Straight forecast bets

  • straight forecast ~

    A straight forecast (SF) is a bet on which selections will finish first and second, in the correct order. It's also known as an exacta or perfecta in tote betting.

Straight forecasts are typically available for both horse and greyhound racing and are a standard racing betting market offered by online bookmakers and totes.

How straight forecast bets work

A straight forecast requires you to identify two entries in a field who you believe will finish in the top two, and then accurately predict their finishing order.

This is a step up in difficulty from a reverse forecast bet, which only requires you to identify the top two finishers in a race.

The mechanics of setting up a setting up a straight forecast bet can vary by online bookmaker.

Some bookmakers will offer forecast bets as a market, alongside the other betting markets for the race.

However, others will make the forecast option available on the betting slip once you make your selections.

Straight forecast betting strategy

Straight forecast betting should only be used in certain situations:

  • where there are smaller fields – for example a field of 40 will drastically reduce your chances of winning compared to a field of 6
  • where there is a very clear pecking order among the entries you are selecting to place, and where both these entries are clearly in a different league to the rest of the field
  • where you will get significantly better odds than you would by placing a reverse forecast bet that allows the top two to finish in any order.

Unless you have an excellent knowledge of racing and the entries in a specific race, forecast betting is best used when betting on high profile Group/Grade 1 races which have produced very strong favourites.

Place a straight forecast bet at William Hill now

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