Look for value odds as much as likely winners. If you keep looking for them, you will learn to spot them fairly quickly.
Look at the age. Generally a running dog will reach its peak at two. A brood will peak at around three.
Choose from greyhounds that have run a few decent races.
Avoid placing large bets on greyhounds that have good form but are hit by frequent poor form.
Pay attention to the trap draw when collecting form information of winners. A greyhound that has shown to perform better running from, say, trap 1 may not win in a race where he has been allocated trap 5.
A straight bet is simple, manageable and not too difficult to win. Play it but always weigh up the odds. Avoid favorites and long shots (outsiders) too. Be selective – don’t bet on anything or everything.
The sportsbooks or bookmakers are very well informed and have a very long experience in determining the odds. Their starting prices are usually excellent indicators as to which greyhounds are likely to be among the first three in a given race. Sometimes the mass of the punters will put a lot of weight and money on a greyhound which will then go to a false price and because of that the other prices of greyhounds will drift in the market, that is get longer. As a result a greyhound shown favorite or second favorite in the early starting prices may then drop down the list as the start of the race approaches and his odds improve significantly, that is get longer. This doesn’t always happen but when it does, bet on the greyhound that was initially favorite. It is always a good value bet and in the long run you should make a profit.
If a greyhound is heavily backed just a few minutes before the start of the race and his odds are sharply reduced, bet on it. This is a strong indication that somebody has reliable favorable information about the greyhound that nobody else is aware of.
When making selections, always give preference to greyhounds that ran recently. Greyhounds that have not raced for several weeks may have suffered some setbacks like an injury or an illness. No matter how good his form was if it is not recent, chances are the greyhound will not win.
It is best not to replay your winnings, at least not immediately. If you want to be in control, you must put back in your pocket some or most of your winnings.
Do your homework before signing up to an online sportsbook. Four important things you should look for in a sportsbook: Are they members of a known Gambling Association? How quick do they pay out? How accessible is their customer service? What happens when there is a dispute?
Bet the best two breakers and the best two closers in the race. This should hit the quinella in a four dog box at least 50% of the time.
Light dogs have trouble in the wet conditions of the track. I play the dogs in Corpus Christi dog track, Texas. The amount of rain we get is nice. With the track wet and doing a 4 dog box trifecta I have had my biggest success picking the fav and the 3 heaviest dogs in combination. If one of the 3 heaviest is not even in the hunt prior to making the wager I sit that one out.
In wet weather conditions bet on the inside traps.
Average their finishes and go with the dog with the best finish avearage.
I have had success ‘keying’ on not one, but two dogs, and betting combinations with them, including one trifecta pick each race. I have noted that a favorite, unless heavily favored, likely will not win but can key into quinela combinations well. I bet exactly 14 dollars each race, 3 quinelas on number one key, 3, quinelas on number two key, and finally one trifecta using keyed dogs plus the wild card (usually from the ‘keyed’ selections). A good race to cover a little more is 4 or more dogs that are all betting favorites, basically no one has a clue but you do from using quinelas and they pay well. You should win at least one trifecta per card doing this. In horse racing, I will bet a horse to win, but in dog racing, I will never bet a dog to win because they are more unpredictable. That is why quinelas will keep you making money and with a nice hit or two odds wise or a tri, you are in the money.
I watch the dogs on the paddock carefully. If you like dogs in general, you can often read their body language as to how they are feeling. I have had success with dogs that are spirited and when a favorite is droopy I will load up against them.
I have found that neighboring pairs often run together and stay out of trouble together. That is when to place exacta bets in my opinion.
I have seen dog players at the windows reciting list upon lists of tickets to cover a race. The key to winning is to become a minimalist at the window, while still covering 4 dogs fairly well. A little guessing within your favorites on how to combo them is a good thing. It can succesfully create a winning ‘basket’, especially as you get more experienced on how to guess, that will keep your ticket costs low and maximize your return.
Thus the more races you cover, rather than covering each race heavy, is a great way to create good money management, that is why an off track parlor showing 3 tracks at once is a good way to bet the same style and amount on a succession of races, while always watching for the ‘minutes to post’ info so you can choose the races you want to asses. In my opinion, being at the track and betting on one card only, is bad because you tend to load up on each race because a long time between races causes you to over analyze them. Obviously you will not be using the program to go up against the odds makers, you will learn to watch the odds and read the tape and learn from it.
Light dogs or big longshots in the middle get bounced out of the game in the first turn. That’s when to bet the higher (6,7,8) traps and combo them with the inside (1,2) traps.
Follow the place show odds if given, often bettors will ignore these bets setting up situations where a top dog will pay anywhere from 3 to 5 – 1.