The racing programme

Anyone can bet money at a track, but to make a consistent profit requires a bit more than good fortune. A person who studies the form of the greyhounds and picks dogs to back according to a systematic analysis of the available data is known as the handicapper. This study is designed to make the greyhound fan aware of what sets aside the handicapper from the ordinary gambler and hopefully should enable any average punter to elevate them self to this lofty status.

To stand a realistic chance of being a winner at the dogs, it is essential that the program is purchased early, ideally the night before the day’s races. The program includes vital information such as kennel standings and track records and a thorough analysis of the dogs’ form and the circumstances in which the results were achieved – information that is required for you to effectively calculate which dogs represent a good bet. Of course, you could just aim to be lucky – even the best systems fail and plenty of people come away from the track as winners even though they have used nothing more than random choice as their approach to betting.

However, buying the racing programme in advance allows you time to study the form and do an adequate job of handicapping the dogs for the following day’s races. Unless betting for fun rather than winning is your intended goal, it really is wise not to spend your hard-earned money without just a few minutes of calculations.

It is worth noting that the professional handicapper will only bet on several races in a given session, whereas non-professionals will probably bet on all races at face value. The odds and form on some races mean that experienced gamblers will not be able to identify a dog that represents a good bet.