"How Much Should I Stake on My Second-Tier Bets?"

Recorded July 2025 for How to Find Extra Value Bets Using TKZ Lays and Overlays. Any figures mentioned are from that time.

I split my bets into two groups. There are the official selections, and there are the extra overlay bets that show up inside my top four when the market moves. They are not the same thing, so I do not stake them the same way. The official tips get the full stake. The extra overlays get half.

How a second-tier bet shows up

Take Sandown race six as an example. I only ever work through the top four rated runners, so that is where I start. When I look down the list for overlays, there are two in that race. One is a double-figure chance sitting inside my top four. The other is a roughy that is nowhere near the top four, so I leave it alone. It has drifted out to a big price and there is nothing there for me.

That leaves one bet in the race. The double-figure chance had no money for it early and had eased in the market, but when I went looking for the best available it had firmed on Betfair and was paying well above what the bookies were offering. That is where I would take it. The exchange price was clearly better than the bookmakers and the tote on that one.

Why it is not as strong as the official tip

A bet like that is a genuine overlay. The price on offer is longer than my assessment says it should be, and it is inside my top four, so it belongs in the staking plan. But it is still a second-tier bet. It is not one of my official selections. The rating and the confidence behind it do not sit at the same level as the horses I put up as my main tips.

That difference has to show up in the stake. If I put the same money on everything, I am telling myself the second-tier bets are as good as the first-tier ones. They are not. There will also be more of these bets over a day, because once you start scanning for overlays inside the top four of every race, they add up. If each one carries a full stake, my turnover on the weaker half of my portfolio quietly gets bigger than my turnover on the stronger half.

The split I use

So I work to a simple rule. Official tips are backed to win a set target, with a maximum stake capped at half that target. The extra overlay bets get exactly half of those numbers. Same target-to-win approach, same maximum stake rule, just halved across the board.

It keeps the structure tidy. I am not making a fresh decision about staking in every race, and I am not talking myself into a bigger bet because a price looks tempting. The horse either sits in my official selections or it sits in the overlay group, and the stake follows from that.

If you are already separating your strongest bets from your value bets, put a number on that separation. Half stake on the second tier is a clean way to do it, and it stops the weaker bets carrying the same weight as the ones you actually rate highest.

Every race on the card, rated, with Kingsley's selections and the speed maps behind them. Your first day is free, no card needed.

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From the full video: How to Find Extra Value Bets Using TKZ Lays and Overlays | Pro Punting Strategy Explained

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