Horse race betting is the bread and butter of sports betting. Originally a popular sport to bet on in the UK, horse race betting has later spread across the world. The popularity of horse race betting is fueled by exciting races. No matter if it’s a minor or major event, horse races are always exciting, unlike other sports which can be a bit bland and boring. This, along with the unpredictable races, is what makes horse race betting so thrilling.

However, horse race betting isn’t as straightforward as betting on football for example. It’s a bit more complicated and requires knowing a thing or two about the horses, track, and horse race betting in general for you to win. Once you master the trade, all you need to do is polish your skills and learn a few betting strategies to call yourself a pro.

Bookies in the UK allow punters to bet on a variety of horse racing events. They also offer specials such as best odds guaranteed and a slew of no deposit free bets that can boost your bank account nicely. You can see the latest free bet no deposit offers here and choose what suits you best – there are plenty of great options to pick from. Once you claim your free bet, you can use it on major events such as the Kentucky Derby and place exotic bets that may lead to potentially stunning wins.

Before you make money with horse race betting, though, we suggest you learn the following horse race betting strategies.

Dutching

Dutching is a popular and quite complex betting strategy that involves sizing up the possibilities of different outcomes. In short, it ensures a profit by betting on several different outcomes regardless of what horse wins. If you, for example, have two selections and you know how much money you want to place, you’ll probably be tempted to place two equal bets. However, with dutching, you can use advanced math models to properly calculate the return for each selection and split the stake to cover both outcomes while ensuring profit.

Although quite a popular horse racing betting strategy, dutching involves quite a lot of math, so it’s not suitable for beginners. Still, it offers a solid and safe return of investment, which is why so many punters love it.

Laying the Favourite

This strategy involves betting against the favourite in a betting exchange. Although it may look like it goes against every basic principle in betting, it’s quite a profitable strategy if used correctly. Did you know that gambling statistics show that only a third of favourites win races? There’s no such thing as a safe bet, so if you get the math right, you might be better off with underdogs in major horse race events.

Of course, to make this strategy work, you’ll have to lay against a favourite with odds of 3/1 or below – anything higher than that can damage your bank. Knowing handicaps is very important as well since it’ll help you identify the underdogs. Finally, you also need to know when not to lay the favourite. This is why experts recommend sticking to Grade 1 races since bookies offer more in-depth information of the competitors, which in short means you’ll be able to find a weak favourite easier.

Value Betting

Value betting is a general strategy that works on any sport, not just horse racing. It involves spotting a so-called value bet or a bet that has a higher chance of winning than what the bookie’s odds indicate. To spot such a bet you’ll need a bit of experience and you’ll also need to master your handicapping skills.

Once you learn how to spot a good value bet and trust us, there are many, you can maximize your profits pretty easily.