A beginner’s introduction to Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing, though not as main stream as other sports such as horse racing, is gaining more and more popularity in the international arena. It is practiced as enjoyment in some countries but in others such as the United Kingdom, USA, Ireland and Australia
it provides the basis for a lucrative gambling industry, despite the fact that it does not churn out as much cash as the horse racing industry does.
The sport itself is quite simple. The greyhounds are made to run after a lure, which is an artificial rabbit or a hare, until the end of the track. The hound that reaches the finish line first wins. Add the spice of betting into the race, and what
you get is a thrilling, adrenaline pumping contest between the world’s best bred greyhounds.
There are several types of bets involved in greyhound racing, and while some of them are simple others are not. We will give you a general idea of some of the main types of bets that are usually made in this sport, dealing with each of them individually.
Win Bet
This is a fairly straight forward bet. You select a greyhound that you want to bet on and make your stake. If the greyhound that you have selected wins, then you win the bet. Your earnings will equal your stake plus the odds, multiplied by your stake. In
case your selection loses, then you go home with a deficit equal to your stake.
Place Bet
A place bet is much like a win bet, except that your win is based on the position that the greyhound achieves. The position has to be either a first or a second. This bet offers the flexibility that the selected greyhound can secure either of the two positions,
increasing your chances of winning. You will of course lose if your selection does not make it to either of these positions. The earnings and losses in a place bet follow the same principal as in a win bet.
Each Way Bet
This gets a bit complicated. Each way the bet consists of two bets rolled into one. One bet is a win bet, in which you are betting that your selection will win the race altogether. The other part of the bet is a place bet, in which you bet that your selection
will secure any of the first, second or third positions. An Each way bet provides the individual with a plan B in case the selected greyhound does not win the race, but manages to be second or third. So even if you have lost the win bet, you can still cash
in on the place bet.
Quinella
Quinella makes betting more interesting. As opposed to selecting one greyhound to bet on, you now have to choose two greyhounds, who have to secure the top two positions in the race. However, the bettor does not have to specify which one will come first
and which one second.
Box Quinella
This type of quinella makes gives some flexibility to the bettor. More than two dogs may be chosen, out of which any two must come first and second. The odds of this bet are less than that of quinella, as the risk of loss is smaller as well.
Exacta
This type of bet complicates the quinella. As the name suggests, the bettor has to make an exact prediction about the greyhound that will win the race and the one that will come second.
This was a brief overview of the most prevalent types of bets involved in greyhound racing. Others include trifecta, running double and quadrella etcetera.
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