Super Zoo

Chapter 314 Great Joy and Lion Castle Dragon

The methods for betting on horse races are incredibly diverse, with various betting combinations. Suming didn't have the time to study each one, so he just looked at a few of the simpler and more common options.

Win, which means correctly guessing the first-place horse in a particular race;

Place, guessing one of the horses to finish in the top three;

These two types have relatively higher chances of winning, so their odds are accordingly lower. Even when you factor in the individual odds for the horses, the numbers aren't startling, usually only a few to several times the bet. For example, in a race with 12 horses, a win would theoretically pay out 12 times; place would be 4 times.

But each individual horse also has its own odds. With the same win bet, betting on a hot favorite would mean a smaller payoff if successful, while a longshot win would yield higher rewards.

This time, the hottest for win betting was Governor's Scepter. If you bet on it and Governor's Scepter actually took first, you'd likely get around 8.92 times your bet. The longshot 'Lionsgate Dragon,' if it managed to win, could pay out 21 times.

Suming had previously paid special attention to 'Lionsgate Dragon,' hoping for a spectacular upset.

But the result was disappointing. No wonder this horse was a longshot; its form was bizarre, displaying not even a hint of fighting spirit, utterly listless, and slightly rascally - as if embodying the attitude 'a dead pig doesn't fear boiling water.' After all, if I'm already at the bottom, could I possibly finish worse?

Horses are naturally competitive and hate to lose. In the wild, when one horse starts running, the others will follow without hesitation, not to follow, but to overtake. People often use the term "dragon-horse spirit" to describe someone who is tenaciously striving. It's uncertain how that jockey trained this naturally spirited racehorse into a listless hooligan.

In addition to win and place betting, which have low odds and straightforward gameplay, there are also several types with high odds but low chances of winning that involve complex play. These include high school level permutations and combinations.

Quinella, guessing the first and second place horses in a single race; for a race with 12 horses, theoretically, it could pay out 66 times;

T Placepot, guessing the top three regardless of order, could reach an astounding 220 times; Explore hidden tales at empire

Trifecta, accurately guessing the first, second, and third horses in order. Suming, whose math teacher had left the world too soon, fiddled with his phone for a while, and the payout was over a thousand times!

The most terrifying are the Quartet and First Four.

Both the Quartet and First Four involve guessing the first four places, the difference being the former requires exact positions, the latter does not; accordingly, the payouts are roughly ten thousand times and five hundred times...

"No wonder in Xiangjiang movies, every Xiangjiang person gambles on horse racing as if they're crazy. Once they get so-called 'insider information,' they'd even borrow money to bet. Put a thousand on a Quartet, and if it hits, that's ten million!"

For the first time, Suming felt that his own earning capacity was truly too low!

Of course, hitting the right bet is not that simple. Horse betting is quite complex; different betting types, odds fluctuations, the horses' conditions and track records all contribute to a constantly changing 'matrix' of elements. In theory, to make money, one must choose the optimal state of several elements and strike during that most stable moment in the betting matrix. That's why there are many popular horserace guides, teaching people how to bet on horses, and all sorts of self-proclaimed experts and horse-gods becoming famous.

But it's all in vain, just like with the lottery. If these so-called experts and horse gods were really that great, they wouldn't be selling horserace guides for a living.

Suming decided to place a bet of five hundred for Wang Hao on Governor's Scepter for the win, then, thinking it over and based on the information he had just gleaned from the horses, he made his own bets.

And, living up to expectations, Lionburg Dragon was lagging behind at last place...

"What's going on? Wow, Great Joy! After half a turn, Great Joy has caught up. It's now in third place, wow, and Great Joy has just overtaken Chief Justice, but Chief Justice retakes the lead, it's a real dragon and tiger fight, both horses now side by side in second place..."

After half a turn, Great Joy, in good form, suddenly exerted itself, surging from fifth to run neck and neck with the second-place horse!

"Ouch!" Suming suddenly felt a sharp pain in his palm as if something had pricked him hard; it turned out Nangong, seeing the long shot he bet on - Great Joy - possibly pulling an upset, was so tense she had dug her nails into his palm.

The 800-meter race was extremely short; from the horses breaking out of the starting gates to nearly finishing, the race announcer only had time to utter a few words.

With only the last fifty meters to the finish line, all eyes were on the three or four horses in the leading group!

The racecourse, which was eerily quiet just moments before, suddenly erupted as the leading horse rounded the last bend, less than fifty meters from the finish line, with a deafening roar of cheers!

Almost all gamblers stood up, rushing to the rails or hopping onto their seats, waving their betting slips in the air, shouting themselves hoarse cheering on the horses they bet on!

"Great Joy, go go go! Great Joy!" Nangong was so excited that sweat dripped down, a damp lock sticking to her forehead.

"Governor's Scepter is in the lead, with Great Joy and Chief Justice going head to head... Oh my God, Yellow River Enterprises is making a move, overtaking the two horses in front, and is now contending for third with Chief Justice..."

As they approached the finish line, the unforeseen happened again! A horse named 'Yellow River Enterprises' that had been plain and unremarkable suddenly powered through, passing several horses ahead of it, and even left this race's heavy favorite 'Chief Justice' behind by a third of a horse's length, charging into the third spot to vie with Great Joy for second!

The entire place was aboil, and even Suming couldn't help but stand and cheer loudly for Great Joy!

This is the allure of horse betting; even the most perspicacious jockeys and horse experts don't know what will happen next!

But as quickly as the moment arrived, Governor's Scepter was already first across the finish line, followed closely by Great Joy and Yellow River Enterprises, who finished neck and neck. Chief Justice was behind by two horse heads in fourth, with the rest of the field following in succession.

Because the rivalry for second and third place was so close, ordinary viewers couldn't tell the difference; the big screen replayed the slow-motion footage, and the announcer's voice chimed in: "Governor's Scepter wins as expected, the contest for second place is so intense, Great Joy causes a surprise by a margin of half a horse's head over Yellow River Enterprises..."

As the dust settled, the punters had mixed expressions; those who won danced and embraced, celebrating, while those who lost tossed their tickets to the ground, some spat in anger, cursing at something.

Just then, a wave of laughter spread from the edge of the field.

Everyone's attention had been fixed on the first group, and nobody noticed what was happening behind.

Lionburg Dragon hadn't even run 500 meters before it was left behind by twenty or thirty meters by the other horses, and hardly anyone paid attention to it. Lionburg Dragon's jockey seemed to have been thrown off it; it wasn't until long after all the horses had passed the finish line that he, limping, led Lionburg Dragon across the line.

Amid the laughter, there was still scattered applause from the sidelines, praising the jockey's professionalism. Regardless, he had persisted and 'completed' the race.

Lionburg Dragon had probably never received so much attention and seemed quite proud, tossing its mane.