What Does a Novice Punter Need to Know Before Hitting the Greyhound Tracks?

A night at the dogs can be a fun and exciting experience, with plenty of action plus the odd beverage or two, and it is always nice to come away with a few pounds in your pocket.

The concept of greyhounds running around a track is simple enough but it is important to know what to look out for when placing a bet.

It is recommended to check out a few greyhound racing tips like the ones at My Racing prior to the meeting to get a sense of which animal you might side with, but keep an eye on the dogs as they are paraded in the run-up to the race.

Those that appear excitable and high-spirited often perform better than the ones who trudge to the boxes seemingly without a care in the world about what is going to happen.

As with horse racing, it is essential to check out the form of greyhounds before they run to see any possible trends.

Hounds that have won recently are more likely to triumph although winning dogs are usually placed in a higher graded contest next time out and so will face more quality.

However, that is no barrier to success and it is not uncommon to see greyhounds win back-to-back races even at a higher standard.

Your programme for the night will give you all the information on which traps each particular dog has run from in the past and that can be an important factor.

Dogs who favour the inside may not perform as well from a wider berth and vice versa, while the state of a track can also play a part in which trap to favour.

If there has been rain then it may be prudent to back dogs in the inside boxes while those who are heavier should cope with the sand better than their lighter counterparts.

The prices available from bookies will be nothing like those seen at horse race meetings as there are only six participants, and it can be profitable to watch the market before parting with your hard-earned cash.

If a dog’s odds shorten just prior to the start of a race then it is likely that someone has some knowledge of how an animal is likely to perform and it may be worth a punt.

The returns will not be great, however, and betting on the first two home (forecast) or the first three (tricast) in the right order might be the way to go.

The combined odds will give you a much better pay out, although it is tough enough to predict a winner, let alone the first three home!

One final piece of advice for the novice dog enthusiast is to remember that the greyhounds are animals and anything can happen in a race.

It is quite common to see the favourite bumped at the first bend and go tumbling out of the race and it is all part and parcel of the sport.

Just tear up your betting slip and move onto the next contest – they are usually about every 20 minutes – just enough time for refreshments before getting stuck into the next race.