How to read race track odds?

tye · **Joined:** Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:42 pm **Posts:** 3

if a horse on a racetrack has odds 3:2 against winning what is the probability that that horse won? How to tell?

dubhloach · **Joined:** Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:14 am **Posts:** 4

Odds means this, the figure on the RIGHT is how much you bet and the figure on the LEFT is how much you win So, using your example, if you bet 3 you win 2. All winning bets also refund your original stake, so you end up with 5.

Though odds are usually fairly accurate they are just a guide and they ultimately have no impact on the final odds on a horse. Instead, the odds are set by the amount of money that is bet on each horse relative to how much is bet on each other horse. The more money the public bets on a horse, the lower the odds will be.
Odds are a way of showing how likely something is to happen and/or how much you'll win if it does happen. 3/2 - is a good chance the horse will win, however, as, all handicappers know, anything can happen in horse racing..and it usually does..!

Here's are two great link regarding Horse Racing Odds.. http://www.horsehats.com/HorseRacingOdds.html
http://racingasiseeit.com/WP/?p=49/.

:)

lambret17 · **Joined:** Mon Oct 19, 2009 7:50 pm **Posts:** 4

3:2 is not known in the UK as it would be 6 to 4 or 6/4. 3.2 is a show of decimal odds.
6/4 means 4 chances of winning and 6 of losing or 40% chance of winning - probability 0.4.
3.2 means 1 chance of winning to 2.2 chances of losing.
If there were no margin of profit involved in a compilation of prices then the price would reflect the probability of winning. For instance, if one horse were 6/4 (probability 0.4) another 2 at 4-1 (probability of each 0.2) and 2 at 9-1 (probabilty of each 0.1), then the total probabilities would add up to 1 with no profit margin. Fluctuation of prices is what bookies fear which is why only very small margins on games like roulette always show a profit to the operator despite that margin being only 1/37 or 2.72%. So horse race odds taken at any point in time as a whole understate the probability of winning, so if one is quoted at 6/4 its deemed probability would be less than 0.4. But probability on races is a matter of opinion and is very difficult to determine so an offer of 6/4 may be wrong either way, by understating or overstating the real probability. Get it?
To find the deemed probability of a horse quoted at 3.2, just do this 1/3.2.

kei71 · **Joined:** Tue Oct 20, 2009 2:45 am **Posts:** 2

If the horse is 3/2 on paper before anyone bets that means the people or company studied the past statistics on that horse and came to the conclusion that it has a good chance to win
but that horse be not feel good at the time of the race or no longer can race as good as before and end up coming in last. You have to take all thehorses in that race and put them in order of odds to determine if that 3/2 horse is the top favored to win.

If the horse is 3/2 when the race starts that means most people think that horse will win but another horse say 3/1, 4/1, 9/2 may have just as much of a chance to win as the 3/2.
3/2 is really what it will pay if the horse wins more than the odds of the horse winning,
example: if 3/2 wins you may get $3.80 on a $2 win bet, if a 4/1 wins you get like $9.20 on a $2 win bet and 9/2 gets you 11 bucks.

amoldo80 · **Joined:** Mon Oct 19, 2009 7:56 pm **Posts:** 7

you didnt say how big the field was the more runners the more threat . to genuinely answer the ques ud have to view all runners and prices and u didnt say if the horse was the fav

boaz · **Joined:** Mon Oct 19, 2009 7:56 pm **Posts:** 5

The odds displayed for each horse express each horse's chance to win. Odds of 3:2 express a 40% chance to win. A handy online reference for this is http://racingasiseeit.com/WP/?p=49/.

Good luck.

kevinbacon · **Joined:** Mon Oct 19, 2009 7:50 pm **Posts:** 6

odds are for a horse winning, not not winning.

How to read race track odds?

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