sports & FitnessAs famous race horses go, for many the first name that springs to mind is the great National Hunt race horse Red Rum. This article will look at the amazing career of this great horse and the incredible story of his rise to fame, which came completely against all the odds,...
Famous Race Horses - Best Mate Part Two
By: Cliff Thurston | 16/07/2009 | Sports & FitnessThis article is the second of a two-part article which looks at the fantastic career of Best Mate, arguably one of the best ever National Hunt race horses ever. You may remember that Part One of this article ended by looking at Best Mate's record of 14 wins from 22 starts,...
Famous Race Horses - Desert Orchid Part Two
By: Cliff Thurston | 10/07/2009 | Sports & FitnessThe first article in this series looked at the famous race horse Desert Orchid and the early part of his career. The following article, which is part two of a three-part series, looks at how he started the 1987 season through to his accomplishments into the 1990s. Dessie Starts A Rich...
Does Horse Racing Software Really Make Betting That Easy?
By: Cliff Thurston | 01/06/2009 | Sports & FitnessAs someone who is interested in betting on horse racing, no doubt you've looked at different methods in which to get quality racing tips. Horse racing software products are designed to enable you to pick winners quickly and easily, but is it really that simple? I have been backing horses for...
Horse Racing Tipster Services - Should You Pay Or Not?
By: Cliff Thurston | 30/05/2009 | Sports & FitnessAs you may have seen, there are literally hundreds of horse racing tipster services on the internet today. The majority of these tipster services are subscription based, meaning you pay a monthly fee, but are they worth it? In this article, I aim to help you sort out the good ones...