Fixed odds betting the new frontier – betMaster explains fixed odds

Soon, fixed odds betting will be available on Caymanas Park races locally. It has already started with bookmakers in Australia, as highlighted by betMaster.

The saying goes - the early bird gets the worm.

In fixed odds betting, the early punter can get massively inflated odds, otherwise known as ‘overs’.

Smart and successful fixed-odds punters are always on the look-out for the best price - or overs - meaning getting a price throughout the betting which is greater than what the horse ends up at post time.

In fixed-odds betting, while the price you take is locked-in, the prices are constantly changing.

When the fixed odds phenomenon begins in Jamaica, betting markets will be live and available to punters as early as Thursday afternoon for Saturday races at Caymanas Park.

For those with their ‘running shoes’ on, they will have the opportunity to secure great prices when markets are first published, by betting early.

Some examples from Saturday’s races are:

Race 1: Mr Lyndhurst opened 40/1 fixed odds, started 6/1 on the tote

Race 2: Daytona Belle opened 8/1 fixed odds, started 6/5 on the tote

Race 6: Princess Lauren opened 5/2 fixed odds, started 1/9 on the tote

Race 7: Secret Traveller opened 2/1 fixed odds, started 3/5 on the tote

Race 9: Another Affair opened 5/2 fixed odds, started 3/5 on the tote

Race 9: Coco Chanel opened 20/1 fixed odds, started 6-1 on the tote

Race 10: Ajita opened 10/1 fixed odds, started 2-1 on the tote

RACE 2: She ‘booms’ at a better price

You don’t need to be made aware that Sheboom has been a costly commodity!

With a record of no wins from 15 starts, and most as a short-priced favourite, she finally broke her duck on Saturday, again starting favourite, even money on the tote.

But in international fixed odds markets, she rewarded the patience of her supporters even more so.

When fixed odds bookmakers went up with their markets on Friday night, Sheboom and Helicopter were posted as 7-4 equal favourites.

They both eased slightly with the support of Daytona Belle, with Sheboom again being entrusted as the starting favourite, but now at the far juicier odds of 2-1!

And, Daytona Belle, with surprising market support that resulted in her starting close to equal favourite at 6-5, opened up 8-1 on the int'l markets on Friday night, with 7-1 available through most of the betting before eventually firming in late to finish off at 5-1.

That means, if you were on the Daytona Belle bandwagon, even if you waited until the death to bet, you still got 5-1 on about a 6-5 shot!

If you backed her 10 minutes or longer before the race, you would have locked in 7-1 or better!!!

RACE 6: Princess Lauren royally proves the advantage of betting options

One of the great aspects of the imminent introduction of fixed odds betting into the Jamaican marketplace is the variety of options for the punter.

Princess Lauren went off as the 1-9 favourite on the tote and won like a howling favourite should.

However, she was never even close to that short on the fixed odds platform!

Her general price in the world of fixed odds betting was 3-2 and she started favourite just in front of Custer in most markets, and some even had Custer a touch shorter than her throughout trading.

This huge disparity highlights where punters can greatly benefit from having both the tote and fixed odds working in unison.

Naturally, most runners outside of Princess Lauren were shorter with fixed odds bookmakers based on the massive gap between the tote price and fixed odds quotes for her.

So, the choice was pretty simple there: take 1-9 on the tote or 3-2 fixed odds for Princess Lauren if you were a fan - or if you liked another runner, take a longer price on the tote.

Basically, this race is a royal example that highlights the benefit of choice that Jamaican punters will experience with the establishment of fixed odds betting.