This is the third and final part in our series on the world's greatest staking plans. The approach featured is aimed at those bettors who want to back three horses per race on a race-by-race basis.

Most punters like to bet on too many races. It's not something they can ever be cured of, but this staking plan at least attempts to put them in a better position to overcome the inherent financial dangers posed by chain betting.

Originally, the plan came from America and was specifically designed for betting on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd favourites in each race, but only if the favourite was 2/1 or better.

However, there is no reason why you can not operate it using any set of sensible selections. Instead of the order of favouritism, you might use the newspaper tipsters' poll, or the selections of a favourite newspaper or media expert. Or even your own selections, if you consider yourself smart enough for the task.

The three horses in each race are bet on an alternating system. It takes three days to balance results. If you don't have a balance in your favour after three days you are practically sure to get a winning 'take' in six days.

There is but one real 'trick' - the alternation of your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices on the following column basis:

RACE1ST COL2ND COL3RD COL
1123
2312
3231
4123
5312
6231
7123
8312

The interesting aspect of this plan is that the alternation of the choices continually brings the better horse into a weak column. You will get a winning pattern in any of the three columns if you persevere. Each column carries its own debit.

Now let's look more closely at the rules for the operation of the Trio Trick Plan.

THE TRIO TRICK RULES

  1. Play 1-1-1-unit bets on each of the three choices in the first race.
  2. If no winner, increase to 2-2-2 units on each horse in the second race, then 3-3-3 units on each horse in the third race, and so on (see rule 4 as well).
  3. When a winner in any column, start again at 1 unit in that column and increase as before.
  4. If no winner is struck in three successive races, increase units by two for the next three races. If, for example, the last bet was four units, you would increase to 6, then 8, then 10 units for these next three races. If still no winner revert to increasing by one unit.
  5. Continue the series from meeting to meeting, day by day. For example, if there were seven races, you must commence on the first race at the next meeting as if it were the eighth race, carrying forward the betting and keeping the play for each column separate.

The strength of this method will always rest in the strength of the selections. Just for a recent test, I put the method through the Caulfield Show Day meeting, using the selections of a well-known tipster, as published in a leading newspaper.

Column 1 showed a loss of 32 units, Column 2 showed a profit of 62 units and Column 3 realised a profit of 86 units. Column 1 struck one winner at 5/1, Column 2 got a winner at 9/1 while Column 3 had two winners, both at 12/1.

On a total stake of 104 units, the profit was 116 units, which is more than 100 per cent on turnover. A good result.

Using level stakes, a bet of 4 units on each of the 24 selections would have resulted in a return of 164 units on the total outlay of 96 units, a profit of 68 units, or 70.8 per cent on turnover - much lower than that achieved by the Trio Trick approach.

This article completes this series, but we will be publishing more of the world's most renowned staking plans in 1994. I am currently looking at a set of plans from Britain, and a few others from the United States.

The best of them will be chosen for the new series starting next year.

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

By Richard Hartley Jnr

PRACTICAL PUNTING - NOVEMBER 1993