A guide to Laying Horses

Laying gives the punter the chance to act as a bookmaker and take bets via the betting exchanges. Prices are offered which are normally better than the current market prices and people looking to back the particular selection do so making the bet matched.

When laying one runner in a horse race, you have the rest of the field running for you. This is what makes laying on the exchanges so attractive. Unlike a regular bookmaker, you don’t have to lay runners you think will win races, you can decide your own stakes and these are no real costs other than your bankroll and commission.

The betting exchange does all the work where the management of money is concerned. To lay a bet, you have to have the full liability in your account. For example, if you wanted to lay a horse for £20 at 3/1, you would need to have £60 in your account. This is then taken from your account until the result of the race is known. If you win, £80 minus commission is returned to your balance.

Laying favourites is often the preferred approach but this can mean a low strike rate and this in turn can knock confidence which often plays a big part in your success. When laying favourites, be selective with the type of races you play in. Sites such as Adrian Massey will give you an idea of the types of races in which the favourite is proven to struggle.

Opposing horses at the other end of the market is scary but their true chance of winning is often much bigger than their odds suggest. Although laying a 100/1 shot would mean a huge payout, do you see horses priced at 100/1 winning 1 in 100 races? No, neither do I. The problem you encounter though is that these runners are much bigger prices on the exchanges, you might have to lay a 100/1 shot at 400/1 for example.

Laying Systems

The following laying systems have proved profitable and are worth taking into consideration when selecting runners to oppose.

*Laying all horses that are odds on in Handicap races.

*Laying all favourites in ladies races.

*Laying all filly and mare favs on the all weather that are racing against males and last ran more than 7 days ago.

The Betting Exchanges

Betfair is the original and by far the biggest betting exchange. They offer an amazing range of markets and liquidity is always very good, even on the more obscure events.

Laying Resources

Laying Tips - Laying advice from the EBA Forum.

Maria's Laying System - This thread details how Maria turned £3000 into £100,000 laying horses.