Pets

Winning pools in dog races

The trifectas usually pay more than the pools at the greyhound track. So why would I want to bet pools, you ask? Why would anyone want to play them when they could win so much more with a trifecta bet?

Well, for that matter, superfectas, pick-sixes, and other exotic bets pay more than trifectas, so why isn’t everyone playing them instead of trifectas? He probably already knows the reason why, although he may not have fully thought about the whole thing yet.

You can play a three dog pool box for $6 and if you guess right you take it all. A trifecta box of three dogs will cost you the same, $6, but if you guess right, you only get half. Your chances of hitting a pool with three dogs are much better than your chances of hitting a trifecta with three dogs.

A pool, as you probably know, is the dog that finishes first with the dog that finishes second. Unlike exact, where you have to pick the dogs in the exact order of completion, with a pool, you can have the dogs in any order. As long as you have the first two dogs to cross the finish line, you win.

How much does the average pool pay? Well, that depends on the track elimination, the odds of the two dogs, and the order they finish. But at most tracks, the average pool pays between $12 and $24. From time to time, there are much larger and much smaller pools, but that’s the average payout.

Obviously, to win money from pools, you have to hit enough to pay off your $6 cashier bet with enough winnings to cover the races you bet on but miss the pool. This is not as difficult as you think it is.

If you’re good enough at the greyhound handicap, you should be able to pick a pool often enough to be ahead of the game at your favorite track. The trick with betting pools is to pick them often enough that your winnings cover your losses. It’s as simple as that.

If you want to get better at handicapping greyhounds, read as much as you can about it, watch races and replays, and practice handicapping by making “paper bets.” Greyhound shows are free on the web at Trackinfo and you can find my books at Amazon and CreateSpace.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *