Across UK and Irish horse racing, typical bookmaker overrounds range from about 110 to 130 per cent. It varies by operator, by race type, and by the time of day. The margin a bookmaker builds into horse racing odds is not fixed. Small-field races with well-fancied favourites tend to carry lower overrounds (closer to 110 per cent) because the market is more efficient and bookmakers compete harder on the headline price of the favourite. The overround also tells you something about the race itself.<\/p>\n
Now that you have a basic understanding of how odds work, and the different ways they are represented, you can compare them online and get the best bet possible. The money line is mostly used by the American bookies, which clearly displays an underdog, and a favorite. The right side of the fraction is your stake while the left side represents the Winnings for each unit. Cathryn Fry previews Saturday\u2019s Remembering Envoi Allen Champion Chase at Down Royal, assessing the chances of Heart Wood, Romeo Coolio, Andy Schooler previews this week\u2019s \u2018Super Sunday\u2019 Premier League showdown between Liverpool and Arsenal. Ross Burdon provides his latest stable update, with Gifts Differing set to run at Chelmsford on Thursday, while Dust Cover<\/p>\n
For any given horse, you can see the best available price highlighted, and the difference between the best and worst price is often two or three points of odds \u2014 the difference between 7\/1 and 5\/1 on the same horse in the same race. Oddschecker is the most widely used in the UK and shows prices from all major bookmakers side by side, updated in near-real time. Despite these caps, BOG remains the single most consistently valuable promotion in horse racing. And some operators apply BOG only to bets placed after a certain time in the morning, which means very early ante-post-style wagers do not qualify. There are practical considerations that limit BOG value. Using the exchange as a benchmark \u2014 even if you ultimately bet with a bookmaker \u2014 is one of the most effective habits a punter can develop.<\/p>\n