The Simple Win Bet – Is It A Good idea For Grand National 2025?
If you've never placed a bet before, it can feel like a daunting prospect, so here is a very handy guide to making a straightforward win bet in a high street bookmaker or online.
We start our guide with the simplest bet to understand, the win bet. This is when you back a horse to come first in the Grand National.
Let's say you bet £10 that Hedgehunter wins the Grand National at odds of 33/1.
Should Hedgehunter come first you will get back £330 from the bookmakers plus your original £10 stake.
Should your horse, Hedgehunter, fall, finish second, third, or anywhere else but first place, then you will lose your £10 stake.
How To Place A Win Bet Online
These days it's as easy to hop online and place a bet as it is to go to a high street bookmaker.
The first thing you need to do is open an online betting account. Once you have chosen your preferred bookmaker, simply click ‘register' on their website and fill in the form.
This will include details such as name, address, email, phone number etc…
You will also need to add your debit card details so you can add money to your new online betting account.
Once your account has been verified then you are free to place your win bet. Simply go to the ‘Horse Racing' section, click on ‘Grand National' and all of the runners with their odds will be on one page.
Find the horse you would like to back, click on the odds box, and the betting slip will open on the page.
Simply insert how much you want to bet and click confirm.
And your bet is on!
How To Write A Betting Slip
Placing The Bet
Step 1: Pick Up A Slip
The simplest and easiest type of betting within a shop is on a plain betting slip.
On the slip, you will find spaces for writing in your stake, your selection, and the time and place of the event you are betting on.
Step 2: Look At The Screens
The vast majority of the day's events and odds will be up on the betting shop's screens. All the details you need to fill in your betting slip will be on those screens.
The slip will now be ready to take over to the betting counter, where your bet's details will be processed, and a confirmation receipt issued.
Step 3: Ask For Your Price
If you wish to take the odds, or ‘price', shown on the screens, make sure to ask for it at the betting counter.
They will write the current price down on your slip. If you do not do this, your bet will be placed with the final price offered for the bet, which often shortens as your chosen event draws nearer.
The rule of thumb is to always take the current price, as most odds do shorten.
Backing the Favourite
A win bet is often a good idea if there's a horse that is going to trounce the rest of the field.
Even then it's not guaranteed so just how many favourites have reigned supreme in the National and is it worth it to put all your eggs in that basket?
In the last 20 years, only a few favourites have managed to win the Grand National.
Since 2003, the favourites or joint-favourites who have succeeded include Hedgehunter in 2005 at 7/1, Comply Or Die in 2008 at 7/1, Don’t Push It in 2010 at 10/1, Tiger Roll in 2019 at 4/1, and I Am Maximus in 2024 at 7/1.
This highlights that while favourites do occasionally win, the Grand National is known for its unpredictability, with many outsiders also achieving victory.
For instance, horses like Noble Yeats in 2022 at 50/1 and Mon Mome in 2009 at 100/1 have defied the odds to claim the title.
Overall, favourites winning the Grand National are relatively rare, making the race exciting and challenging for punters, but less likely to return anything on your bet.
Is A Win Bet A Good Idea For The Grand National?
Ordinarily, in a smaller race with a clear winner, a win bet is a good idea. Generally, the odds are too short for an each-way bet anyway.
However, when it comes to the Grand National, the race is so notoriously difficult that picking a winner is as much about luck as anything else.
For the Grand National 2025, the task has been made slightly easier. The powers that be reduced the field size from 40 to 34 last year, which in turn, ups your chances of getting the winner correct.
However, the standard is also higher, with better-rated horses running every year.
They have the skill, speed, and stamina needed to win the race, so separating them based on who is more likely to win gets harder with every passing National.
It may seem like a good idea to back the favourite, but that's not a sure thing either.
A win bet on the favourite would only work once every few years. So you could end up spending far more than you ever make.
For a big race, each way bets are a better option.
BETFRED
