How to Play Virtual Horse Races – Guide & Strategy Tips
Fans of horse races are famed for their passion for betting, but this popular hobby is not without issues.
For starters, there aren’t that many horse racing events in a season – especially if you’re picky about the event’s prestige. Secondly, the infamously unpredictable weather of horse racing hubs like England can cause scheduling problems.
Virtual horse racing was developed as a way to combat these issues.
It’s a modern solution to an age-old problem that ended up creating a new whole genre of online betting.
If you’re itching for more horse racing than the racetracks can provide, you’ve found your solution.
How Does Virtual Horse Racing Work?
Virtual horse racing is a computer-generated simulation of a fictional horse race.
We have to be completely clear on that – no actual horses or jockeys are involved. All of the action is completely simulated by a computer.
Of course, it was still inspired by the real sport. That means that betting on virtual horse races is in many ways similar to classic wagering at a bookmaker.
However, all of the results are determined by an algorithm. Specifically, computers use a process called random number generation or RNG to settle the race results.
If you know anything about horse race betting, you’ll understand that this difference completely changes the way we should approach betting strategies. However, the software developers behind these simulations try to translate the excitement of a horse race as much as possible.
That’s why they’re still appealing to fans, even though these unique casino games are fundamentally different from classic sports betting.
Betting Guide
The concept of virtual sports isn’t too hard to understand, so we’ll get right into the betting itself.
You will immediately notice that the process itself is very similar to how you would do things at an online sportsbook. Again, this is completely intentional, and it also means that experienced bettors won’t have a hard time adjusting.
Either way, let’s go through all the required steps.
- Go to the virtual sports section of the betting site and launch Virtual Horse Racing. Horse races are the most popular type of virtual sport, so they shouldn’t be too hard to find.
- Set the size of your stake. Use the text box on the betting slip to the right to choose the exact amount you wish to use per bet.
- Wait for the betting period. You can’t wager if a race is currently in progress. A race typically lasts for about 90 seconds, followed by 90 seconds of downtime before the next event.
- Add desired bets to your betting slip. Click on a selection to add it to your slip. Every selection is marked by betting odds – the payout you’ll receive if you win. You can add any number of bets to your slip each round.
- Confirm your bets and wait for the race to begin. You can add, remove, or change your selections before the start.
- Observe the race. The whole event will be rendered in computer-generated graphics. The interface on the right lets you know how far down the track the horses have progressed and the racers’ relative positions.
- Collect your winnings.Depending on the bets you made and the outcome of the race, any winnings you earn will be automatically paid out.
Types of Bets
Betting on virtual horse racing unfortunately does not include all of the markets you would find at a real track. Still, the most popular choices are there, including:
- Winner bets predict the selected horse will finish first
- Place bets win if the horse finishes 1st or 2nd
- Show bets win if the horse finishes 1st, 2nd, or 3rd
- Forecast bets only win if you successfully predict exactly which horse finishes 1st and which horse finishes 2nd
Strategy Tips & Tricks
Betting on races is one thing – winning those bets is something else entirely. Here are some useful virtual horse racing tips to get you started.
- Odds are everything in virtual horse racing. It makes sense – these aren’t real horses or jockeys. They have no careers or forms to speak of. Instead, the odds are a more-or-less accurate representation of the probability of your wager winning.
- If you’re a beginner, you should probably stick to Place and Show bets with short odds. Less risk means you’re less likely to burn through your bankroll too quickly.
- Don’t believe betting predictions if you find any. No matter how you look at it, virtual betting is completely based on luck and should be treated as such.
- If you want better returns, try accumulator bets instead of high-risk wagers like Forecast. Combine multiple ‘safe’ selections to get a better payout instead of putting everything on one unlikely outcome.
Closing Thoughts
One question still needs to be answered – where to play virtual horse racing?
Well, you’re in luck. You can find virtual horse racing games on Kilibet, Kenya’s leading online sportsbook. Combine the game with real horse racing, or just enjoy the simulations – the choice is yours.
All in all, we can’t claim that virtual races can ever really replace the real thing. The unpredictability of the sport is one of its many charms. However, simulated races have several advantages as well.
- For starters, they can be enjoyed 24/7 throughout the year.
- The racing is constant and consistent, unlike the real sport which is limited to a handful of events per season.
- Additionally, it’s great for newbies who can’t read or use form information and career data.
At the end of the day, winning a virtual horse racing bet can be every bit as exciting and fun as nailing a winner bet at Cheltenham.
Just remember that it’s all random and computer-generated – your gut feeling probably won’t do too much good.