WHILE YOU SHOULD never, ever, gamble more than you can afford to lose, the Galway Races are the type of landmark sporting events that sees even the most unlikely punter have a flutter or two.

With that in mind, we thought now would be the perfect time to give you a basic guide to how you should react when your bet — whatever the type of bet — comes in.

Single Bets

Win

Description: The simplest bet you can make. This is a straight bet at fixed odds and if your horse wins, you win.

My €10 bet could win? Alelchi Inois is an 8/1 shot for the Galway Plate. In this case, a successful bet would see you win €90 (that’s €80 for the win and your €10 stake back).

Appropriate reaction:

Each-way

Description: Perhaps the most popular bet, it gives you a chance to both win and place. However, it will also cost you double the initial stake. For example, if you want to bet €10 each-way on a horse at 10/1 it will cost you €20. That is €10 for the win bet, and €10 for the place bet.

My €10 bet could win? As we’ve said, it’ll cost you twenty but, if Clondaw Warrior wins the Galway Hurdle at 10/1, you will receive €145. That consists of €100 for winning, €25 for placing — place odds are usually calculated at 1/4 of the original odds, in this case 2.5/1 — and your two €10 stakes returned. 

Appropriate reaction:

If your horse finishes in the places but doesn’t win, you will receive €35. That is €25 for placing at 2.5/1 and your €10 place bet. You lose your €10 win bet though.

Appropriate reaction:

Multiple bets

Double

Description: In a double, you pick two horses in two different races. Both must win (or place if you bet each-way) for the bet to be successful.

My €10 bet could win? Based on the two horses above it would win you a whopping €990. That’s €10 x (10/1+1) x (8/1+1).

Appropriate reaction:

Trebles & Accumulators

Description: As the names suggest, trebles need three horses to win to be successful while an accumulator involves four or more selections.

My €10 bet could win? Betting this way significantly increases the odds. For example, if you were to bet €10 each on four individual horses at 2/1, your return would be €120 (€80 profit and €40 in initial stakes returned).

However, if you were to back those four horses in an accumulator, your returns would be €810 (€800 winnings and your €10 initial stake returned).

Appropriate Reaction:

Full Cover Bets

Trixie, Yankee, Super Yankee, Heinz, Goliath and Super Heinz

Description: This is a bet that basically covers all possible doubles, trebles and accumulators across a number of selections. A Trixie consists of four separate bets – three doubles and a treble – of which two must win to gain a return.

A Yankee (four selections, 11 bets), Super Yankee (five selections, 26 bets) all the way up to Goliath (eight selections, 247 bets) are just variations on the same theme.

Each bet costs its own stake though so a €1 Goliath would cost €247 to place.

My €10 bet could win? Taking the most common type, a Trixie, you would be placing €2.50 per for each of the three doubles and the treble. If you were to bet on four different horses at 2/1 each, your Trixie would return €135 if all three horses were to win.

Appropriate Reaction:

Patent, Lucky 15, Lucky 31, Lucky 63

Description: This is similar to the above but you also place single best (as described above) on top of doubles and trebles. For example, a Patent is the same as a Trixie plus three single bets, i.e. a wager of seven bets – three singles, three doubles and a treble.

My €10 bet could win? Lucky 15s are a very popular type of bet so, once again using the example of four horses, each at 2/1, your winnings would be €178.50, based on a €0.70 per line bet.

Appropriate Reaction:

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