By Lindsay Griffin
The Triple Crown season is rapidly approaching, and there is no better time to get yourself acquainted with the sport.
Even Americans who are not ardent horse racing fans have a cultural awareness of the Kentucky Derby, and they often partake in the pageantry from the comfort of their own homes. Kentucky Derby parties- social gatherings that are centered around the Kentucky Derby broadcast but that take place somewhere other than the track- have been popular ever since television existed.
If are not aware of what is the Kentucky Derby, here is everything you need to know, including this road to the event happening in May.
Now that streaming from the internet is popular, some watch parties don’t even have to involve in-person interaction.
There are many ways to participate in these gatherings. People can come dressed to the nines, or sporting the most ridiculous horse-themed hat they can find. People can decorate their homes with roses and horseshoes. They can crush up some mint and hunt down some Kentucky bourbon in the hopes of making the perfect mint julep.
Many people who attend these parties also know of horse racing’s interconnection with gambling and want to make a few quick bucks. How can a novice make some money at a Kentucky Derby watch party?
Do Your Research
Before you lay down any money at all, you’ll want to do some research on the horses entered into the race. Betting based on catchy names and flashy colors can be fun, but it is unlikely to be profitable.
The easiest way to do this is to look up each horse’s past performances, or PPs. By using databases such as equibase.com, would-be bettors can look up what races each horse has run in and how well they did. They can also find the horse breeding information and recent workouts. Often, videos of performances at racetracks in the United States and Canada are available to view as well. This sort of information can turn a hunch bet into a truly educated selection.
Bet With Your Friends
One of the best parts about Kentucky Derby parties is the ability to make any sort of casual bet with your friends. Because you are not bound to the parimutuel betting systems, you can wager in pretty much any way the involved parties will agree to.
If no one in the party is confident enough to make their own betting selection, it can often be fun to draw the names out of a hat and assign each attendee a horse; then, those who randomly drew the winning horse (or the horse that outfinished all of the other selected horses). This will allow the person to feel involved and have a personal stake when watching the race, without feeling put on the spot to make a selection they truly know nothing about. This kind of excitement and confidence boost can also have the effect of piquing a non-fan’s interest in the sport.
Bet Online
Of course, the more serious money can be made by betting through official means.
In the past, this meant taking a trip to the track itself. Nowadays, however, betting online through apps has made it possible to place a bet on the Kentucky Derby from nearly anywhere in the world. These apps are fast, secure, and easy to use- all payouts are deposited directly into your account immediately following the results being made official.
Betting through an online app also widens the types of bets available to you. Standard win, place, and show bets are available, as well as exotic wagers such as exactas, trifectas, Daily Doubles, and Pick 5s. These wagers, while either more expensive to place or more difficult to win, are infinitely more profitable than a straight wager or a casual bet among partygoers.
This is a contributed post. Give Me The Mike received compensation for this content.
