Greyhound Betting Glossary: Every Term You Need to Know

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How to Use This Glossary

Greyhound racing has its own language — a mix of betting terminology, racing jargon and abbreviations that can leave newcomers bewildered and even experienced punters second-guessing. This glossary covers the terms you are most likely to encounter on racecards, bookmaker platforms, exchange markets and in general discussion of the sport. Entries are arranged alphabetically and defined in plain language with practical context where it helps.

If a term is used differently in greyhound racing than in horse racing or other sports betting, the greyhound-specific meaning is given. Where abbreviations are standard, they are listed alongside the full term.

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A to Z: The Complete Greyhound Betting Glossary

Accumulator (Acca) — A single bet combining multiple selections across different races, where the returns from each winning leg roll into the next. All legs must win for the bet to pay out. Common formats include doubles (two legs), trebles (three) and four-folds.

Ante-post — A bet placed before the final field for a race or competition is confirmed. Ante-post bets on greyhounds typically apply to major events like the Derby. If your selection does not run, the stake is lost.

BAGS — Bookmakers’ Afternoon Greyhound Service. The scheduling framework that coordinates daytime greyhound meetings across UK tracks for bookmaker coverage. BAGS meetings carry the broadest promotional coverage, including BOG and live streaming.

BEGS — Bookmakers’ Evening Greyhound Service. The evening equivalent of BAGS, scheduling meetings from late afternoon through the evening. Promotional coverage on BEGS meetings varies between bookmakers.

Best odds guaranteed (BOG) — A bookmaker promotion where you receive the better of your taken price or the starting price. Available on win and each way singles at most major operators for qualifying meetings.

Blanket colours — The coloured jackets worn by greyhounds to identify their trap number. UK colours: red (1), blue (2), white (3), black (4), orange (5), black and white stripes (6).

BOG — See best odds guaranteed.

Bookmaker margin — See overround.

Calculated time — An adjusted race time that accounts for going conditions, pace and other variables, allowing fairer comparison between performances run under different circumstances.

Cash-out — A feature allowing you to settle a bet before the race result, accepting a guaranteed return or reduced loss based on current market conditions.

Closer — A greyhound that typically races from mid-pack or behind, relying on late pace to overhaul leaders in the closing stages.

Combination forecast (CFC) — A forecast bet covering all possible first-and-second permutations of three or more selected dogs. Cost increases with each additional selection.

Combination tricast (CTC) — A tricast bet covering all possible first-second-third permutations of three or more selected dogs.

Computer straight forecast (CSF) — The dividend calculated by a formula based on starting prices, paid on straight forecast bets with fixed-odds bookmakers.

Computer tricast (CT) — The tricast equivalent of the CSF, calculated from the starting prices of the first three finishers.

Decimal odds — Odds format expressing total return per unit staked. A price of 4.00 returns four pounds on a one-pound stake (three pounds profit plus stake).

Deposit limit — A responsible gambling tool that caps the amount you can deposit into a betting account over a set period.

Each way (EW) — A bet in two parts: one on the dog to win and one on it to place (finish first or second in a six-runner field). The place part pays at a fraction of the win odds, typically one quarter.

Early price — Fixed odds taken before the race starts, as opposed to starting price.

Exchange — A betting platform where punters bet against each other rather than against a bookmaker. Major UK exchanges include Betfair and Smarkets.

First bend — The first turn on the track after the traps. The dog that leads at the first bend wins the race more often than any other position predicts.

Forecast — A bet requiring you to predict the first and second finishers. Can be straight (exact order), reverse (either order) or combination (multiple selections).

Form — A dog’s record of recent race results, typically shown as a sequence of finishing positions on the racecard.

Fractional odds — Traditional British odds format. At 5/1, you receive five pounds profit for every pound staked, plus the stake returned.

GamStop — The UK’s national online self-exclusion scheme. Registration blocks access to all UK-licensed online gambling operators for six months, one year or five years.

GBGB — Greyhound Board of Great Britain. The regulatory and welfare body for licensed greyhound racing in the UK.

Going — The condition of the track surface, affected by weather. Ranges from fast (dry) to heavy (rain-saturated).

Grade — The classification assigned to a dog based on recent times at its home track. A1 is the highest graded level; lower numbers indicate higher quality. Grades vary by track.

Hare — See lure.

Hurdle race — A race run over low hurdles placed on the track. A specialist niche within greyhound racing.

Implied probability — The probability of an outcome as suggested by the odds. Calculated by dividing one by the decimal odds and multiplying by 100.

In-play — Betting during a live event. Effectively non-existent in greyhound racing due to the thirty-second race duration.

Kennel — The training establishment where a greyhound is housed and prepared for racing. Often used interchangeably with “trainer” in form analysis.

Lay bet — A bet against a dog winning, available only on exchanges. The layer accepts liability if the dog wins and collects the backer’s stake if it loses.

Leader — A greyhound that typically races at or near the front of the field from the traps to the finish.

Lure — The mechanical device that the greyhounds chase around the track. In the UK, the lure runs on the outside rail. Also called the hare.

Matched betting — A technique using bookmaker free bets combined with exchange lay bets to extract guaranteed profit regardless of the race result.

Open race — A race open to entries from any track, not restricted to the home venue’s graded population. Typically features the strongest fields.

Overround — The bookmaker’s built-in margin, calculated by summing the implied probabilities of all runners. A fair market totals 100 per cent; the excess above 100 is the overround.

Place — Finishing in the top two in a standard six-runner greyhound race. Place terms for each way bets are typically one quarter of the win odds.

Racecard — The data sheet for a race, listing each runner’s trap, form, times, weight, trainer and other information.

Railer — A greyhound that naturally runs close to the inside rail, taking the shortest path around bends.

Reserve runner — A dog held in reserve that replaces a withdrawn runner. Shown as “R” in some form figures.

Reverse forecast (RFC) — A forecast bet covering both possible orderings of two selected dogs. Costs two unit stakes.

Sectional time — The time a dog takes to reach a specific point in the race, typically the first bend. A key indicator of early pace.

SIS — Satellite Information Services. The data and broadcasting provider that delivers live greyhound racing pictures and data to bookmaker shops and online platforms.

Speed rating — A normalised performance figure that adjusts raw times for track, distance and conditions, allowing comparison across venues.

SP (Starting price) — The official odds on a runner at the moment the traps open, determined by market consensus.

Straight forecast (SFC) — A forecast bet requiring the first and second finishers in exact order.

Straight tricast (STC) — A tricast bet requiring the first, second and third finishers in exact order.

Strike rate — The percentage of runners from a trainer, or bets from a punter, that result in a win over a given period.

Tote — The pool betting system where stakes are pooled and dividends are shared among winning tickets after an operator deduction.

Trap — The starting box from which a greyhound is released at the start of a race. UK races use traps numbered 1 (inside) to 6 (outside).

Tricast — A bet requiring you to predict the first, second and third finishers. Can be straight (exact order) or combination (any order).

Trixie — A permutation bet on three selections, comprising three doubles and one treble (four bets total). Requires at least two winners for a return.

Wide runner — A greyhound that runs on the outside of the track through bends, covering extra distance but avoiding rail congestion.

Yankee — A permutation bet on four selections, comprising six doubles, four trebles and one four-fold (eleven bets total). Requires at least two winners for a return.

The Language Gets Easier With Use

Every term in this glossary exists because it describes something real about how greyhound racing works or how greyhound betting functions. None of it is jargon for its own sake. The vocabulary is the compressed knowledge of a century-old sport, and the punter who speaks the language fluently reads racecards faster, understands market movements more clearly, and communicates with fellow bettors without ambiguity. You do not need to memorise every entry. You need to recognise them when they appear and understand what they mean for the bet you are about to place. The rest comes with mileage.

Look up all betting terms on the greyhoundbettinguk homepage.