Betting Insurance Systems 2

The Double Bet

An ingenious way to bet on two horses for a fine return.

Although not widely known, this is an excellent and devious way to exploit a betting loophole to come closer to guaranteeing your profit.

Here we are betting on two horses in different races. How you choose the two horses is up to you and should be based on some reasonably reliable system or form study. The secret is in how your bet is written out for the bookmaker.

Filling out your betting slip

You will need to place your bets with TWO different bookmakers for this to work. Imagine, for this example, you have chosen "Classified" to win in the Three O'Clock at Newmarket and "Lakota Brave" to win in the Three Thirty.

At the first bookmaker you should fill out your slip as follows:

£1 Win, Classified, 3.00 Newmarket

£2 Win, Lakota Brave, 3.30 Newmarket

Stop at a Winner

(Of course you can use higher stakes, but the two bets should be in the same proportion as the example above).

So the total staked in this example is £3.00

At the second Bookmaker you should write your bet as follows:

£1 Win, Lakota Brave, 3.30 Newmarket

£2 Win, Classified, 3.00 Newmarket

Stop at a Winner

Remember to add that final line "Stop at a Winner". This means that if you first selection wins then your stake on the second horse is returned to you along with your winnings on the first - so you don't lose money on the second bet.

What you have done is to reverse the stakes on the horses in the second bet. Also, notice the timing of the races on the second bet is in reverse order. Now you may find that some betting shops will not accept your bet unless the races are in chronological order. However, competition between bookies and betting exchanges is now so intense that many bookies will be pleased to accept your bet whatever.

So, what happens if either of your selections should win?

Let's say Classified loses but Lakota Brave wins at 3/1.

At the first bookmaker's you will lose the £1 on the first half of the bet but will receive £8 (including the return of your stake) for Lakota Brave's win.

At the second betting shop you will receive £4 return for Lakota Brave and, because you instructed to "stop at a winner" you will also get back your stake for Classified even though it lost a half hour before.

For your total investment of £6 you get £9 in winnings plus your £2 stake at the second shop on Classified. A total profit of £8.00.

You've guaranteed a profit from at least one horse winning whilst ensuring you hardly lose anything for the other losing. All at a lot less cost than placing a perm bet with a similar guarantee.

What if BOTH horses win?

Actually this method is more profitable if only one horse wins than if they both win. Imagine both horses won at 3/1. You would win £3 (plus your £1 stake returned) from the first half of the bet at both betting shops and the bet would stop before the second race in each case. Your profit then is just £6.00. Still nothing to complain about 'though.

What's so great about this system?

There are four possible outcomes in this bet. Horse A wins, Hose B wins, they Both win or they Both lose. In three of these four outcomes you make a profit and if you have selected wisely you have a high chance of at least one horse winning. Single bets are very risky and perm bets on two or more horses are much more expensive than this.

Actual winnings with this method will vary according to which horse wins and at what odds. So you should calculate beforehand if the odds available will pay off for you with this kind of staking.

This kind of bet is quite legal and there is no need to tell the second bookmaker about your bet with the first.