Where do you bet?
 

Hi,

First time poster - not sure if this is ok to ask, but I was wondering where you guys put your horse racing bets on. Im in victoria, I punt at my local TAB, but even compared to the online unitab dividends, the vic tab seems to take 10% of my margin for itself most times. I've looked around online, and the sites I've found list similar sort of odds.

Do you guys call up bookies directly? Or do you get decent divs somewhere online? (Preferable!)...

Any advice would be appreciated..

Cheers. :)

Welcome, Usurper.

I am in the U.S. so I bet online through YouBet.com and AmericaTAB.

This is an excellent forum with great tips. Enjoy.

Regards,

Glenn

Don't gamble :)

betfair is the place to bet ...

Good luck.

Haha, thanks. It's a calculated limited risk event, where the capital is expendable, based on a varied system I've derived, which seems to work, for now, and I want to maximise my returns while the going's good!

Thanks wes, I'll check it out. I've been watching your time analysis thread as well.

Usurper,

If you bet into tote pools, you are already costing yourself money.
Either bet with an online bookmaker or Betfair, where the commission is reduced.

It's a bit like choosing between petrol that has a huge government whack added to it, or running your car on vegetable oil where there is no government rake ;)

Sound advice - exactly why Im looking to get out of the tote. Been looking at Betfair this morning, looks pretty interesting, but I'd just be taking money out of your pockets! (that's confidence ;))

Hi Usurper IAS is a good online bookmaker you can get up to $500 free just click on the link above.

Usurper,
It depends on what you are after in your betting account. I have quite a few accounts with different online bookmakers.
- Betfair is great, most of the time has the best odds, however I do not use it all that often. I find it difficult to understand with regards to the commision that they charge (as it varies depending on many factors). Also they make it very hard to deposit and withdraw money.

- IASbet is fantastic. Always offer great bonuses to get your money. Great odds.

- Sportingbet.com.au is very good. Great odds. Very simple to use. Very user friendly. Fantastic if you want to bet on other sports also.

- Sportsbet.com.au would be my most used account. This is the simplest and easiest to use. Great service on both the internet and on the phone. Competitive odds, usually comparable with sportingbet (either the same or 5cent to 10cents difference either way). Have now just expanded their "city best" to include the best of all the totes and also the starting price. Offer best flucuation and bookmakers odds 20mins before the race.

My suggestion if you are a serious big punter and are only concerned with the odds go with betfair but also have another online bookmakers account.
If you want something simple and easy to use go with sportsbet.

In saying this I would have to say that most online bookmakers are great and are very competitive.

Good Luck

Usurper,

You didn't hint at you bet outlay. If your a $50 to $100 out of pocket a week mostly Sat. punter like most punters and don't want to be in front of a computer 5min. before each race, keep doing what your doing. No credit cards involved [that cost card charges for a start, self control and good money management]. Cash in and out of hand betting at TAB outlets or account is the way to go for small amounts of weekly outlay.

If your betting larger amounts and/or want to sit in front of a computer on Sat. Go Betfair. Away from computer go AIS or top fluc. with a bookie. Credit cards are involved.

If you drink on Sat., when betting, stick to cash in and out of hand regardless of your bet amounts. The few % difference here for the above bet outlets are not worth the bother.

Anyway, that my 2 cents worth of advice.

Hehe good advice there Crash. Im an everyday punter (as long as my criteria are met), only 50-100 per day at this point while I build up, and while I would prefer to just put the races on at lunchtime, and then forget about them, I'm in a position where I can check the races throughout the day.

Also thanks for the big list there Jeff, I've spent the last couple of days looking at sportsbet, sportingbet, betfair, and the totes.

My conclusion at this point is that betfair gives much better odds than the others I've seen, but I need to be online and ready to grab a good price, which fortunately isn't a problem. Im going to try BetFair as my first online bookie, but their commission part is a bit ambiguous so if I don't like it I'll rethink that..

Thanks to all who replied so far, very appreciated.

Home, online, thru the phone, in the ring and at the tab covers me.