How To Take a Bet with The Tote from Hollywoodbets on Vimeo.
ON YOUR MARKS!
“Heard these three words before? Was it at the start of the 100-meter swim at a club gala or a speed-spelling contest at school?” The anticipation of success can be compared to the excitement of taking a bet – big or small – on a horserace. It’s entertaining, it’s easy and everybody can enjoy taking at bet – but only if you’re 18 years and older.
GET SET!
There are many ways to choose a horse that you fancy. You can study form (the horse’s racing history) in the racecard, follow a newspaper tipsters selections, seek advice from a friend who “knows”, choose a name you like or take your lucky number. Oh, and while we’re talking about numbers, please remember that all bets taken on the tote are taken on the horse’s racecard number and not their name – although the name may be very pretty it’s not the name were after, it’s the number!
BET!
WINS AND PLACES
Next you need to decide whether you want to take a WIN or a PLACE bet. If you bet on a horse for a Win, the horse must win to qualify for a payout. If you’re not that confident of your selection you can take a Place bet if there are 6 or more runners. Here you will receive a payout if your horse finishes 1st or 2nd if there are 6 or 7 runners, or 1st, 2nd or 3rd if there are 8 to 15 runners. If there are 16 or more runners there will also be a payout for 4th place.
A SWINGING BET
“What was that you said? You like two horses in the same race!” Well then the SWINGER is for you. Here you call both horses to the tote operator and you win if your horses finish 1st and 2nd, 1st and 3rd or 2nd and 3rd.
The Swinger is the only bet with a R2,00 minimum bet. All other bets are a minimum of R6,00.
EXACTLY!
Slightly more difficult than the Swinger is the EXACTA where you must select the first two horses past the post in the exact order
MINIMUM BET
So now you know what horse you like, and you know the four basic bet types. One more thing. The unit of betting for all bet types is R1 and there is a minimum bet amount of R6 per bet – which does mean that if you win, you win the payout SIX times. The only exception to the R6 minimum bet is the Swinger. For the Swinger the minimum bet is R2.
GOING PLACES?
Many bets involve combinations of placed horses in some way or another. Let’s now take a look at some of these bets.
Play the PLACE ACCUMULATOR
The PLACE ACCUMULATOR bet is a great bet involving selecting horses to run 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the seven consecutive Place Accumulator races. To make your life easier, a permutation bet can be taken to improve your chance of winning i.e. more than one horse in each race. To calculate the cost of your “perm” just multiply the number of horses that you have selected in each race by each other.
Still think it sounds difficult?? Well, to make it even easier or more cost effective, you can take a fractional bet which means that you pay a fraction of the cost of the bet – to suit your pocket – and if you win you are paid out the same fraction of the full dividend. Simply put, spend 50% of the full bet cost and get paid out 50% of the full unit dividend if you’re a winner. Fractional bets are subject to the R6 minimum bet.
Take a bite of a BIPOT
The BIPOT bet is similar to a Place Accumulator but is contested over six races and requires your selection to finish first or second in each of these six races.
Try a TRIFECTA or a quick QUARTET
Much quicker to win because they are available on every race, the TRIFECTA and QUARTET bets offer an exciting alternative. The Trifecta is as easy as 1-2-3 and involves selecting the first 3 horses past the post in the correct order. The Quartet involves the first four horses past the post, is more difficult to win than the Trifecta but pays higher dividends. Most Trifectas and Quartets are taken using permutations. To determine the cost of your “perm” an “easi-calc” schedule is available in the Racecard. Fractional bets can also be taken.
MIX IT UP WITH A 3MIX
3Mix – A new and exciting bet for betting beginners!! It’s easy and it’s fun.
It combines a few simple bet types onto a single ticket. The ticket will be a combination of wins and places, a boxed swinger and a boxed trifecta. Pick three horses in a race and pay R30, it’s as simple as that.
If you’re unsure what horses to pick just ask for a “3Mix Mystery” and let the computer select the horses for you!
WINNING WAYS WITH WINS
Earlier we said that if you fancy a horse very strongly then back it for a Win. Now to make your betting ventures more thrilling and to win in other ways, here are a number of multiple race bets focusing on winning horses.
Dabble in a DOUBLE
On Gold Circle’s tabGOLD tote there is a DOUBLE on every two consecutive races. Your task is to find a horse that wins each race or leg of the Double. To make the bet easier, you can choose more than one horse in each leg. Each combination will cost you R1 with a minimum bet requirement of R6.
Perhaps a PICK 3
The PICK 3 is available on any group of three consecutive races. Harder to win than a Double but easier than a Jackpot. The Pick 3 can also be taken as a permutation and because there are only three legs the cost of the bet is easier to manage.
Advance to an ALL TO COME BET
The flexibility of combining both Win and Place bets with a chance to win BIG. Simply select a single runner to either win or place in a minimum of two and a maximum of six races (at the same racemeeting). Each dividend is automatically reinvested into the next leg.
Jump at a JACKPOT
The JACKPOT is an exciting bet where you are required to choose the winner of the four consecutive Jackpot races. This is obviously harder to win than the Double, but the rewards are much higher. To make this bet easier to win you can take a permutation, where you select a number of horses in each race or leg. Each line of four horses would cost you R1 and again the minimum bet is R6.
Plan a PICK SIX
The exhilarating PICK SIX is similar to the Jackpot, but you need to find the winners of the six races or legs of the Pick Six in order to win BIG. The cost per line of six horses in a perm is again R1 with the same minimum bet requirement.
To calculate the cost of a permutation for the Jackpot, Pick Six or the Place Accumulator, just multiply the number of horses in each leg by each other i.e.
Number of horses in each leg:
2 x 2 x 1 x 3 x 2 x 3 = 72
72 combinations or lines @ R1 per line = R72. NOTE: You would calculate a Jackpot “perm” similarly on only the four Jackpot legs and the Place Accumulator using 7 legs.
These bets are “fractional friendly” which means that you pay a fraction of the cost of the bet – to suit your pocket (say 50%) – and if you win you are paid out the same fraction of the full dividend (i.e. 50%). Fractional bets are subject to the R6 minimum bet.
FIRST TIME RUNNERS
In the event of a first time winner in the Pick Six, the first horse to finish that has raced before will also qualify.
SCRATCHINGS
This term is used for a horse that is withdrawn from a race and the following rules apply:-
Win, Place, Exacta, Swinger, Trifecta and Quartet – Full refund on scratched horse.
Double – First leg scratching or second leg scratching prior to the running of the first leg – full refund on scratched horse. Second leg scratching after running of first leg – replaced with Totalisator favourite.
Place Accumulator, Pick 6, Pick 3, Bipot and Jackpot – Scratched horse is automatically replaced with the Totalisator favourite.
All to Come – If a selected race is abandoned or a selected runner/s scratched, then the All to Come Bet continues as if that leg had not been selected. Any investment shall be carried forward to the next leg if any remain.
Taking a bet, no matter what size, is incredibly exciting. If you have studied form to make your winning selection, then you’ve proved that your win was based on intelligence. If your winning selection was based on a dream or a name that you liked, then you’ve proved that luck does play an important part. No matter how you win it’s fun making the selection and it’s incredibly exciting shouting your horse home. Give it a try!!
DISCLAIMER
No persons under the age of 18 are permitted to gamble. Gold circle is a licensed betting operator. Play with your head and not with your heart. National Responsible Gambling Programme: Toll-Free Counselling Line 0800 006 008.
Whilst every effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of final field information contained on this website please refer to the official racecard to confirm information before placing your bets.
TABGOLD IS A LICENSED BETTING OPERATOR. NO PERSONS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 YEARS ARE PERMITTED TO GAMBLE. WINNERS KNOW WHEN TO STOP. NATIONAL RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING PROGRAMME, TOLL-FREE COUNSELLING LINE 0800 006 008.