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How Do Betting Odds Work?

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Here at Honest Betting Reviews, we appreciate that some of you are experienced gamblers and know the betting world back to front.

For some of you who are newer to having a flutter however, we like to give you some help in understanding how things work and all the jargon that accompanies the betting industry. Today we have a look at how betting odds work.

Are you a little confused about how betting odds work? Perhaps you can’t quite get your head round the subtle differences between fractional and decimal odds. Maybe tote betting odds leave you out in the cold. And whatever is meant by money line odds, do I really need to know?

Here we explain in simple terms how they all work, so instead of worrying about  betting odds you will be able to spend your time more lucratively picking winners.

Fractional betting odds

Traditionally, in the UK, betting odds have been, and frequently still are expressed as fractional odds. These are expressed in terms such as five to one (5/1); seven to two (7/2); and five to two (5/2). The first two of these are called ‘odds against’ bets, where the bookmaker will pay out a multiple of the stake. The third is an ‘odds on’ bet where the bookmaker will pay out a fraction of the stake. Even odds are 1/1 odds where the bookmaker will pay out exactly the same amount as the stake.

What is vitally important to remember with fractional odds is that you also get back your stake. So, if you place a winning bet of £10 at odds of 5/1, the bookmaker will pay you £50 (your winnings) plus £10 (your stake) giving you a total return of £60.

Similarly, a winning ‘odds on’ bet of £10 at 2/5 will return £4 (your winnings) plus £10 (your stake, a total return of £14.

 

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Decimal betting odds

Pencil on SpreadsheetDecimal odds have traditionally been used in continental Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, however online betting has made them popular in the UK too. Many online bookmakers allow you to choose between decimal and fractional betting odds. A few years ago they were trialled at actual race meetings in the UK, but they proved unpopular with the punters. 

The fundamental difference with decimal odds is that they already account for your stake being returned. Such odds are expressed in the format 5.20, 3.00, 1.98 and so on. Taking the first example, if you place a £10 winning bet at decimal odds of 5.20, your total return will be 5.20 multiplied by £10, which is £52.

Thus a decimal odds bet placed at 5.20 is the equivalent of a fractional odds bet of 4.2/1; a 3.00 decimal bet is the equivalent of 2/1; and a 1.98 is equivalent to 0.98/1.

  • To convert decimal odds to fractional odds, simply subtract 1 and convert to a fraction. Taking the first example of 5.20, subtract 1 (5.20 – 1 = 4.2) and convert 4.2 to a fraction (42/100 or 4.2/1).
  • To convert fractional odds to decimal odds, simply convert the fraction to a decimal and add 1. So, 6/4 fractional odds is equivalent to 6/4 + 1 = 10/4 = 5/2 = 2.25 in decimal odds.

If you can’t be bothered with doing the calculations yourself, just use an odds converter app on your phone.

Tote betting odds

Tote betting is an alternative betting system to the fixed betting system offered by the usual bookmakers. It is a pool betting system in which the winnings are paid out from a fund created by pooling all the money wagered on that particular type of bet at the event; generally a horse  or greyhound race.

For instance, if a total of £10,000 is placed on win bets on a particular race then the pool is £10,000. Deductions are made from to pool to cover the expense of running the tote and of contributing to horse racing. Typically this is around 15%, leaving the pool with £10,000 – £1,500 = £8,500.

If a low odds favourite won, and say £3,000 had been staked on the winner, the pay-out would be £8,500 / £3,000 = £2.83 for each £1 staked. In other words, if your stake had been £10, your pay-out would be £28.30 which includes getting your take back. This is the equivalent of decimal betting odds of 2.83.

Taking another example: if an outsider won and only £400 had been staked on the winner, then the pay-out would be £8,500/400 = £25.25 for each £1 staked, which is equivalent to decimal betting odds of 25.25.

The main difference between tote and fixed odds betting is that you don’t know exactly what the odds are until after the race. While the odds are shown in decimal format on the betting screen, these are just an estimate of the final odds. In addition to betting on a win, you can also make place and each way bets.

Money line betting odds

Although rarely used in the UK, money line odds are the primary method used in the US. These simply state the actual amount you will win on  a $100 winning bet, or alternatively the amount of money that must be staked in order to achieve a total pay-out of $100. In both cases your stake will be returned.  In the former case the money line odds are stated using a positive number, while in the latter they are stated using a negative number, so:

Money line odds of +500 means that your winning would be $500 dollars on a winning bet of $100 which, is equivalent to fractional odds of 5/1

Money line odds of -500 mean that you would need to stake $500 for a chance of winning $100; equivalent to fractional odds of 1/5.

Finally

The important thing to remember is that:

  • With fractional odds and money line odds, the fact that your stake will also be returned is implicit. They are both a statement of your actual potential winnings. Your return will include your winnings plus your original stake.
  • Decimal odds already take account of the fact that your stake will be returned and are a statement of your potential total pay-out.

Be careful not to get them mixed up. Most online betting sites let you choose which to use, though it’s advisable to choose your preferred version and stick to it. If you need to convert between them, why not use an app on your phone?

 

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First Favourite – 12 Month Update

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We have now been proofing the tips of horse racing tipster First Favourite for a full year so thought it would be a good time for an update.

Our original trial finished back in October last year and we gave it a neutral rating, which we maintained at our nine month update in January.

Just to recap, this is a low-volume service with just a small number of bets per month, but it targets high returns over the long run with this selective approach.

The long-term strike rate is high at over 50%, so as the name of the service suggests, it focuses on backing favourites that represent value.

So, how has First Favourite performed since January?

Overall it has done well, adding £1,230 profit this year to the recommended staking, which is to start off with a £1,000 bank each month, stake 10% on each selection and reset the bank at the end of each month, withdrawing any winnings.

In points terms, you could say that equates to an approximate 12 points of profit this year on top of the seven made at the time of our last update, making 19 points profit since October 2016.

This is a good effort and is worthy of a re-rating of the service in our view.

 

OVERALL VERDICT: PASSED 

After a year of following the tips, we are pleased to upgrade First Favourite to a recommended rating here at Honest Betting Reviews.

As we have said before, this is very much a slow-burner service where you look to build a bank gradually over time.

The bet volume is low with just a few bets per week on average, so for those who like lots of bets all the time this is probably not for you.

However, for those with patience and an eye for long-term profit, First Favourite has demonstrated an edge over the market and an ability to deliver consistent profits.

On that basis we think it is worth adding to your portfolio and is a service we will continue to follow closely.

 

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First Favourite – Nine Month Update

8th January 2017

We completed a six month trial of horse racing tipster First Favourite back in October and gave it a neutral rating.

We agreed to continue monitoring the service to see if results picked up and to update our review periodically on how things were going.

So after nine months we thought it would be a good time for a quick update.

Well the good news is that it has been a very good three months for First Favourite since we completed our trial.

They have made a solid 7 points profit in that time to level stakes, bringing their total profits since we started proofing the tips to 3 points profit overall.

Using their compounding approach and taking the profits at the end of each month and resetting the bank, you would have made £837 profit over the last three months starting with a £1,000 bank.

There have been 15 bets over the last three months, with 11 of those winning, a very decent strike rate of 73%.

This is very much a service for the patient investor who is prepared to build their bank gradually over time. If you have that patience, then this could the service for you.

We are pleased to progress they have been making and if the current form continues then First Favourite should be well on its way to a passed rating. 

 

 

 

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First Favourite – Final Review

13th October 2016

We have reached the end of our six month trial of First Favourite and here are the final results:-

 

Profit/loss:    -4.45 points
Strike Rate:    52%
Bank Growth:    -0.3%
Cost:   £47+VAT
ROI:   -0.1%
Average number of bets:    2 per week
VERDICT:  NEUTRAL
Rating: 

 

You can view full results here.

 

First Favourite – Full Review

 

We have given First Favourite – a horse racing tipster – a six month trial rather than the usual three months, as there are a very low number of bets, so we wanted to get a proper look at the service.

So after six months of tipping, how have they done?

Well, we are pretty much back where we started, at £4 down to £100 stakes at advised prices – so very close to break even.

Below is the profit graph for the trial:

First Favourite Profit Graph

As you can see, things were going quite well midway through the trial, but unfortunately dipped later on. 

At Betfair SP things were a little worse, at -£339.

The results seen during our trial were quite a bit below those achieved prior to the trial. In 2015, there were apparently 12 winning months out of 12. 

The good news is the workload is incredibly low here, with just 2 bets per week.

This kind of selective betting will not be to everyone’s taste – some people will want a larger number of bets to get their teeth stuck into rather than the “slowly, slowly, catchy monkey” approach taken here.

But certainly the results during the trial have not been bad and break even is deserving of a neutral rating in our view.

If results pick up over the coming months, then an upgrade in rating may be appropriate.

Until then, the jury’s out on First Favourite.

 

Service Breakdown

Ease of use: Tips are sent out early in the morning of racing, so plenty of time to get the bets on. As we say, with an average of just 2 bets per week, the workrate is incredibly low here. 

Availability of prices: Prices do tend to steam in somewhat by the off, so it is advisable to get your bets on as soon as possible after tips are sent out. However, we generally found prices were readily obtainable so you should be able to match the advised prices as long as you have a few bookie accounts still open.

Strike rate: The strike rate for the trial was 52%, which is a little below the long term strike rate of 55% and may explain the results being a little worse than normal as well.  

Advised Betting Bank: No betting bank was advised, but we used a 1500 point bank when using 100 point stakes for each bet. 

Subscription costs: Subscription costs are £47 + VAT per month.

 

OVERALL VERDICT: NEUTRAL

First Favourite is a horse racing tipster that takes a very selective approach to tipping, with just two bets per week on average.

After a six month trial, we have finished pretty much level from following their tips.

So we feel a neutral rating is the only reasonable verdict here for the time being. Hopefully results will pick up over coming months for them. 

 

 

 

 

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First Favourite – Results Update

12th September 2016

It’s been a good month for First Favourite since our last update, with 137 points of profit added at advised prices.

That means they are now 229 points up overall for our trial at advised prices. 

You can view full results here.

At Betfair SP they have added 43 points profit to sit at -104 points overall.

As we have said before, this is a slowly-slowly catchy-monkey service, with a low bet volume and a gradual approach to building a bank.

We have now been following the service for five months, so will be looking to wrap up the review next month. 

 

 

 

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First Favourite – Results Update

14th August 2016

Unfortunately there has been a bit of a downturn for First Favourite since our last update.

Sadly they have dropped 395 points at advised prices, bringing them to 92 points up for the trial as a whole. 

You can view full results here.

At Betfair SP it is a similar story, with 453 points lost since our last update to sit at -147 points for the trial overall.

It is a shame they have hit a sticky patch as it had a cracking run from mid-June to mid-July, but hopefully it is just a blip and normal service will be resumed shortly.

 

 

 

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First Favourite – Results Update

17th July 2016

First Favourite has been on a fantastic run of form since our last update, with eight of the ten bets over the last month winning.

That means they have added 476 points profit to stand at 487 points up for the trial as a whole.

You can view full results here.

At Betfair SP the results have also been good, with 364 points profit added over the last month to stand at 306 points profit for the trial overall.

We have also been monitoring the advised prices closely and can say that the prices are generally widely available and do not disappear within a short time as you see with some other services, which means you should be able to match the results at advised prices if you have bookie accounts.

The other thing worth noting is that the longest losing streak for First Favourite this year has been just two bets! 

That is quite a remarkable statistic and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that before. Just shows the level of consistency and means this is a very easy service to follow – it doesn’t seem to have the rollercoaster experience you get with some other services. 

So overall very impressed with First Favourite so far and let’s hope things continue in the same vein.

Back soon with more updates. 

 

 

 

 

 

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First Favourite – Results Update

17th June 2016

First Favourite are still in profit for our trial -but only just.

When we did our last update a month ago, they were 165 points in profit at advised prices, where as now they are 11 points up, so a decline of 154 points since last time.

You can view full results here.

At Betfair SP, the total so far is 58 points down, so a little bit worse than the advised prices.

As we have said before, this is very much a selective service with a low number of bets per week, but the long-term record is strong and justifies such an approach.

Anyway, let’s hope things pick up a bit by the time of our next update.

 

 

 

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First Favourite – Results Update

19th May 2016

Well normally after a month of a trial we have lots to report but things have been quiet for First Favourite to say the least!

As we said at the outset, this is selective betting. But it has been very selective so far, with only 5 bets advised.

You can view full results here.

The good news is that the selective approach is paying off so far, with three of the five bets having been winners, with a profit of 165 points accrued to 100 point stakes.

You can see the effectiveness of the service, with 15 of the 16 months so far having been profitable. It is slow steady bank building, which is quite a nice way of doing things.

Anyway, we will update things in about a month’s time and see if things are still going strong.

 

 

 

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First Favourite – New Review

19th April 2016

We have just come across a horse racing tipster who we think has great potential and are quite excited to be trialing here at Honest Betting Reviews.

The tipster in question is called First Favourite and is run by a guy called Mel Gee.

There are two things in particular that interest us about this service.

First up is the high strike rate. We have written elsewhere about the importance of strike rate in betting systems, but in short the reason is that having a high strike rate means you can use larger stakes and build a bank much more quickly. 

Plus losing streaks tend to be much shorter, thus making it easier psychologically to follow the service.

First Favourite claims to have a strike rate of 55%, which is a fantastically high strike rate to be able to achieve a profit at. 

That means over half of bets have been winners! That’s what we like to see.

The second thing we like about this service is the level of consistency. Apparently in 2015 there were 12 winning months out of 12, which is remarkable going.

The three years previous to that were also profitable, although it doesn’t say to what level.

Now the only thing we would say is that this is a selective service, so if you’re looking for loads of bets every day then it might not be your thing.

But as we are always keen to stress, at the end of the day it is the amount of profit in your bank account that really counts rather than the number of bets and on the profit front First Favourite certainly seems to have delivered so far.

The good thing is there is a 60-day no-quibbles money back guarantee, so if it doesn’t turn out as hoped we can always get a refund.

So with much anticipation we will get the trial underway and let’s hope we can see some great profits accumulated over the next few months.

Back soon with our first update on how things are going.

In the meantime you can check out First Favourite here.

 

 

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Tracking Frankel’s Foals – A Path to Profit?

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Frankel is thoroughbred racehorse with an astonishing career. In his fourteen races he was never beaten and became the highest rated racehorse in the world. He was the first horse for over sixty years to become a champion on three successive years when aged two, three and four and only the fourth to do so in the last hundred years.

Currently valued at £100 million, he is also one of the world’s most valuable. Trained by Henry Cecil and owned by Khalid Abdullah, his first race as a two year old was in 2010 and his final race before retirement was the Champion Stakes at Ascot in October 2012.

As a stud he stands at Banstead Manor in Suffolk, his own birthplace. In his first season as a stud his stud fee was £125,000, covering 133 mares during that year. He is fairly successful at that too, achieving a fertility rate of 95%.

Foals sired by Frankel are referred to as Frankel foals, and there a fair number of them around. The first Frankel foal to be auctioned was sold of £1,150,000, and the first one to be raced was Conco who run his first race at Newbury in 2016.

 

     —————–Check out our number one ranked horse racing tipster here—————–

 

Clearly Frankel’s foals are worth looking out for if you are looking for an interesting punt, especially if they are making their racing debut. During 2017 a whole crop of two year-olds race for the first time as well as some remaining three year-olds. One recent success was Lady Frankel who won her debut at Saint Cloud in March 2017.

Some other Frankel Foals who have already shown early signs of success are:

  • ZEFFERINO (trainer Roger Charlton) – finished second at Newmarket debut
  • TOULIFAUT (trainer Jean-Claude Rouget) – won its debut at  Clairefontaine
  • SOUL STIRRING – won its debut in Japan
  • SEVEN HEAVENS (trainer John Gosden) won its debut at Ascot and probable entry for 2017 Derby.
  • SENATOR (Trainer Richard Fahey) Won debut at Leicester
  • QUEEN KINDLY (trainer Richard Fahey) won by five lengths at debut at Catterick. Also came third at Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot won the Novice Fillies Stakes at Catterick and Lowther Stakes at York.
  • LAST KINGDOM (trainer Andre Fabre) finished second in debut at Clairefontaine 
  • FRANKUUS (trainer  Mark Johnston) won debut at Haydock
  • FAIR EVA (trainer Roger Charlton) won debut by four lengths at Haydock, won the Princess Margaret Juddmonte Stakes at Ascot but lost to Queen Kindly, the Frankel filly mentioned above)

Future entries to look out for in the coming months are:

  • ALJEZEERA – Dubai Fillies’ Mile
  • ATTY PERSSE – Investec Derby
  • CUNCO – Champagne Stakes, Royal Lodge
  • EMINENT – Racing Post Trophy, Investec Derby
  • FAIR EVA – Moyglare Stud, Mill Reef, Rockfel Stakes, Cheveley Park, Dubai Fillies’ Mile
  • FRANKUUS – Royal Lodge, Dewhurst Stakes
  • HARBA – Rockfel Stakes, Cheveley Park
  • KHATTAR – Keeneland Phoenix Stakes/Investec Derby
  • LIGHTENING FAST – Champagne Stakes
  • LAST KINGDOM – Dewhurst Stakes
  • QUEEN KINDLY – Cheveley Park
  • RAINBOW LEGACY – Investec Derby
  • SAN REMO – Champagne Stakes, Royal Lodge Stakes, Dewhurst Stakes
  • SENATOR – Dewhurst Stakes
  • SEVEN HEAVENS – Champagne Stakes, Mill Reef, Middle Park, Dewhurst Stakes
  • ZEFFERINO – Royal Lodge Stakes, Dewhurst Stakes

Naturally there is far more to a racehorse than having a highly successful father, but most of Frankel’s progeny also have excellent mothers too. Many of the mares have also been champions. Interestingly very few of Frankel foals look anything like the great horse himself, but the question is will any of them rise to the same level on the racecourse? Perhaps none of them will be quite as successful as their father, but he was a unique horse.

 

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Rory Delargy – Professional Punter Points the Way to Profits

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Rory Delargy has had a lifetime interest in horse racing. He is a tipster for both Timeform Radio and for the popular Racing Consultants service and a renowned horse racing pundit. He is also a columnist for Irish Field. 

Here we have a look at Rory’s career, influences and some of his expert advice for us punters. 

Early Days – Catching the Horse Racing Bug

It was national Hunt racing that initially grabbed Rory when he watched Red Rum as a five year old win the Grand National in 1977. He spent some time at university, but his heart wasn’t really in it. In fact he says he spent more time at the Musselburgh Racecourse than he did attending lectures. His career was always going to be on the racecourse.

For eight years he worked for Ladbrokes, latterly being promoted to operations Manager, but it was with the well-known punter and racehorse owner Tony Bloom where he learned the finer points of betting.

Delargy is an avid commentator on the sport and a regular blog writer. In his latest blog he writes about the Naas Directors Plate Novice Chase in which of the 10 entries, 9 had the same owner and it was only possible to tell the runners apart from the colour of their cap helmets. This, he says, is what is becoming typical in the sport with rich owners buying up all the young talented horses and making it very difficult for smaller breeders and owners.

When it comes to betting on the horses Delargy is an expert. Below he shares some wise advice on where punters often go wrong with their choices and how to turn that losing streak into a profit.

Many of these ideas have come to fruition in the profitable Racing Consultants tipping service that Rory runs with colleague Dave Massey.

You can read our full review of Racing Consultants here. 

How to make a profit betting on the horses

Roy believes that the problem he and other punters have with the sport is an obsession with the idea that they can demonstrate their knowledge of the sport only be predicting winners and backing them, and that that is the way they achieve validation.

He also says that there is a tendency to have favourite horses and back them because of their previous success or that backing them had been fun. He refers to this as emotional betting, and points out that is no way for a professional punter to be. It is essential, he says, to separate betting from their love of the sport if they want to be successful. Although that is harder than it sounds, betting should be a combination of cool observation and making the best choices completely divorced from emotion.

He also points out that it’s important not to let previous results affect confidence in a horse and that you should avoid letting bad luck put you on tilt, to coin a poker expression. Pre-conceived notions of what to bet on the next race should also be avoided. There is a basic error in gravitating to the favourite and either convincing yourself that it is a good horse to back or wondering how to beat it. In reality the fact that any particular horse is favourite is completely irrelevant. There are many questions to ask about any horse, but whether or not it is the favourite is a low priority.

Asking the Right Questions

More important questions to ask are can the way in which the race is run be relied on; if there is a front runner what are the chances he will take the lead early on? What will be the effect on the draw regarding tactics? Will a hold-up horse be favoured by the race? Those questions should be answered before even considering the betting. The problem is that mostly there is insufficient time to find answers to all those questions and the temptation is to take the dangerous shortcut of analysing the pros and cons of backing the favourite.

He suggests that the easiest way to bet on horseracing is on the race outcome. Betting or laying a horse to win is a clear decision that even a novice punter can grasp. The horse either wins or it doesn’t. Many punters discover that when they bet regularly on the same group of horses patterns emerge. For instance you might find that the front runner you back falls away, or a horse that seems to cruise through races but in the end fails to deliver. Such horses look as if they have a good chance of winning, so you back them again only to fail again. You feel you are are throwing good money after bad and that you have lost winnings you had been counting on.

Turning Losses into Profits

So how do you turn these losses round into profit? Rory says there is a way. He advises that you should look at various aspects of the race such the size of the field, the anticipated pace, the class, the going and so forth. This way you can establish a number of propositions which will help you achieve a profit.

An early lesson is that the outcome of the race isn’t the determinant of whether you have won or lost. Often it’s possible to lock a profit in early just by carefully reading the market. This is what rich successful professional punters do all the time. It’s analogous to trading commodities in the markets. You just use the betting exchange markets in a similar way. With this kind of trading the basic trick is to buy low and sell high. That, he says, is the sure fire way of making money. 

Essential you need to back at high odds and lay back short, thus generating a locked in profit. This works in both the pre-race markets as well as in the in-play markets. In terms of pre-race, you need to consider whether the early price is incorrect with the potential for the market to correct itself. For instance, if you find a 14/1 price that you believe should be a favourite, then it pays to bet high with the assumption that other punters will be tempted to bet on that horse too and thus force the price down.

With in-running bets, the trick is to spot horses who will grab the attention of punters during the race. This could be by taking a clear lead and running strongly. The in-running price for these horses  will be significantly shorter than their pre-race price as the prices are determined by what the punters see in real time.

Naturally reacting to changing markets as they happen is challenging, and you are unlikely to be successful if you are up against other punters who have access to faster and better data. Even so, you can gain some advantage by analysing the running styles of the entries in advance. This way you can decide which horses are likely to trade short. You can even make a profit without watching the race.

Making Profits  – The Easier Way

Some interesting ideas then from Rory on how to make money from horse racing. Clearly you can see the dedication needed to make it as a professional, which certainly isn’t easy.

A much easier way to make consistent profits month after month with very low risk, is with our number one recommended betting system, which you can check out here.

 

 

 

Top Form Racing – Update

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It’s always a bad sign when a tipster service is discontinued before you have even get to the end of your trial. 

Sadly that has been the case with Top Form Racing, which has been forced to close its doors after a poor run of results.

So we will obviously have to call it a day on our trial as well and put this one into the failed / defunct category.

Oh well, they can’t all be winning systems. Just a reminder of how hard it actually is to make a consistent long term profit in this game. 

On to the next review then…

 

 

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Top Form Racing – Results Update

24th March 2017

It’s been a tough time for Top Form Racing, who have dropped 13 points at advised prices since our last update.

That means they are now 21 points down for the trial overall at advised prices. 

You can view full results here.

At Betfair SP things are slightly worse, with 13 points lost since our last update and 25 points lost overall.

This a rare thing – a Betting Gods tipster that is losing. Normally they all win! Oh well, hopefully things will turn around soon for Top Form Racing…

 

 

 

 

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Top Form Racing – Results Update

2nd March 2017

It’s been a little bit of a tough run for horse racing tipster Top Form Racing since our last update a couple of weeks ago.

They have lost 8 points in that time at advised prices, taking them to 9 points down for the trial overall.

You can view full results here.

At Betfair SP, things are pretty similar, with 10 points having been lost since our last update, putting them on -12 points for the trial to date.

Back soon with more updates…

 

 

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Top Form Racing – Results Update

15th February 2017

It’s been a quiet start to our trial of horse racing tipster Top Form Racing. 

After three weeks they are one point down to advised prices.

You can view full results here.

At Betfair SP, things are very similar with 2 points lost so far.

Let’s hope we have some forward movement to report at the time of our next update. 

 

 

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Top Form Racing – New Review

26th January 2017

Long term followers of Honest Betting Reviews will know that we are big fans of the tipster platform Betting Gods, which has produced some of the very best tipsters we have come across.

Not least Quentin Franks Racing, our number one rated horse racing tipster, who has made close to 1,000 points profit over the last couple of years.

Or the Flat Racing Master, who made an astonishing 500 points profit last year.

There have plenty of other very good tipsters that are too numerous to mention in detail, but you can check them out here.

So when we come across another Betting Gods tipster, we are always excited to see how it will develop.

The latest one we are going to take a look at is Top Form Racing, a relative new kid on the block but one that shows some considerable promise.

Since starting tipping just about a full year ago, they have made around 100 points profit, at a very decent strike rate of 34%.

The return on investment figures are good as well, averaging 17% for the year, which is most commendable.

The workload looks pretty manageable too, with just 1-2 bets per day on average.

Staking is very sensible, with bets either 1 point or 0.5 points per selection, so we are not talking about a crazy staking system to inflate results like you see with some other tipsters.

All in all looks like pretty decent tipping and certainly worth taking a look at.

We will run our normal three month trial which should be plenty of time to get a good look at the service. 

We will update results regularly here, so check back here any time to see how things are going.

In the meantime, you can see Top Form Racing for yourself here. 

 

bet slip

Taking a Look at Pick 6

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Pick 6 is a horse racing wager where you pick the six winners in 6 consecutive races. As you might imagine, the chances of pickling six winners are fairly remote, but if you are successful then you will be in for a big pay-out.

The tote equivalent of the Pick 6 is the Scoop6. Again you must pick 6 winners, but there is also a place fund, so if all your horses are placed, then you will still end up with a pay-out. What is particularly attractive about a Scoop6 is that you can win substantially even with a small stake as low as £2.

Strategies and winning potential

So how do you go about increasing your chances of picking six winners? Naturally there is no real answer to that. It is extremely difficult to do. But let’s look at the odds of achieving it.

The first thing to consider is the bookmakers over-round, in other words the bookmaker’s margin. Bookmakers try to create a book with an over-round that generates a reasonable margin. For instance, their book might be such that for every £120 bet, they will pay out £100 no matter what the result.

Effectively that means that the quoted bookmaker odds understate your chances of winning the bet. For instance, if the bookmaker believes there to be a 40% chance of a particular horse winning its race then they are likely to start the odds at around 3/1. The odds change as the wagers come in and the bookmakers balance their book in real time. Of course, bookmakers often get things wrong, and one of the most exciting things about betting on horses is beating the bookmaker. It’s not easy to do as they pay great attention to form and often have spotters observing the horses in training.

So, given this what are your real chances of picking six winners? For simplicity, let’s say you back six horses each priced at 3/1. Ignoring the tote for the moment, if you went for a six horse accumulator and you bet £1 and you successfully picked six winners, then your total winnings would be:

(3 + ((4×3) + 4) + ((16×3) +16) + ((64×3)+64) + ((256×3) + 256)) x 4

= £4,096

Not a bad return for a £1 bet.

But your chances of winning it are fairly small. Ignoring the overbook, your odds would be

0.33 x 0.33 x 0.33 x 0.33 x 0.33 x 0.33

= 0.00137

In other words a little less than a 1 in 730 chance

But once you add in an overbook of 20% so that you are looking at the true probabilities as calculated by the bookmaker, your odds would be

0.27 x 0.27 x 0.27 x 0.27 x 0.27 x 0.27

= 0.00039

In other words a 1 in 2,584 chance.

Life Changing Win

Although a 6 horse accumulator is a fun bet, and if you do win you can win life changing amounts of money.

Most people who bet Pick 6 bet on the tote rather than a six horse accumulator. As there is a place fund, you have substantially better chances. Even so, come the last race with five in the bag things are going to get a little tense, so you might be advised to hedge your bets by also picking 4 and 5 winners.

Your winnings on the tote depend on how many other people make that bet and how many are successful, but huge winnings are a possibility; they just don’t come around that often.

Looking Beyond Pick 6

Winning the Pick 6 would be a life-changing event for most, but the chances of it are extremely remote – akin to winning the lottery.

But if you want to have a sure-fire way to make consistent profits month after month with very low risk, check out our number one recommended betting system here. 

 

 

 

What Is Betfred Goals Galore?

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Betfred Goals Galore is a fixed odds football bet in which both selected teams must score. You choose matches in which you anticipate that both teams will score. It doesn’t matter what the score is, they simply both need to score at least one goal. You must bet on a minimum of three matches and your bet works as a fixed odds accumulator. The maximum number of games you can select is 15.

Betfred offers two levels of odds, the Long List and the Bonus Coupons List. The Bonus Coupons List offers significantly better odds.  The reason for this is the Bonus Coupon List is selected by the Betfred experts as the consider there is less chance of both teams scoring in these matches. 

The table below lists the current odds for Goals Galore:

 

No Games Selected Long List Bonus List
3 3/1 9/2
4 11/2 9/1
5 10/1 16/1
6 16/1 28/1
7 28/1 50/1
8 45/1 100/1
9 70/1 175/1
10 120/1 300/1
11 200/1 500/1
12 300/1 800/1
13 500/1 1500/1
14 800/1 2500/1
15 1350/1 5000/1

 

There is some fine print to consider. If any of selected your matches are abandoned, odds will be paid that are equivalent to the number of valid selections you have made. If you select just three matches and one of these is abandoned then your bet will be paid out at 6/4 Long List or 13/8 Bonus Coupon List. If two of your matches are abandoned odds will be 4/7 Long List or 4/6 Bonus Coupon List.

 

There are several variants of Goals Galore:

Goals Galore No Draw

In this variant you must select games in which both teams score and that don’t result in a draw. With this option you can choose between 2 and 15 teams. There is no Bonus Coupon List, but the odds are considerably more generous than the standard Goals Galore.

The table below lists the current odds for Goals Galore:

 

No Games Selected Long List
2 6/1
3 20/1
4 55/1
5 150/1
6 425/1
7 1100/1
8 3250/1
9 9000/1
10 20000/1
11 35000/1
12 65000/1
13 100000/1
14 150000/1
15 250000/1

 

Goals Galore First Half Second Half

Here you can bet separately for the first half or the second half. If you anticipate early goals, then should both teams in your selected matches score you will win. You can select between 2 and 8 matches. Similarly if you think the goals will come in the second half, you can bet that both teams will score after half time.  The odds for first half are significantly more generous than second half. These are shown below.

The table below lists the current odds for Goals Galore First Half Second Half

No Games Selected First Half Second Half
2 20/1 11/1
3 100/1 40/1
4 400/1 150/1
5 2000/1 525/1
6 8500/1 1800/1
7 40000/1 6500/1
8 175000/1 22500/1

 

Why Bet on Betfred Goals Galore?

The obvious reason why betting on Goals Galore is an attractive option is the high odds that are available. With odds of up to 250000/1 it isn’t surprising that this bet is becoming so popular. However there are other reasons too; the bet can keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the length of the match. Even if one of your selections is a scoreless draw with just ten minutes to go, there is still a possibility that both teams will score.

Why not make multiple selections with a small stake? The chances of winning might not be very high, but the chance of turning a £1 bet into £225,000 is certainly appealing, even if the chance is a small one. 

 

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golf ball

Get Your Masters Tips Here!

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The US Masters starts tomorrow from Augusta, Georgia and it is set to be a classic.

As ever, there are a whole host of storylines going into the first major of the season.

Can Spieth make up for his dramatic collapse last year – and how will he play the 12th hole with the memories from last year in his head?

Can McIlroy capture the final leg of his career grand slam, even though he has just put new clubs in his bag on the eve of the tournament?

Or will Dustin Johnson, the world number one, carry on his sublime form and make it four wins from four starts?

Your guess as to the answers to these questions is as good as ours, but if you want some advice from a real specialist with his eye on the game, we can heartily recommend you follow the tips of the Golf Betting Expert.

This golf betting professional has just racked up some incredible results, including just in the last three weeks:

  • Indian Open – SSP Chowrasia – WON at 100/1
  • Chitimatcha Louisiana Open – Aaron Wise – Placed at 35/1
  • Barclays Kenya Open – Aaron Rai – WON at 25/1
  • Shell Houston Open – Daniel Berger – Placed at 45/1
  • Shell Houston Open – Russell Henley – WON at 40/1

That’s three winners and two placed golfers in the last three weeks – quite incredible!

And that comes on the back of a phenomenal six months of tipping which has seen the Golf Betting Expert pocket well over 600 points of profit. In fact, betting just £10 per point since he started tipping early last year, you would have made £542 per month on average.

With the Masters starting on Thursday it’s a perfect time to start profiting from the best golf tipster we have ever come across.

You can sign up for 30 days of tips – including his exclusive tips for the US MASTERS – for the low price of just £1 here.

This week he’s got five tips for the Masters at prices up to 66/1, plus five more ante-post selections.

It is a great week to be involved with, as some bookies are offering up to 8 places in the each-way market and it is reduced field for the tournament.

Plus it is very much a “horses-for-courses” venue, with some players doing well year after year whilst others always seem to struggle at the course.

So if you don’t want to keep missing out on these fantastic winners from the Golf Betting Expert, make sure you sign up now – and get your tips for Augusta in the process.

You can get 30 days tips for just £1 here.  

race horses sprinting around corner

Matt Chapman – The “People’s Presenter”

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Matt Chapman is one of horse racing’s most recognisable characters – bombastic, opinionated, enthusiastic, controversial – he has been called all these things – and more – at one time of another.

One thing is not in doubt though – Chapman is hugely popular amongst the punters. Today we look at the “People’s Presenter” and what makes him tick. 

Matt achieved a long term ambition in September 2016 when he landed a job as presenter with ITV Racing after the transfer of horse racing coverage from Channel 4.  Previously known for his sometimes controversial style as racecourse reporter and studio presenter for At The Races (ATR), he has built up a big following amongst horse racing fans, sometimes for what he gets wrong as well as when he is right.

Early Days

Matt first became interested in horse racing when he was very young. He was attracted to the sport as he saw it as a challenge. He would weigh up the pros and cons of the various runners in a race and try to come up with the winner as if it was a puzzle to be solved. It gave him a great feeling when he got it right. The speed and the danger of horse racing was also a fascination and one that he still feels today.

His first job in sport came soon after leaving university, in fact the first day after he  left university he joined the International Racing Bureau (IBR). Based at Newmarket, the IBR promotes international horse races globally, providing services for trainers, breeders and owners. He joined the editorial department as the junior member.

It was there that he gained his deep knowledge of international racing. While at university he had worked part time at the Independent newspaper on the news desk where he worked with the well-known sports writer John Cobb. His other mentors were Greg Wood, now the racing correspondent for the Guardian plus Paul Hayward and Richard Edmondson of the Telegraph.

After leaving the IBR Matt worked for the next eight years on the news desk of the Racing Post. Keen to enter the presentation business, he managed to persuade George Irvine, who ran the Racing Channel, to give him a screen test. The rest is history.

 

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Awards and Accolades

While happy to have achieved what he has in his career in horse racing, Matt feels particularly proud of being able to describe Sir Henry Cecil as a friend as well as being voted the Horserace Writers and Photographers Association (HWPA) 2010 Broadcaster of the Year along with winning the 2010 Racing Post Broadcasters’ World Cup.

Matt hasn’t always found his career path to have been easy, though he knows he has many fans for which he feels proud and lucky. What he does lack is a feeling of job security. He works as a freelance reporter which means that he never knows when or where he is going to work. For many years two unfulfilled ambitions were to work on the Chanel 4 Racing Show and to commentate on horse racing; something he would have loved to have done. Now that he is working for the new ITV racing, he has essentially achieved the first of these as ITV is Chanel 4 Racing’s new home.

Taking a Contrary View – Even to himself

In fact, Matt sometimes feels that as a presenter he is fairly irrelevant as he says “People who are interested in the sport will watch whoever it is who is presenting”. Whether that is false modesty or genuine insecurity is difficult to assess, but he always likes to make his presence felt even if that means being controversial. On another occasion he expressed an opposing view, saying that the presenters are essential, after all, he says, people watch X-factor to hear what Simon Cowell has to say, not to watch the singers. Fundamentally Matt knows that he is a top line presenter, but he still worries about the future and what it might have in store for him.

 

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He has little respect for tipsters and racing pundits and is highly sceptical of their ability to really pick winners. He says that if they were really as good as they say they are at picking winners  then they wouldn’t be pundits. He also says the most enjoyable aspect of his work is actually being paid to watch the sport that he really loves. Of course Matt loves to predict winners, but that doesn’t always go to plan. Some famous mistakes where when he said Pour Moi couldn’t win the Derby, which it went on to do so in style, and that it was impossible for William’s Wishes to win as Ascot which it did on a sodden track. 

Tools of the Trade

Matt’s advice for any aspiring racing commentators is to have a clear voice, to be able the think quickly and to be able to express themselves well. You need to be able to continue a conversation with one person while another is screaming in your ear. You also need to have the knack of asking the right questions and to be able to make your guests feel at ease. He makes a point of watching every race that is run on every day of the week, and he has little time for racing presenters who don’t follow that discipline.

 

     —————–Check Out Our Number One Recommended Horse Racing Tipster Here—————–

 

On horse racing he believes that much should be done to improve the spectacle of the sport, in particular by bringing the characters of horse racing to the people. He thinks that racecourses should be improved substantially as often they are the worst place to watch horse racing. And, he says, the food served at racecourses is usually of poor quality and overpriced. The loos could be better too. He is an advocate of social media as it gives ordinary people the opportunity to communicate with jockeys and trainers, something that previously would have been impossible. The best place for news on racing, he says, is Twitter.

Looking to the Future

Now aged 35, Matt can clearly look forward to many years ahead of being involved in the sport that has underpinned most of his life. Charismatic, controversial and lots of fun, he is one of the more acclaimed horse racing presenters of his generation. There isn’t much about horse racing he doesn’t know.

 

 

 

 

Flat Racing Master – One Year Update

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UPDATE: Please note this tipster is no longer operating.

 

 

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Flat Racing Master – One Year Update

31st March 2017

Continuing our series of updating past reviews of tipsters and betting systems, today we are taking a look at the Flat Racing Master.

This is a horse racing tipster from the Betting Gods stable which does exactly what it says on the tin – bets on flat racing!

We originally did a review back in 2016, which ran from March until June.

During that review, the Master racked up a very impressive 50 points of profit at a return on investment of 10%.

We have now been proofing the tips for a full year, so an excellent time for an update.

 

Results Update

So how how has the Flat Racing Master done since our original review ended?

We are delighted to say that he has done extremely well!

Since our review finished, the Flat Racing Master has added a further 215 points profit.

That has meant the long term return on investment has moved up significantly to over 25%, which is an amazingly high level to achieve over an extended period of 15 months.

The strike rate is solid too at 26%, with the longest losing run at 20 bets.

Overall since starting up, the Flat Racing Master has made an average of £365 profit per month to £10 stakes. 

The only negative to report is a bit of a drawdown at the start of this year, when around 50 points were lost.

That would be tough to take for members who signed up at the turn of the year, but on a more positive note, he has staged something of a recovery, regaining 20 of those points so far.

 

OVERALL VERDICT:

In a year of proofing his tips, the Flat Racing Master has made a very impressive 265 points of profit.

That would mean £2,650 profit at just £10 stakes or £6,625 at £25 stakes.

These are very impressive figures, which when added to the 25% return on investment put the Flat Master up there with the best in the business. 

So we have no hesitation in maintaining our RECOMMENDED rating for the Flat Racing Master and upgrading the star rating from four to four and a half stars. 

And the really good news is you can get a 15 day trial of the Flat Racing Master for just £1.99 here.

 

 

 

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Flat Racing Master – Final Review

27th June 2016

We have come to the end of our three month trial of Flat Racing Master and here are the final results:

 

Profit/Loss:    +50 points
Strike Rate:   23%
Bank Growth:    50%
Cost:   £1.99 for first 15 days then £37 per month
ROI:   10%
Average number of tips:   2.5 per day
VERDICT:   PASSED
Rating:

 

You can view full results here.

 

Flat Racing Master – Full Review

 

Flat Racing Master is, as you have probably worked out, a horse racing tipster who specialises in flat racing.

Coming into our trial they had amassed over 300 points profit, a very decent total over the space of just four months.

Well for once we are pleased to say that the pre-trial promise has been fulfilled during the trial itself, with another 50 points of profit added at advised prices and 58 points profit at Betfair SP.

As you can see from the profit graph below, after a little bit of a slow start, things got going nicely and continued steadily upwards until the end of the trial. 

Flat Racing Profit Graph

Although it has only been around a short time (around 7 months), we are very impressed with the results of Flat Racing Master so far and happy to give it a recommended rating.

 

Service Breakdown

Ease of use: It is a straightforward service to use, with around 2-3 bets per day and selections normally sent the evening before racing.

Availability of prices: Prices are generally obtainable, although they do move in by the time of racing, so you certainly want to get your bets on in the evening if you can. However, it is good to see that the Betfair SP results actually beat the advised prices (albeit with one big price at BSP that slightly skewed the results).

Strike rate: The strike rate for the trial was 23%, which is fairly reasonable for a horse racing service and means there will be some losing runs, but hopefully nothing too extreme. 

Advised Betting Bank: No betting bank was advised, but we used a 100 point bank for the trial given the long term strike rate of 27%. 

Subscription costs: The subscription costs for a service of this quality are very reasonable at £1.99 for the first 15 days then £37 per month. 

 

OVERALL VERDICT: PASSED

We have come to expect high standards from Betting Gods tipsters and the Flat Racing Master has certainly not disappointed. 

A solid 50 points profit for the trial comes on top of over 300 points profit prior to the trial, which is impressive stuff in just over seven months of tipping.

It is refreshing to see that the Betfair SP results actually beat the advised price results, although it should be borne in mind that there was one big priced Betfair SP at over 40 that slightly pushed up results.

However, there is lots to like about the Flat Racing Master and we are happy to give this a recommend rating. 

We will continue to monitor things and hopefully the results will carry on in the same fashion over the long term.

You can get a 15 day trial of the Flat Racing Master for just £1.99 by clicking here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Flat Racing Master – Results Update

24th May 2016

The Flat Racing Master has made some positive progress since our last update, notching a nice 27 points profit over the last three weeks.

That means they are now 15 points in profit for the trial overall at advised prices and 2 points in profit at Betfair SP.

You can view full results here.

With the flat season getting going now and the form starting to be established, hopefully things can really take off for the Master and we will see a return to the form shown prior to our trial, when they amassed over 800 points profit.

Back soon with more updates.

 

 

 

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Flat Racing Master – Results Update

29th April 2016

It has been a case of treading water for the Flat Racing Master since our last update a couple of weeks ago.

They are still 12 points down at advised prices, so no difference there, with a small improvement at Betfair SP of 4 points to stand at 13 points down.

You can view full results here.

To be fair, this time of year is notoriously difficult for horse racing betting as the season switches from the jumps to the flat, so once things settle down we should see an improvement from them hopefully.

Back soon with more update.

 

 

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Flat Racing Master – Results Update

11th April 2016

It has been a little bit of a slow start to our trial of the Flat Racing Master, who is 12 points down so far to advised prices and 17 points down at Betfair SP.

You can view full results here.

It is still very early days though as we are only about three weeks into the trial, so far too early to make any judgments.

Hopefully things will pick up and we will start achieving the £800 profit per month that was being achieved prior to our trial.

 

 

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Flat Racing Master – New Review

23rd March 2016

We have had a number of good results with Betting Gods tipsters to date.

Most notably with Master Racing Tipster, Value Racing Tips and Tom Nelson Racing, services that performed well during our reviews and have continued to rack up the profits after our reviews ended.

So we are pleased to be starting a new trial of what looks like another very promising Betting Gods tipster.

This one is called Flat Racing Master and so far has amassed an amazing £839 profit per month to just £10 stakes.

The strike rate is high at 31% which is reassuring and should mean we are not just talking about a tipster who has a couple of big priced winners to inflate the results.

The return on investment is also an astonishing 50% – although we would be surprised if that is maintained in the long run as it is very difficult to maintain such a high level.

With the flat season very shortly about to get under way, it seems like perfect timing to begin a trial of a flat specialist.

We will run our normal three month trial and see how the Flat Racing Master gets on.

Back soon with our first update.

In the meantime you can check out Flat Racing Master here.