Let’s learn about Big 6 betting
Big 6 betting is a type of multiple wager on horse racing where you have to pick the winners of six designated races chosen by bookmakers. It is like a daily double bet, but with more legs. Given how difficult it is to win, there is the possibility of putting on a flexi big 6 which allows you to make more than one selection per race, but will increase your unit stake on the wager.
Getting big 6 betting explained to you is one thing, but the strategy that lies behind it is quite another. While you now know what is a big 6, is it a wager that’s worthwhile? Well, that depends heavily upon what the nominated races are chosen by the bookmaker. They aren’t likely to be make winning off big 6 betting easy for punters, that’s for sure!
Most daily double bets are consecutive races at one racecourse. Big 6 betting, meanwhile, tends to include events from two or more tracks and may even reflect the ones broadcast on TV. UK punters can relate to this if you’ve ever done the Scoop6. To truly understand what is a big 6, it’s useful to work through an example.
Drawing on British betting and the Scoop6, here’s what punters had to pick winners for on Saturday, 6 October 2018. Race 1 was a Listed 5f sprint at Ascot in which 10 horses ran, while race 2 was a 6f fillies’ handicap at Newmarket that also had 10 runners. The third race was another Listed contest, but over 6f and open to two-year-old horses only and 21 ran. Race 4 was a 1m Group 1 contest for fillies and mares only at Newmarket with nine runners. The fifth race a 7f Heritage Handicap over 7f at Ascot in which 15 ran. And this sixth race was an auction stakes race over 6f with a huge field of 28 runners, but only open to two-year-olds.
You can now see exactly what we mean about the degree of difficult attached to big 6 betting. Even if you decided to put on a flexi big 6 with this example, two of the featured races had more than 20 horses running in them. It won’t surprise you to learn there were no punters who backed the winners of all six races. Some got horses that placed in all the events, however, which is always something to consider doing to increase your chances of winning something.
With big 6 betting explained fully to you, there’s little left to be said. Unless you really have a strong view in all six of the designated races, and the bookies as we’ve seen will make it as difficult as possible for you to find the winners as they choose the most competitive events available, then it’s probably a type of wager that is at best a bit of fun with a small stake.
Serious punters are more likely to place a flexi big 6 and write off their guaranteed losses on those races where they make more than once selection. Going each-way is another method by which you can make an albeit smaller profit and increase your chances of winning. Big 6 betting is just too tricky and there are more open alternatives like a lucky 63 if you fancy six horses of your choice in any race.
