Place your bets, please

Not too sure how to place a bet? We’ve asked some of our TAB friends to give you a quick ‘‘Betting 101’’ lesson, so on race day you can place a bet – and actually know what you’re doing.

So, here it is – everything you need to know about betting.

Tote v Final Field

Tote is short for Totaliser. When you place a bet on the Tote, all the money goes into a pool, with winnings paid from that. You’re essentially betting against everyone else. This means if you’ve backed an outsider and it wins, you’ll receive a big payout, but if you’ve back a favourite along with everyone else, your dividend will be less. It also means you don’t know exactly how much you’re going to win when you place your bet. You’ll only get an estimate according to the pool size at that time.

Taking a Final Field Fixed Odds bet means that you are betting on guaranteed odds set by the bookmaker. The only change to Fixed Odds bets may be deductions because of the scratching of a horse from the field after the bet has been placed.

Exotics and multiple-leg bet types such as Trifectas and Quaddies are generally Tote bets, while Win, Place and Each Way are also offered as Final Field (Fixed Odds) bets.

Win, Place and Each Way

A Win bet means you’ll receive money if your horse wins the race. A Win bet is also referred to as ‘‘betting on the nose’’. A Place bet generally means you’ll win money back if your horse comes in first, second or third. An Each Way, otherwise known as ‘‘hedging your bet’’, is a combination of a Win and a Place bet. If your horse wins, you collect both the win and the place. You also win money if your horse comes in second or third. Brilliant. (And easy, too.) Asking for a $5 Each Way will mean you pay $10, having put $5 on Win and $5 on the Place.

The Quinella

A Quinella is where you pick two horses to come in first or second, in any order. You can place a Quinella for $1 – but if you pay more, you can double or triple the amount you receive.

The Trifecta

According to the TAB, a Trifecta isn’t something to be scared of, in fact it can be quite profitable - if you know what you’re doing (and have a little luck on your side). A Trifecta bet is where you pick three horses in the exact order they come in. If you manage to do this, you’re well in the money.

The Boxed Trifecta

A Boxed Trifecta is when you pick three horses and if they fill the top three placings in any order, you win. If you pay a bit extra, you can pick more horses, which increases your chance of winning. Go forth with confidence and place a Trifecta or Quinella like you’ve been betting for years.

What to say when you go to place a bet

Now you have got the bet types sorted, it’s time to place your bet with the TAB operator. Here’s what you say: The meeting and race number - Tell the operator what meeting you are betting on: ‘‘Trentham Race 8’’ or ‘‘Meeting 4, Race 8’’

Amount - Tell the operator how much money you want to bet: $5

Bet type - Next is the type of bet you want to place: ‘‘To Win’’ or ‘‘Each Way’’, for example.

The horse – It’s easiest for the TAB operator is if you tell him or her the number of the horse. If you don’t know the number, you can tell them the name of the horse.

So, putting it all together, it should sound something like this: ‘‘Hi there, I would like to put a bet on Trentham Race 8. $5 each way on horse No 3.’’

How to pick a winner

It’s not an exact science, but there are a few ways to pick a winner before a race.

Form Line: When looking at a form line (the last five results of a horse), they read oldest to latest, so the most recent race is on the right, or closest to the horse’s name in the guide. The form line is a quick and easy way to see the horses’ most recent results. Get up close at the birdcage: Checking out the horses in the birdcage is another good way to research your bet. Take a look at the form guide, find some horses you like, and then get down to the birdcage roughly 15 minutes before the race to see how it looks. If it’s jumpy and sweaty, it may be nervous and harder to predict in the race. If it looks calm and composed, then it could well be ready for a big performance.