Laying of a favourite

Laying the favourite is an excellent strategy for several reasons. First, however, let’s start with what this method is all about.

Most of you have probably already guessed, but let’s clear up any doubts.

The strategy involves placing a LAY bet on a horse that is a theoretical favourite, i.e. which has the lowest odds of winning.

Let us move on to another issue that may puzzle you.

Laying any favourite can certainly not be profitable in the long run. So how do you find the right horse?

Well, that is the most crucial point of this strategy.

What should we look at?

Do you like this strategy and would like to dig deeper? Perfect! Here are tho articles that we’ve made for you:

• How does laying the 3rd favourite system work?
• How does laying the 2rd favourite system work?

Laying the field

Lay the field strategy is based on placing at least two lay bets at odds no greater than 2.0.

You will make a profit if both bets are matched – that’s it – two matched lay bets in one race on two horses.

Do you already see the problem with this strategy?

If not, let us help you! It would be challenging for two lay bets at odds of 2.0 or lower to be matched pre-race.

By the way, in this article you can learn everything about pre-race trading

Therefore this strategy requires in-play trading. But before we do that, make sure the ‘keep’ option is ticked when placing your bets – this ensures that your bet does not disappear when the race goes live.

If only one bet is matched – you will lose your stake if the particular horse wins.

If two bets are matched – you will break even.

If three bets are matched – you will double your profit.

Read also: What to do if your bet is unmatched?

How do you look for suitable races? 

This strategy will work best for front-runners. These are horses that perform well at the start of a race, and consequently, the odds fall on them in play.

In an ideal world, they would ideally not be the favourites for the race.

If the odds fall on them during the race, there is an even greater chance that your next bet will go through.

If, for example, we managed to place a lay bet at 2.0 pre-race odds on one horse that was the favourite and at the same time two other bets were matched during the race because of the front-runners, we would be able to make a profit.

Dobbing

The Dobbing strategy may seem to you to be similar to the second method described in this article, except that it is a little easier to execute.

While in laying the field, our task is to achieve at least three matched bets to make a profit – in dobbing, we only need two to make a profit.

Dobbing is a laying horses strategy that also works great for front-runners.

Our task is to place a back bet, no matter the odds, and then place a lay bet during the race.

The odds of the back bet are not that important because our lay bet must be placed at odds at least half as high as the back bet.

Example:

1. You place a £10 back bet on one horse at odds @7.6
2. The horse is in the lead after a good start, and the odds for it to win drop to @3.8
3. At this point, you place a Lay bet on the same horse for £20 at odds of @3.8
4. You will make a £10 guaranteed profit regardless of who wins the race

Laying the 3rd Favourite

Laying the 3rd favourite is made more difficult because the main rule of this system is that you have to bet on races with EXACTLY EIGHT greyhounds.

This rule automatically excludes races in Great Britain and Ireland because only six greyhounds compete in races in these countries.

For this reason, we are only interested in Australian races.

However, this is just one of the rules – what are the others, and how to take on this strategy?

First of all, as we have already mentioned, choose a race with exactly eight greyhounds.

Then, scope out the market and check the odds of each greyhound winning. Another thing is to carefully analyse the behaviour of the odds for a few minutes just before the start.

This is when the most significant amounts of cash are matched. The ideal situation would be to place a LAY bet on the greyhound, the third contender, to win the race.

The odds for a LAY bet must be between 6.0 and 8.5. 

To maximise your winnings, it is good to get to know your greyhounds beforehand, i.e. check their predispositions or form and their recent results.

This will determine whether it is worth placing a lay bet on this greyhound.

Let us summarise the lay betting process in this strategy:

1. Find the race with eight greyhounds
2. Do some research on the greyhounds featured in the race
3. Check and analyse the behaviour of the odds for a few minutes
4. Choose a greyhound who is the third contender to win
5. Place a lay bet at odds of no less than @6.0 and no more than @8.5

Arbitrage

Arbitrage strategy, also known as matched betting, is all about hedging your bets.

If you see it the first time we recommend you to read our matched betting tutorial for beginners and get to know everything you need for further reading. Tell us if it was helpful!

It will make you a profit regardless of the outcome. So what exactly does it consist of?

For this strategy, you require an account at an exchange, such as Betfair, and accounts with bookmakers who offer to bet on greyhound racing.

The greyhound’s arbitrage strategy earns the difference of odds between the bookmaker and the exchange.

However, the differences will not be significant, so do not expect huge earnings, especially if you have a small budget.

The best opportunity to place opposing bets is placing them just before the start of the race when the odds can go crazy.

Bookmakers always react with a delay compared to the betting exchanges, increasing your chances of making a profit.

Since you won’t place a lay bet with a bookmaker, you will aim to play a given greyhound with a bookmaker at the highest possible odds and at the same time play a lay bet on a given greyhound at the lowest possible odds.

The more significant the difference and the bigger the bankroll – the larger the potential profit.

Keep in mind that playing arbitrage bets, in the long run, can lead to your account with the bookmaker being gubbed.

Check what it means and how to avoid it on our page in the “Academy” section.

Lay the Draw

It would be impossible to write about laying strategies and not mention one of the most popular – Laying The Draw.

The fantastic thing about this method is that we can exit the market whenever we want.

So let’s get down to business – what is this method, when do you use it, and when do you exit the market?

Lay The Draw, as the name suggests, involves placing a Lay bet on a Draw, meaning that a Draw in the match will not take place.

The moment we place this bet depends entirely on us. We can place it before the game, at halftime, or even in the 75th minute of the match.

However, choosing when to place your bet can significantly impact your profit, as some football teams tend to score more goals within specific time frames.

So it is worth considering this and checking the statistics and recent games of the chosen teams.

For example, let’s say you have placed a pre-match Lay The Draw bet at odds of 4.5 and the clear favourite scores the first goal, so the odds for a draw go up, and you may or may not come out of the market with a profit.

Sounds great, right? But what if it’s the underdog who scores the first goal?

If the underdog scores the first goal, the time they do so is essential. If this happens after 65′ minutes, we will make a profit.

It is worse if it occurs, for example, at the beginning of the match. You might consider the current in-play statistics to determine whether the favourites are still likely to win.

If you wait for the favourites to equalise before scoring another goal, you risk losing your whole bet.

And the final puzzle of this strategy is when to exit the market to make the maximum possible profit?

Of course, you can do it right after scoring a goal, but do you have to? It is essential to follow the match in terms of statistics and on the live broadcast.

This will give you a more detailed view of the events in the game, and you will be able to see more or less whether the opponents are likely to score or whether a second goal is about to be scored in your favour.

However, remember that, for example, if you bet £100 on a lay bet and you are 90% positive in 88′, it is not worth risking the whole amount – it would be better to come out with a profit than to experience a situation in which in the last minutes the underdog scores a goal for a draw and you lose everything.

Laying goal markets

This is a strategy I love and use every day. Laying goals market involves placing lay bets at the end of halves, at halftime, or at the end of the match.

All we have to do is find a game where we expect goals. What can help you do this, and at what odds can you place lay bets?

The first thing to do is find a match where both teams tend to score. How to do this? Check recent matches, h2h, pre-match odds behaviour, table position, and WATCH THE MATCH ON STREAM.

I placed lay bets at very low odds just because I saw on the live broadcast action after action, which was extremely close to ending in a goal despite off-target shots that the bookmaker was showing.

Two crossbars and a post, yes, these things in 36′ decided me to place a lay bet at low odds and therefore with a low liability.

Ba, I was even tempted by the even lower lay odds of 1.07 in a 2.5ht market.

The result? I went from £14 to £200 in less than 10 minutes.

I can’t reveal nearly everything about this strategy, but take into account the behaviour of the odds in the over/under markets pre-match and pay attention to the stats and flow of the match on the stream – this will make it easier for you.

A significant advantage of this strategy is that placing a lay bet at very low odds (1.03-1.1) makes your liability extremely low – therefore, your loss in case of a failure is minimal.

Following a live match, I can often lay 1.5ht or 2.5ht in 35′ when the score is 0-0 or 1-0/0-1.

Then the lay odds are usually at about 1.05. If a goal is scored, I don’t completely exit the market.

Instead, I trade to have my initial stake back and leave a free bet.

Would you like to get all football laying strategies? Click on this link!