There are a few more popular sports available to gamblers in North America than football and horse racing. Each of the major calendars revolves around two of the biggest dates in the sporting schedule, with both the Kentucky Derby and Super Bowl attracting those to the sport who wouldn’t typically tune in.
This normally ensures that mainstream audiences are likely, leading to a growth in bettors looking to find the latest odds at TwinSpires.com.
Gambling on both sports is hugely popular throughout the year, and many keen bettors will typically look to adopt a strategy that could positively impact their chances of winning returns.
But, what strategies can be utilized across both sports, and are there tweaks that could be made for either tactic that could give a follower of a different sport an advantage?
80/20 Betting
A prominent betting strategy when making bets on horse racing is 80/20. Here, a bettor will place 80% of their stake on a runner to finish in the first three, before putting the remainder of their stake on the same horse to win.
This covers off a potential defeat in the win market by providing insurance should the selection finish second or third. In American Football, this strategy can also be applied, with a gambler able to spread their bet across the spread and moneyline markets. In this instance, 80% of their stake will go on the spread, while the smaller stake will be placed on the moneyline.
When using this strategy on NFL games, it could maximize returns when wagering on the underdog, as the 80% will cover the points deficit, while the unlikely win for the outside selection will maintain that healthy returns can still be achieved.
Value Betting
For some horse racing players, overlooking the favorite is a preferred strategy. This is statistically a logical angle, as only 30% of market leaders win races. However, it is always worth considering the price of the favorite, as odds-on shots have a much better strike-rate, winning 86% of the time.
Therefore, taking on favorites can often lead to bettors finding value in the market, leading to potentially healthier returns. This logic can also be applied when betting on American Football, as bettors can analyze the weakness of the moneyline favorite and highlight any potential downsides to their games in a tactical match against their opponents.
A key factor that should also be considered is the latest team news, as favorites that will be without their main player could be weaker, meaning that a chance could be taken on the outside selection.
‘Key’ Selections
Experienced horseplayers will typically ‘Key’ the main selections in parlays and accumulators. This will mean that the selected horse must win in order to gain returns on their selections.
Other horses can then be included in the bet but will be overlooked in favor of different horses in other like-minded wagers. This is a high-risk type of betting, as a defeat for the ‘keyed’ horse will mean that all bets will be lost. However, it gives a bettor the opportunity to creatively join multiple horses across different parlays. This strategy can be easily adapted to NFL games, with parlays being one of the most popular betting options.
For example, a bettor could key the New England Patriots across two parlays, before adding three different teams into two separate bets. The key will act as an anchor across each of the parlays, ensuring that it provides the opportunity to gain returns on two different bets if the keyed selection is a successful one.
Dutching
Dutching is one of the most popular types of horse racing strategies, as it covers off multiple different results. For example, in the Kentucky Derby, a bettor could split their stake across two or more different runners. Putting three horses on a win bet will increase a gambler’s chances of a winner, with the win market likely to produce the healthiest returns.
Splitting the stake is the big question for a bettor. But, it’s likely that a gambler will typically put 60% of their stake on their main selection, before splitting the remainder across two outsiders that they like.
Dutching can also be done when betting on American Football, and is most common when betting on the outright winner of the Super Bowl. Following this strategy will give a bettor the opportunity to cover two or more potential selections to win the Championship Game. Making the bet at the start of the season will ensure that a bettor gets the best possible odds, while also ensuring that a win on either selection will cover the stake of the bet.
Dutching can also be done mid-way through the season after having previously made a win bet, giving a bettor the opportunity to cover off a potential danger to their original selection.
