A Guide to Forecast and Tricast Betting

Betting on forecasts and tricasts is an alternative way to look at many sports, and this way of betting will offer you far greater odds than just simply picking the winner of an event.

One error some people make is that they see forecast and tricast betting as something you can only use for horse racing or greyhound racing, and this is wrong. You can bet on a forecast or tricast in many sports, providing that your bookmaker accepts this type of bet on that particular sport.

What is a Forecast Bet?

A forecast is where you predict the first and second in an event. The most common way to bet is by backing a straight forecast, when you do this you specify which selection will finish 1^st and which will come 2^nd in the bet.

If you have a strong feeling about the winner but want better odds, placing a forecast to add the 2^nd placed selection will increase the odds you receive.

What is a Tricast Bet?

A tricast works in exactly the same was as a forecast but rather than predicting the first two home you are predicting the first three. This means with a straight tricast, you specify the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd in that order.

This bet is much tougher to pull off, which is the appeal for some players, because the odds on offer are generally very good.

Reverse and Combination Bets

If you want to cover your bet and give yourself more chances to win then the way to do that with forecasts and tricasts is to place a bet that covers all possibilities. For forecasts, this is known as placing a reverse forecast, with tricasts this is known as placing a combination tricast.

Two selections and a reverse forecast covers two outcomes, so costs two x your unit stake. This is bigger for combination tricasts, with three selections there are six possible outcomes, so it costs six x your unit stake.

This is great when you like two particular horses for example, and you think they are better than the rest of the field but you aren’t sure which of them will win. A reverse forecast covers both options for you.

Example of a Forecast Bet

Here is an example of a football forecast:

Premier League outright betting

1^st – Liverpool
2^nd – Manchester City

If you back this as a straight forecast, you need Liverpool to win the league title and Manchester City to finish second. If you back this as a reverse forecast, these two need to finish 1^st and 2^nd in any order.

Example of a Tricast Bet

Here is an example of a greyhound racing tricast:

Race 1 – 12:00pm Nottingham

1^st – Trap 6
2^nd – Trap 2
3^rd – Trap 4

If you back this as a straight tricast, you need trap 6 to win, trap 2 to come 2^nd and trap 4 to come 3^rd. A combination tricast covers every possible combination of these three dogs, finishing in any order.

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