The Grand National is one of the biggest events on the gambling calendar and is one of the most anticipated sporting events in the UK each and every year.

The race draws in hundreds of millions of TV viewers every year and attracts bets from all corners of the globe. 

It has become an integral part of British sporting culture over the years, and typically sees people who don’t normally gamble hedging their bets on the race. 

Everyone from your grandma to your boss will have a cheeky flutter on The National, but what if you don’t know how to get started? Don’t worry, here at Bonus Bets, we’ve got you’ve covered with the following guide. 

The Grand National has taken place annually in the UK since 1839 and has established itself as one of the most popular horse race in the entire world. 

The event traditionally takes place at the start of April and is ran at the Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool. The race normally begins at 5:15 pm and takes place on a Saturday. 

A straight out win bet where you place your stake on one horse to win the race is fairly ill-advised when it comes to The Grand National. 

The race features a total of 40 horses and given the unpredictable nature of the race, it can be extremely difficult to choose a winner. 

That being said, a well-placed singles bet can prove incredibly lucrative, with there many being classic cases of outsiders winning the race over the years. 

Each-Way Bets

 

Due to the fact that The Grand National is seen as somewhat of a lottery, most customers will decide to place their money on each-way bets. 

Each way bets are effectively two bets in one- one bet on your horse to win, and one bet for your horse to place. As such, it is worth remembering that whatever stake you select for an each way bet will be doubled when you go to pay up. A £5 each way bet will come to £10 in the end- £5 for the horse to win, and £5 for the horse to place. 

Each way bets ensure that you end up with some money in your back pocket even if your horse doesn’t win. Typically, the placing part of the bet pays out if your horse finishes 2nd, 3rd or 4th, but because of the popularity of The Grand National, some bookmakers will also throw 5th place finishes into the mix, further increasing your chances of making some cash. 

Special bets

 

Due to the popularity of The Grand National and the fact that it helps to attract so many potential new customers, bookmakers are always in competition with one another to provide the best offers. 

This is advantageous to all parties and can be a huge benefit to more experienced gamblers. 

Bookmakers have increasingly offered insurance style bets which will see your money returned either in full or as a free bet if the result doesn’t come in, offering some fairly risk-free gambles. 

Most of the major bookmakers in the UK such as William Hill, Ladbrokes or Bet365 will offer some variation on the following: 

Most bookmakers these days will offer customers this offer. This basically means exactly what it says- if your horse doesn’t run, then the bet doesn’t count and the stake will be returned to the customer. 

This one is another fairly solid return bet. If you have placed a bet on a horse to win the race and said horse fails to win but finishes in the top 4 positions, then your stake will be returned. 

There is nothing more devastating than seeing your horse fall at The Grand National, so many bookies have prepared for this and will offer your money back as free bets if your horse falls during the race. Some may even offer a returned stake, though, this is incredibly rare. 

With the grand national being the most popular horse race in the UK, there is no shortage of bookmakers offering odds on the event. 

The majority of the odds will be similar for the event, though some bookmakers may offer better specials or proposition bets. 

The majority of bookmakers will also often offer special sign up bonuses for the event in the knowledge that there will be a lot of first-time users having a flutter on the race. 

This means that for other customers, it is a nice opportunity to try out some new bookmakers and earn some extra cash at the same time. 

Due to the popularity of the event, most major bookmakers will offer odds on the Grand National throughout the year, so keep your eyes open if you receive any early tips. 

Betting strategies

 

The Grand National is famously one of the most unpredictable events in the world. Over the years horses with odds as far out as 66/1 have won the race, whereas nailed on ‘favourites’ have finished outside of the top 20 or not even finished the race at all. 

In short, there is no clear strategy for choosing a winner at The National, and while everyone you meet during the National week will have some sort of tip, sometimes it is better to just trust your instinct. 

A lot of people have their own methods for choosing their preferred horse, ranging from simply liking a name to superstitions about colours and numbers. 

That being said, the odds offered on the national are famously very good and as a result, it can be worth putting a few each-ways bets on some of the more fancied horses.