Horse Racing Betting Strategies: Master Keys, Dutching & Yankee Be

Bettors can utilize many effective horse racing betting systems to enhance their winnings. Following a quick overview of the basics of how to bet on horse racing, some horse racing betting systems and examples of how to use them are presented below.

Horse Racing Betting System #1 : Use A Key

A "key" is when a single horse is selected to win a race and that horse is used as the foundation for a number of bets. It is a way to play when one is confident of the winner of one race to help potential payouts in the horses finishing behind the key, or horses in later races later in the day.

If a customer feels that the No. 1 horse is the best hope to win a particular race, the customer may "key" the No. 1 horse. A customer can play a key by betting an exacta or trifecta. The customer would select the No. 1 Horse to win the race and then select two or three additional horses to finish second and third place, in either order.

This is also utilized for double bets, pick 3 bets, and pick 4 bets. Doubles, pick 3 and pick 4 bets are the selection of the winning horses for two, three and four consecutive races, respectively. The key horse a buyer purchases for these is important as it dramatically reduces the options and overall price of the ticket if one horse is used on one of the races in a double, pick 3 or pick 4 tickets.

Horse Betting Strategy #2 : Dutch or Dutching

Dutching is a method of horse racing betting where a customer supports more than a single horse in a race to increase your chances of winning. 

The objective of dutching is to divide your stake among a group of horses in such a way that the return is the same regardless of which horse wins the race.

Betting Strategies for Horse Racing: Dutching Example in Horse Racing

A patron wants to have a total of $100 on a horse race. According to the odds board, the No. 1 horse has a 30% chance of winning, the No. 2 horse a 25% chance, and the No. 7 horse a 20% chance. A patron would divide their $100 total wager between the three horses in such a way that the return is the same regardless of which horse wins.

Although maybe confusing to first-time customers of horse racing, Dutch calculators are something that can be utilized to do this. In this instance, a customer can wager $43.48 on the No. 1 horse, $36.96 on the No. 2 horse, and $19.57 on the No. 7 horse. Should any one of these three horses win the race, the customer will realize a profit of $91.30. Of course, there is also the possibility of none of the three horses winning and an upset taking place, in which case the customer would lose their entire $100 wager.

Horse Betting Strategy #3: The Yankee Strategy

In a Yankee bet, the customer selects four horses and bets on all the doubles, trebles, and accumulator combinations available.

What this implies is that if at least two of the four horses win or place in their races, then the customer will receive a return on the bet. If three or all four horses win or place, the return can be profitable.

Yankee Example in Horse Racing:

• A client picks four horses to wager on in four races: No. 1 horse, No. 3 horse, No. 9 horse, and the No. 12 horse. A client is placing 11 various bets when they place a Yankee bet, as follows:
• 6 double bets: No. 1 horse and No. 3 horse, No. 1 horse and No 9. horse, No. 1 horse and No. 12 horse, No. 3 horse and No. 9 horse, No. 3 horse and No. 12 horse, No. 9 horse and No. 12 horse.
• 4 treble bets, i.e., No. 1 horse, No. 3 horse, and No 9. horse; No. 1 horse, No. 3 horse, No. 12 Horse; No. 1 horse, No. 9 horse, and No. 12 horse; No. 3 horse, No. 9 horse, and No. 12 horse.
• 1 four-fold accumulator, i.e., No. 1 horse, No. 3 horse, No. 9 horse, and the No. 12 horse

If two of the horses win or place, the customer will receive a return on the bet. If three or all four of the horses win or place, the payout can be very big, as the winnings on each of the individual bets are combined to create a larger payout.

Overall, the Yankee bet is a popular and potentially profitable horse racing betting system but one that requires examination and research of the horses and races.