Greyhound Handicapping: Do Spot Play Systems Work?

Spot play systems have gotten a bad name. To most people, they’re just mechanical systems that pick dogs based on a special situation that tells you that the dog is going to win. You’d have to be pretty stupid to believe that something like that exists, now wouldn’t you?

Except that Spot Play systems CAN work, if they’re used correctly AND – most importantly – if they’re based on known factors that actually predict what a dog will do in a particular situation. The best Spot Play systems are built around statistics that prove that – in this certain situation – this dog is very likely to win.

Notice that I didn’t say that “this dog is sure to win” or “this dog can’t lose.” There’s no such thing as a system that can guarantee winners, no matter what you might read on the Net. Dogs aren’t machines. Even the most consistent dog has off days and let’s not forget that there are seven other dogs in every race and they have their own ideas about who’s going to win.

But track insiders, owners and trainers know that there are signs that tell you when a dog is most likely to win. All of these signs are right on the program, but 90% of the people who go to the track don’t know what they are. This is why 90% of the people who go to the track lose.

If you’d like to be amongst the 10% of the winners at the dog track, learn to spot these factors. (I wonder if this is why they call them spot plays?) You can do it by haunting the track and keeping close tabs on every line in a dog’s record just before he wins. If you go often enough and write down everything obssessively, eventually you may start to notice certain factors that occur in a dog’s lines that tell you that a win is coming.

Or you can hang out with the owners and trainers, if they’ll let you. Oftentimes, when they’re talking about their dogs before a race, they’ll mention why they think their dog has a good shot at winning this particular race. (This is exactly how I came up with the Marks Method System many years ago at a New England track when I worked for and sat with the owners and trainers.)

Of course, it’s expensive, but you could also buy a greyhound, race it and get in with the dogmen that way. If you had your own greyhound, you’d be closer to the action and could pick up tips from the other owners and trainers. However, be advised that owning a greyhound is a very risky proposition and you might end up spending your winnings that you get from spot plays on food, kennel and vet’s bills.

The systems I use to pick winners at the dog track are The Two Key Trifecta System and The Marks Method.

You can adopt a retired racer. In return for a family of its own, your greyhound will give you lots of love. Hey, you can sit on the couch together and watch the dog races. Who knows? You might even get some inside information from your fast friend.