Tote v Bookie

Player_86

Hello,I would be grateful if someone could answer what I presume is a very basic question.I am going to the Galway Races for the first time this year, and I know nothing about horse racing. I hope to place a few bets on the day at the track (I have read some other posts and I know that I would get better odds at a bookie on the morning of the race, or on Betfair, but I kind of want to experience walking around the track, placing bets here and there, and my bets will be small).What is the difference between betting at the Tote, and betting with one of the bookies who have pitches outside? Any advice on which I should bet with?My understanding is that if I bet with the Tote, I get the odds that the horse goes off at; so, if I put a fiver on a horse at 5/1 and it is backed down to 3/1, I get 3/1. Whereas if I bet with a bookie outside, I get whatever the price is when I back the horse. Is that correct?Thanks a lot in advance.Any tips for Saturday would also be appreciated, haha! I may know nothing about racing, but I hear Weld's horses are the ones to back!

Oscars Well.

If you back a horse with on track bookmakers you get the price the horse is on the board at the time. You can ask for SP though with some of them. With the Tote, all the money bet on the race is pooled together and the amount of bets on a given horse determines the price it returns at. In general if you are backing horses that are double figure prices in the bookies the Tote will generally pay a better price. Horses at the top of the market will generally be better priced with the rail bookmakers, especially if ridden by the well known jockeys like Geraghty and Ruby.

Player_86

Thanks for that, I understand now. Much appreciated.

Harry Angstrom

If you fancy an outsider, back it with the Tote. If you fancy a favourite, back it with a bookie.

tonic wine

A girl with me on Wednesday backed a winner that was priced 25-1 (she liked its name) She got ~€127 for a €2 bet with the tote lol.