I get a lot of mail from fans concerned because they are consistently losing. These fans ask how to bet to win. I have no quick-fix method to pass on. It takes a lot of work to become a winner in greyhound racing. And it's difficult to say how anyone should bet since wagering is an individual thing.

If you have a betting style that is generating a profit, then by all means stick with that style. I think the main problem with most betting styles is that fans try to force their styles to hit the big one.

By doing so, they overlook the best way to generate a profit, the win bet.

Betting a greyhound to win is the best statistical bet in the tote-wagering realm. While everyone has different styles of betting, remember that the sport was developed to determine which greyhound would win.

Even though the win payoffs appear to be relatively small, statistically speaking, the payoffs are actually better than for all  other types of bets.

Don't allow the appearance of small dividends to distract you from betting to win on greyhounds. It will still deliver more winning nights than losing ones. It's far easier to determine the one dog that stands out above the rest than it is to select additional greyhounds for the exotics.

Playing the trifectas should be a last resort. There are 336 trifecta combinations. The amount of money poured into hitting a winning trifecta combination makes it even more difficult to get a decent return on your investment.

Therefore, you are far better off handicapping for win and place bets.

Trifecta players try hard to avoid this fact. All too often they think that if they can just come up with a good "key" dog, they can run right out and make a million dollars. This is far from the truth.

Unless you are willing to handicap the very best you can and start off with the bet that is statistically the most probable, you will not be able to generate a profit.

If you feel fairly good about your win selection but think there are two outstanding dogs in the race, then consider playing the quinella. However, don't allow this additional bet to detract from your win and place bet.

Quinella bets and trifecta bets must be additional bets, not initial bets.

If you get into the habit of finding another greyhound or two to put with your top dog in the quinella / trifecta and forego making a win or place bet, you will miss bets that you had a chance of hitting.

When the race is over, the greyhound you thought could win may indeed be victorious. However, you probably will not have a winning ticket because you were too busy trying to hit the quinella or trifecta.

This happens to trifecta bettors all the time. They will do an outstanding job of handicapping for a "key" selection. It may finish the winner but they were so wrapped up trying to find additional greyhounds to link with their banker that they missed the win bet.

The payoff from this bet may well have covered their losses on the trifecta.

When selecting a dog to win, stay with the greyhound in a race that has the most class. By staying with the most class, you will make the best statistical selection.

Once you reach for the lower-class dogs to substitute for a class dog, you are going against the grain. You will make the wrong selection and lose far more often than you will make the right selection and win.

If a greyhound with little class appears to have a chance of finishing in the money, then the greyhounds with lots of class have an even better chance of getting i the money. There's really no trade-off.

The important step when beginning to handicap is determining if there is a greyhound you can bet to win. Selecting this dog is very important to your profit potential; it will dictate how you develop and place other bets.

Even if you are a trifecta or quinella player, as opposed to a win bettor, you still need to build your bet around one dog. This allows you to use this dog as a "key" (or banker) and reduce waste in the multiple. Try to make this decision as quickly as possible.

Select those races that will allow you the opportunity to eliminate several greyhounds and also those races that have a dog that can be considered as a banker.

In short, utilise your time by handicapping those races that offer the best opportunity of being won. If there is not a greyhound you feel comfortable about in backing for the win, then pass the race.

If you do not see a dog that you can play to win, it will be very difficult to hit any other type of bet.

Pender Noriega is one of America's top greyhound experts. He has written five books about aspects of greyhound racing selection and staking, and this series of articles in PPM is extracted from his best-sellers A Complete Guide for Greyhound Handicapping and Professional Guide to Handicapping Greyhound Races.

Click here to read Part 1.
Click here to read Part 2.

By Pender Noriega

PRACTICAL PUNTING – APRIL 2003