Greyhound Handicapping: Bet the Right Dog at the Right Odds
Your best bet at any greyhound track is the best dog at the right odds to consistently make you a profit. Picking the best dog means using good handicapping skills. Factors like form, speed, early breaking ability, post position and room to run are what you have to look at when you handicap.
But looking for betting situations where the best dog has the best odds is also important. What do I mean by "best odds?" By that I mean that you're more liable to make money on a consistent basis, if you don't always bet favorites or longshots. Very often, the dog to bet is at higher odds than the favorite, but not by much.
At most dog tracks, most of the winners come from the 3 dogs with the lowest odds in the morning line. Very few winners win at odds of more than 6-1. Since the favorite is often bet down to ridiculous odds, I like to see if I can find a good reason for playing the second or third favorite. Many times, I can do that and it wins.
Once in a long while, I play a big longshot and, once in a while, they win. But over the years, I've come to realize that you can't depend on longshots to make you a regular income at the dog track. I do pretty well with longshots at the horse races, but at the greyhound races, they're spotty and fickle and depend more on luck than anything, as far as I can tell.
I'll have stretches where I can't seem to miss on longshots, and then I'll hit a cold streak and lose back everything I won on them. So, I stick to the middle dogs, roughly from 5-2 to 5-1 on the odd boards a couple minutes before the race goes off. The ones that win make enough to make up for the ones that don't win, and they're good for exactas and quinielas with the favorite or another dog I find through handicapping the program.
Of course, if the 4-5 favorite looks like it can't lose to me, I may just pass the race, instead of trying to find a dog that can beat it. Some favorites are big favorites for a reason. But most of the time, in at least half the races on a program, I can find another dog that is almost as, if not as good as, the favorite, at a much nicer price. Playing these dogs has kept my betting bankroll pretty healthy over the years.
If you're hitting a lot of win bets, but losing money, maybe it's time to see if you're betting too many favorites. If you miss a couple of wins on favorites, it can burn up your bankroll, faster than you can replace it. For instance, if the favorite pays $4, you'll have to hit every other one just to stay even. And many favorites pay less than that.
I don't know about you, but breaking even is NOT good enough for me. I want to make money and finding dogs with both a chance to win and a good price is the way to do it, as far as I can tell.
But looking for betting situations where the best dog has the best odds is also important. What do I mean by "best odds?" By that I mean that you're more liable to make money on a consistent basis, if you don't always bet favorites or longshots. Very often, the dog to bet is at higher odds than the favorite, but not by much.
At most dog tracks, most of the winners come from the 3 dogs with the lowest odds in the morning line. Very few winners win at odds of more than 6-1. Since the favorite is often bet down to ridiculous odds, I like to see if I can find a good reason for playing the second or third favorite. Many times, I can do that and it wins.
Once in a long while, I play a big longshot and, once in a while, they win. But over the years, I've come to realize that you can't depend on longshots to make you a regular income at the dog track. I do pretty well with longshots at the horse races, but at the greyhound races, they're spotty and fickle and depend more on luck than anything, as far as I can tell.
I'll have stretches where I can't seem to miss on longshots, and then I'll hit a cold streak and lose back everything I won on them. So, I stick to the middle dogs, roughly from 5-2 to 5-1 on the odd boards a couple minutes before the race goes off. The ones that win make enough to make up for the ones that don't win, and they're good for exactas and quinielas with the favorite or another dog I find through handicapping the program.
Of course, if the 4-5 favorite looks like it can't lose to me, I may just pass the race, instead of trying to find a dog that can beat it. Some favorites are big favorites for a reason. But most of the time, in at least half the races on a program, I can find another dog that is almost as, if not as good as, the favorite, at a much nicer price. Playing these dogs has kept my betting bankroll pretty healthy over the years.
If you're hitting a lot of win bets, but losing money, maybe it's time to see if you're betting too many favorites. If you miss a couple of wins on favorites, it can burn up your bankroll, faster than you can replace it. For instance, if the favorite pays $4, you'll have to hit every other one just to stay even. And many favorites pay less than that.
I don't know about you, but breaking even is NOT good enough for me. I want to make money and finding dogs with both a chance to win and a good price is the way to do it, as far as I can tell.