Everything you need to know about greyhound betting online
What, Where and When?
You can bet on greyhounds all year round! Events take place in the UK, Ireland, USA, Australia and New Zealand. UK punters will most likely know many of the famous tracks across the country such as Romford, Wimbledon, Perry Barr, Doncaster and Belle Vue. Australia isn’t short of its own premier stadiums either with Albion Park, Gawler, Sandown Park and Darwin being among the highlights.
Who to Back?
There are a few ways you can approach this. Firstly, you can take a race-by-race approach. In essence, very similar to how you would bet if you were having a night out at the stadium. You look at the form guide and pick a dog which you think will romp home first.
Other bettors may simply bet by the trap number. This sounds like a strange plan on the surface, but history shows that trap 3, followed by trap 1, produce an above average number of winners compared to the other traps. Whether this is simply a coincidence is up for debate. You’ll also get bettors who follow certain dogs. Take the legendary Mick the Miller, for example, who’s won 51 races from 68 starts, or Ballyregan Bob who went on an amazing 32 race win streak. If you find the right greyhound to back, you could be rewarded with huge returns.
However, above all else, we recommend punters do their homework before heading to the bookies. You’ll want to research factors such as: weather conditions, track condition, trap trends and race distance. Essentially, becoming a successful greyhound bettor is about acquiring a bank of knowledge and understanding the variables in play, so you’re not purely betting on a hunch alone.
Market Depth
As mentioned, greyhound betting is very simple which adds to its appeal for many. The main markets you can bet on are:
- Win: the classic greyhound bet is ‘on the nose’ – this means to win. No prizes for coming second, third or last. First place is all that counts.Ex: £10 win on Fred the Flash @ 6/1 = £70 (incl. £10 stake returned)
- Each Way: the easy way to think of an each way bet is to view it as two bets. Your total stake is divided into a ‘win’ bet and a ‘place’ bet. The number of paid places depends on how many dogs are running (see table below). If your pick wins, you win both parts of the bet, but if it comes in 2nd or 3rd, you only collect on the place bet.Here’s an example of an each way bet:£10 each way (£20 total stake) on Romeo’s Rocket @ 10/1 (6 runners)
If win = £10 x 10/1 on the win bet = £110 (including stake). Plus, £10 x 2.5/1 on
the place bet = £35 (including stake). Total return £145.
If placed = £10 x 2.5/1 on the place bet = £35 (including stake).
| Number of dogs running | Places paid | Each way odds |
| 2 – 4 | Win only | — |
| 5 – 7 | 1st & 2nd | ¼ of full price |
| 8+ | 1st, 2nd & 3rd | ⅕ of full price |
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- While betting each way provides a little insurance, it’s only worth placing this bet if the odds on the dog you’re backing are long enough. For instance, many punters wouldn’t back a dog each way if the price is only 2/1, because you will only profit on the win bet and not on the place, which only sees you receive a payout at ¼ or ⅕ the odds.
Ex: £10 each way (£20 total stake) on Jumping Jack @ 2/1 (6 runners)
If placed = £10 x 0.5/1 on the place bet = £15 (incl. stake).
- Forecast and Tricast: with a straight forecast bet you pick two dogs and they have to finish 1st and 2nd – in the correct order you picked them. A tricast bet is the same but as the name suggests, you must pick three dogs and they must finish in 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order. Needless to say, this is no easy task, even with only 6 dogs running. However, for punters in the know, the payouts are quite handsome on winning forecast bets.Several online bookies also offer ‘Exacta’ and ‘Trifecta’ bets. These are exactly the same as forecasts and tricasts except the payout is based on the totepool at the time.
- Reverse Forecast and Tricast: whilst the straight forecast bet requires an accurate pick in the correct order, the reverse forecast and tricast bet allow punters to win by correctly predicting the dogs to finish in any order.
- Accumulators: a popular way of betting on greyhounds is to build an accumulator with 4 or more selections on it. All your selections must win, but they can reap vast rewards for very small stakes if you get lucky.
Greyhound Betting Online Specials
The most popular greyhound betting promotion is ‘best odds guaranteed’. This means the bookie pays out on the higher price between the odds you took when you placed the bet and the starting price. Also, for larger events, such as the English Derby, you’ll get price boosts and enhanced trebles at some of the top online greyhound betting sites. And, it’s worth keeping an eye open for any free bets that pop up, where for example, if you place £10 on a win only market you get a £5 free bonus bet.
Bet on greyhound racing
That’s all you need to know to begin online greyhound betting. Now all you’ll need to do is find a top online greyhound bookie to place your bets with. We can’t help with the former but we’ve got you covered with the latter. Check out our list of the best dog racing bookies, pick a favourite and start betting, today!
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