A friend of mine-a punter who bets in $10 units, and never more than about $50 or $60 every Saturday-had dinner at my home recently. Naturally, the evening's talk centred almost solely on horse-racing and betting!

My pal has never made any money from his racing; he estimates he loses about $1500 a year, and writes it off by referring to it as his 'hobby money', taking the place of what other men spend on wine, women and song.

He does, however, harbour that longing of all punters-to win. Midway through the evening, and midway through a bottle of white wine, he asked me for a simple, safe and economic method, betting on a few horses each Saturday, to give action and the potential for making some money.

I immediately thought of the time-honoured Patent Method, whereby you bet on three horses and have a total of seven bets. The seven bets, outlaying a total of 8 units, consist of the following:

  1. Each horse is backed for a win (three units).
  2. All horses are coupled in doubles (three units).
  3. All are combined in an each-way treble (two units).

A winner at, say, 3/1 will recoup half your outlay for the day. A winner at 13/2 will put you into a profit situation. Two winners, at say 3/1 each, will return you eight units on the win bets, and 16 units on the double, for a profit on the day of 16 units.

You can approach this method using level stakes for everything, or you can operate according to prices, and bet a bit more. Therefore, if your three selections for the day were at A-4/1, B-4/1 and C10/1, you could aim, say, to return $20 and bet them as follows: A $4, B $4 and C $2, a total of $10.

Where your doubles are concerned you would work out 'probability' prices and bet accordingly to return you, say, $30. At the above prices, we would have the following probability workouts:

  • with B = 5 x 5 = 25/1.
  • with C = 5 x 11 = 55/1.
  • B with C = 5 x 11 = 55/1.

You can see from this that all you need bet is, say, $1 on each double. The treble is worked out as follows:

A with B with C = 5 x 5 x 11 = 275/1.

Just a $1 bet is needed on the win treble, and I suggest you have $5 on the place treble. Backing the three horses in this manner you would be outlaying a total of $10 on the win bets, $3 on the doubles and $6 on the trebles, altogether $19.

What is the potential return? It's big, of course. If all three horses won (your lucky day!) you would have $62 from your bets, a potential $130 from your doubles and another potential $275 from the treble, as well as a possible $,20+' from your place treble. In all, then, a massive collect of around the $500 mark for an outlay of $19.

Okay, this is all theory, I know, but what I am doing is trying to give you an example of how this method of approach might work for you. For a start, it provides you with something of a fun bet, as long as you are not spending much on the bet. If you are more serious, the plan can provide you with a strong attacking weapon.

Ensure your selections are sound. You have about 24 races to choose from if you concentrate on the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane meetings (or whatever meetings you follow in your area). Study all the races carefully, eliminate those which look too hard, try to concentrate on the better-class events. Narrow down the search for the right races and once you have them get to work on your form study.

To operate this method successfully, you are going to have to seek out some sort of value. Linking three very short-priced horses is riot going to get you anywhere, really, so think carefully and come up with horses with strong chances at decent odds.

Right here I'd like to echo the advice of other RPM. writers in referring you to the Weight Plus Odds selection method outlined in last month's issue (The Odds Miracle by Richard Hartley Jnr, page 14). It is a tremendous and consistent winner and place-finder and would be an ideal selection system to operate with this Banker Trio method.

A final way to look at this method is one suggested by The Optimist. As long as I you get a winner in three at 7/4 you cannot lose on the day. You have three doubles and a treble. Three doubles are placed at $5 each, and a treble at $2.50. Then you have $10 a win on Horse A, Cost of outlay $27.50. Should Horse A win at better than 7/4 you have at least: 7/4 x 10 plus stake $10 equalling $27.50 with no more betting.

Should Horse A- lose, your second win bet on Horse B is $16. If it loses, your third bet on Horse C is $26.50. If it won at, say, 2/1 you would get a return of $79.50. Your total outlay for the day was $70 so you have made $9.50 profit. A 7/4 winner would have enabled you to square.

All you need do, then, is find one winner in three at 7/4 and your day is covered. Any more winners and you're rolling in money.

By Martin Dowling

PRACTICAL PUNTING - MAY 1989