I did briefly touch on spread betting on horses in a previous article, so as promised, I am going to elaborate on it in this article.


I have noticed that spread betting is becoming a more popular way for punters to bet on horse racing, as if it's done correctly it can enable you to really rack up large amounts of cash in a relatively short amount of time.


http://online-poker-a.com/you-could-be-the-next-winner-of-the-lottery-win-for-life-lotto-game/ As with all gambling however, the risks are still there. If you're new to horse racing or a bit of a novice punter, you should be aware that spread betting on horse racing is a little complex, and due to the nature of how it is structured, although you can win big it can also cause you to lose a drastic amount of money if you are not careful.


This makes it absolutely essential that you must be sure that you clearly understand the methods of spread betting on horse racing.


Spread Betting On Horses Is Growing In Popularity


Spread betting is a concept that is traditionally more popular with sports that have the potential for big winning margins, so American football, rugby, cricket and darts immediately spring to mind.


Its also used by people who want to bet on the financial markets and so they bet on whether a stock will rise, fall and by how much.


I'm not actually convinced by spread betting on horses myslef, as I find that the risk is just too high, yet many people successfully achieve great results with it. Spread betting on horses is a fun and interesting way to take calculated risk. However, everyone must be aware of the fact that there are high risks, which discourages many from trying it.


How Do You Go About Spread Betting On Horses?


The first type of spread betting on horse racing is based on what is known as the favourite's index. Each favourite gets a set amount of points. A hot favourite (for example at a price of 6/5) would likely get the maximum amount of points (which is 25), whereas a 9/1 favourite in the Grand National would only attract say eight points for the index.


The bookies are protecting themselves by reducing the number of points.


The spread is calculated by dividing the points. Essentially, punters will buy the horse they believe will win or sell the horse they don't think will.


You can also bet on jockeys, which is a new twist to traditional betting. The way jockey betting works is pretty much the exact same way as the favourite's index, with the only difference being that you are betting against a quote of how great a race (or more than one) a jockey will have.


Predicting Winning Distances Will Pocket Cash Too


The winning distance index works in the same manner, but there is a slight variation. Points are awarded based on how much you believe a horse will win. These can be broken down into a short head, head and neck, half a long length, 3/4 length and multiple lengths (two to ten, five to ten, etc).


http://schmidtmuseum.com/pick-3-lottery-success-stories/ The spread and points allocation for distance betting will often be affected by the racecourse's going. This is where the bookies really make their money. Poor judgment of how the conditions are going to affect a race could cost the bookies thousands, so they have to get it right.


Spread betting on horses is too laborious, in my opinion. That is not to say that I am lazy, quite the contrary, but there are multiple factors and several key things that have to be considered properly even before you consider looking at what to back.


I do prefer a more simplistic approach and perhaps this is why I have done well, as I have kept it simple.


I'm also a firm believed in effective money management, and unlike traditional betting, or even betting on the Tote, you do not know how much you stand to lose with spread betting, until the race is over and then its possibly too late. That to me is a major drawback.


Although there are some punters who excel at this type of betting, you can call me old-fashioned. I prefer the traditional approach and I recommend it to all beginners.