What you need to know to win at a US greyhound track

American and non-American greyhound tracks have something in common. In each race, several greyhounds race around a track, chasing an artificial lure. Punters bet on the dogs they think have a chance of being First, Second or Third, and sometimes Fourth. Other bets include picking the winners of two or more races in a row.

So why are Europeans, Australians and Asians so hesitant to bet on American greyhound breeds? Why, when some of the biggest and most trusted bookmakers like Ladbrokes offer US greyhound betting for non-US players, do so few punters take advantage of it?

One of the reasons is the two additional dogs that American dog breeds have. My friend, Tim, who was visiting an American track from his home in Ireland, told me “it’s hard enough picking a winner out of 6 dogs, never mind 8”. Of course, I knew he had a ticket to the next race when he said this, and he kept betting all night.

Talking to him and other European runners I started to figure out some of the differences between “our” races and “theirs” and thought this might be an informative post. Here, as I see it, are the main differences between US greyhound racing and non-US racing.

First of all, many of the terms are different. They say “traps”; we say “boxes”. They say “curves”; we say “twists”. We say “road race”; they say “stay class”. They say “hare”‘; we say “rabbit”.

Your class is defined by the type of race. Sprints are usually A and routes are usually S with a number from 1 to 9 for the class of the race. So a sprint with the best dogs on an English track would be an A1 race. In the US, the type of race is not given, only the grade, with A or AA at some tracks being the highest grade. So, a sprint at Derby Lane in Florida, USA, would be an A race. However, at the top of the race schedule page, you can find the length of the race at US tracks.

Another big difference between American and non-American greyhound racing is the betting system. At most non-US tracks, you can bet with bags in a pari-mutuel pool, as US tracks have, or you can bet with bookmakers. US tracks do not have sportsbooks and it is illegal to bet with anyone other than track bags.

In Europe, bookmakers are often willing to accept larger bets than the track. Also, when you bet with a bookmaker, the odds you choose are fixed. No matter what happens to the dog’s odds as the betting progresses, the odds he thought of when he bought his ticket at the bookie don’t change.

Of course, if you bet on the pari-mutuel pool with the tote, the odds change up to the time the bell rings and the odds close just before the race starts. So, for example, you can bet a tote on a dog whose odds are 5-2 and find that it has gone up to 10-1 when he wins the race and cashes in from him. This can work in his favor at times, but it can also work against him.

These are the main differences between US and non-US tracks, although there are more, mostly minor differences. Non-US bettors would like to try the US greyhound tracks, just to spice things up. As we say on both sides of the Atlantic: “A change is as good as a break.”