What are the Odds you display?
When it comes to odds, there's 4 sets of odds which you might see, or place a bet against. There's:
- Forecast Odds
- Live Odds
- Starting Price
- In-Play
Forecast Odds:
The odds column on our race cards show the forecast odds, both in Fractional & Decimal Odds, which are given when the market is formed. The Forecast Odds are provided by the Press Association. The price taken is the one supplied the day before around 2.30pm. These odds are an indication of what the odds should be based on the horses merit/conditions etc and not betting sentiment, as it doesn't involve any market changes due to betting influence.
We always suggest checking the live odds before making your bet, to ensure your returns are as expected etc.
Live Odds
Once the market is formed, you can place a bet and get an early price. These are the odds you can get on the day of the racing (and sometimes at antepost). These odds you will see fluctuate during the period, and are influenced by the betting markets - the more a horse is backed, the shorter the odds for the horse will become.
Starting Price
The Starting Price is the odds when the race starts. It's the figure that most people use to determine profit and loss, and we're no exception. The results on our cards are based on the Starting Price - SP.
In-Play
You can bet on horses during the race, and this is called In-Play, these odds fluctuate very quickly as people try to bet on the outcome live during the race.
For those of you who use the Betfair exchanges, you will have also heard of the BSP, which is the Betfair Starting Price, this is often quoted on the exchanges, as they are often different than the SP, and entirely consist of the betting markets on the exchange.