How to Line Up Tote, Betfair and Corporate Bookie Prices

Recorded July 2025 for How to Read Market Moves Like a Pro: Real-Time Betting Odds Breakdown (Ipswich Example). Any figures mentioned are from that time.

There are three betting rings you can put a bet into. Best tote, Betfair, and the corporate bookmakers. They rarely all offer the same thing at the same time, so before I place a bet I want all three sitting in front of me on the one screen. That is all my dynamic odds screen does. It lines them up side by side so I can look at a runner, see where the money is, and pick which of the three rings I am betting into.

How I set the screen up

On the left I have the three tote pools, New South Wales, VicTab and Queensland. Next to that I have Betfair, both the back price and the lay price. On the right I have the corporate bookies. That gives me every option for a runner in one line. If I hover over a tote price I can also see the fluctuations and any tote moves, so I am not just looking at a number, I am looking at how it got there.

Reading the moves

Take a favourite in a race at Ipswich. It was paying $2.20, $1.80 and $2.10 across the three totes. Betfair was trading $1.74 to back and $1.74 to lay. Then I look at the corporate flucs. The TAB did not open a price until 8:13 that morning. They opened $2, and the horse came in steadily. Two into $1.90, into $1.80, $1.70, all the way into $1.50.

With ten seconds to go the market is pretty much done. So the decision is simple. If I want that horse, I am putting it on best tote or I am taking the $1.80 on Betfair. I am not backing it at $1.50 with the TAB or $1.55 with Sportsbet. Same with the second pick in that race. It was $6 on Betfair while best tote was $5.20, $4.50 and $4. The bet goes on Betfair.

Do not panic if you miss a price

The corporate bookies follow Betfair fairly closely, so the moves show up in both. That second pick had a bit of money early. It went $4.20 into $3.10. Late it was out to $6.60 on Betfair, and the TAB pushed it back out to $5.50. Sometimes you get a better price right on the jump than you did hours earlier.

You also get bookies opposing a horse. Unibet are very good at it. Betr are good at it, Boombet as well, Sportsbet, Ladbrokes and the TAB. They all take their turn. The TAB might go $9.50 into $7, and you can still get the $9.50 somewhere else because that bookie is keen to lay it. Other times the totes can kick out and beat everyone.

Picking the ring

That is the whole exercise. Line the Betfair price up with the corporate bookies and with the tote, work out which of the three is best for that runner, then put the bet on there. I use it most late in betting, but it works at any stage.

Set your screen up once so the three rings sit next to each other. Then make that comparison a habit before every bet, rather than backing whatever price happens to be in front of you.

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

More from Kingsley

• "Why Does a Short-Priced Lay Mean Value in the Race?"
• "Should You Back the Melbourne Cup Favourite?"
• How Far Back Should You Go When Rating a Horse?

From the full video: How to Read Market Moves Like a Pro: Real-Time Betting Odds Breakdown (Ipswich Example)

Gamble responsibly. 18+. If gambling is a problem for you, call Gambling Help on 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au