- Published on: October 20, 2023
Online Guide to Virtual Sports: Horses
Online virtual horses are the online virtual sports world’s New Kids on the Block. They’re also rocking the charts. What’s not to love?
Newcomers like it because it’s simple. Pros enjoy it because it’s thrilling. And yes, even traditional horse-betting lovers bet on virtual sports horse racing nowadays, because the pandemic has emptied the race tracks. And even they can’t deny that online horse racing is just like the real thing. Except: broken legs don’t end in tragedy here. It’s more like a paper cut.
But otherwise, at least when it comes to fattening your wallet, there are few drawbacks. No drunks, no drycleaning and no death on the track. Win!
So if you like the idea of getting the thrills of a live, virtual race-track straight from home, get your saddle ready: It’s time to do online virtual sports like you’ve never done before.
How Virtual Horses Works
Virtual sports: Horses is a 100% computer simulated event. The event and its outcome are based on a Random Number Generator (RNG) and have no basis in real-world horses or events.
And, thanks to top-notch-state-of-the-art graphics, online horse racing gives you a hyper-real, fast-paced adventure, just like a real world race track.
The events are available 24/7, and they run at regular 2-3 minute intervals. Each race only lasts about a minute, and if you passed high school maths, you’d know that equals up to 20 times an hour!
So what are the virtual sports horses bets you can make, and how do you make money on them?
Virtual Horses Odds and How They Work
Just like all online virtual sports, make sure you know the odds for your event and how they work before placing a bet.
That’s important because the odds tell you the payouts you can expect to get if the outcome you bet on is successful.
When choosing your bet at Joe’s, you’ll see a large black number, often with a decimal (0.0) next to the horses’ names and your betting options. Those are the odds.
The lower the odds on the horse, the lower the payout potential will be. But that horse with the lower odds is more likely to win the race. So, naturally, on the other hand, the horses with higher odds are less likely to win. But when they do win, you get more money.
So let’s say Horse A has odds of finishing first (Winner) of 2.93, and Horse B has odds of 5.64 for the same outcome. If you place a $10 bet on a Horse A, and the horse wins the race, your payout will be $29.30 ($19.30 profit plus your original $10 bet). But if you place a $10 bet on a Horse B, and the horse wins the race, your payout will be $56.40 ($46.40 profit plus $10 for your original bet).
That’s an example for betting on the Winner. But online virtual sports with racing has heaps more bets you can make, with various odds. Let’s see what the different bets are.
Main Bets
Main bets in online virtual sports are the foundational bets. You are predicting the outcome of a single horse in a single race. Generally, they have lower payout odds because your chances of winning are higher. These are the main bets you can make with virtual sports horses:
- Winner: Select a single horse which you predict will finish first.
- Place (1-2): Select a single horse which you predict will finish in either first or second place. The payout is the same, no matter if the horse finishes first or second.
- Show: Select a single horse which you predict will finish first, second or third. Here also, the payout is the same, no matter if the horse finishes first, second, or third.
Exacta
In this bet you are betting on the finishing order of the first two horses. To win, you must accurately predict both the first and second place. Nostradamus, move over. If you fail to predict both outcomes correctly, you lose your bet. Payout odds for the Exacta bets are generally higher than for the main bets, because the likelihood of predicting this exact outcome is less.
Trifecta
With Trifecta bets you must accurately predict the first, second and third place winners. If you don’t predict all three outcomes correctly, you lose your bet. Trifecta bets have the highest payout odds because, out of all the bets you can make with virtual sports horses, these are the most difficult to predict.
Over / Under
If there are 6 horses in a race, you’re betting that your horse will finish among the first three, or among the last three. If there are 8 horses, you’re betting that your horse will finish among the first four, or the last four. No, this won’t be on the final exam.
Even / Odd
You are betting that the winner will be either an odd or even numbered horse. Basically, you are betting on all the even (or odd) numbered horses to win.
Virtual Horses Tips
To state the bleeding obvious, the outcome of online horse racing is randomly generated and unpredictable, there are some things you should keep in mind to help you make steady wins.
- If you’re more conservative or simply like that whoop whoop feeling of winning, pick bets with lower odds. For example, bet on your favorite horse to “show” (finish in either first, second, or third). The payout will be lower, but you’re more likely to win.
- If winning really big money is what excites you, consider Exacta or Trifecta bets. These bets are less likely to win, but when they do, the party is jumping.
- Bet only with money you can afford to lose. A good rule of thumb is to only wager only 2.5% of your bankroll.
- Remember that virtual horse racing very closely resembles real world racing. But it is NOT based on real world events or real world horses. So don’t make your decisions based on that. Yo.
Now you’ve got the know-how, you’ve got the tips, and you’ve got the drive. All that’s left is to grab your online horse racing gear and hit up the virtual track. May the odds be ever in your favour.