Frequently Asked
Questions
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Here are the answers to some frequently
asked questions about Backyard Bookie. If you have any other questions, feel free to
contact us and we'll get you an answer as quick as we can.
Managing scratches:
To manage scratches - go to Edit / Setup Race Card, choose the
Racer Setup tab, double click on the horse to manage, switch the "Scratched"
checkbox and hit OK, then OK
Does Backyard Bookie only work for horse racing, or are there
some other uses?
If you purchased Backyard Bookie -
Thoroughbred Edition, then the product is limited to use for only the four major
horse racing events of the year (Derby, Preakness, Belmont, and Breeder's Cup.)
With Backyard Bookie - Premium Edition, you can take bets on virtually any type
of competition or event. You can use it to run your golf
tournament if you like, or on the pro football, basketball, or hockey playoffs.
One customer was very creative with the product, using it to raise funds for
charity by betting on a wine tasting contest.
Can I enter payouts from the
track instead of calculating my own odds and payouts?
Yes! If you wish, instead of using the payouts calculated
by Backyard Bookie, you can enter your own payout amounts, such as the official payout
amounts from the track.
How would Backyard
Bookie be used for football, or other sports league betting? |
Backyard Bookie is a
pari-mutuel software program. Any sporting event in which there is a clear winner is
suitable for wagering with Backyard Bookie. Enter all of the contestants as
"racers" and then take bets on who will win the competition. Those with winning
wagers will split the pot.If there is a clear second place finisher, then Place bets
and Exacta bets can be used as well. If you can determine a third place finisher, Show and
Trifecta bets are a possibility.
For pro football, you can enter all
of the teams prior to the season (or at any point during the season, really) and have
people bet on who will win the Super Bowl. The runner-up in the Super Bowl can be
designated as the second place finisher, so you can take Place and Exacta bets. With pro
football, though, it is not real obvious who the third place finisher is, so Show and
Trifecta bets are not usable unless you come up with a clear method that everyone agrees
on for determining third place.
For college football, you could use
the year-end AP or UPI poll to determine who comes in 1st, 2nd and 3rd, so Win, Place,
Show, Exacta, and Trifecta bets are a possibility. You might also want to limit the number
of teams to bet on by taking one of the top 25 polls, entering each of those teams as
contestants, and then entering one more contestant called "All other teams".
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I have a need to run Backyard Bookie on two different computers. Can I do
this? |
When you purchase Backyard
Bookie, you get a personal license to use the software on any computer, as long as you are
only using one copy at a time. (Technically, you are supposed to de-install the product as
you move from one machine to another, but we'll let that slide as long as
both machines are owned by you personally.) If, for instance, you
have Backyard Bookie installed on your home PC and wish to use your laptop to run the
software at a party, you can download the "trial" version from our web-site to
your laptop, enter in the Registration ID that you received when you ordered
the product, and the software will be fully functional. Remember, your Registration ID is your personal
license to the software. IT IS ILLEGAL TO ALLOW SOMEONE ELSE USE YOUR REGISTRATION ID.
Should there be evidence that you are illegally sharing your registration ID, your license
for the product will be revoked. |
I have forgotten my
registration id number
If you have the program installed on a PC which has your Registration ID stored
internally within the Backyard Bookie system, you can use Help / About Backyard
Bookie to view your Registration ID.
But, if you have lost your
Registration ID and cannot view it within the software package, we can generally
find your ID in our sales database. Please
contact us if you have forgotten your Registration ID. Please supply
your name, the e-mail address used for the purchase, the approximate date of
your purchase.
Can Backyard Bookie handle
"field" bets, where you bet on multiple racers with one bet?
Yes, when you set up the race card, you assign the "betting numbers" for each
racer or contestant. If you want to assign multiple racers to the "field", just
assign them all the same betting number.
Can I download starter files which
already have the racers entered?
For major racing events, such as any of the Triple Crown
races or the Breeders Cup, we will have a file available for you to download which
contains the days race card. Files will be ready for download early the day of the race,
after the day's race card is officially set. Owners of the Thoroughbred
Edition are required to use the downloaded starter file in order to use the
software.
Why does a place or show bet pay off
more than a winning bet for a racer?
The odds and payoffs for each type of bet are based solely on the money bet for that type
of bet. So if there are a lot of bets on a racer to win, but not very many bets on it to
place, it very well could pay off more for the place bet than the win bet. Generally, the
more bets that you take in, the less often this occurs, simply due to the law of averages.
If you are working with a small crowd, you want to set the minimum bet amount lower to
encourage people to spread their money around more, thereby getting a more consistent
spread of the odds across the different betting pools.
How many different races or
competitions can I include in one file?
Backyard Bookie allows up to 20 races or competitions in one file, enough to handle a race
card for an entire day at most racing venues.
Is there any limit to the number of
racers in a race?
No, there is no practical limit to the number of racers that can be set up for a race.
This allows you to use Backyard Bookie for nearly any type of competition, not just horse
racing. Use it for golf tournaments, tennis tournaments or auto races.
Can I print out tickets for bets as
they are placed?
Yes. You can optionally choose to automatically print tickets or print them only when you
choose to.
Do I have to print out tickets to
track betting?
No. Backyard Bookie allows you to enter the name of each person as they place bets. After
the results are in, either after each race or after all of the races for the day, you can
summarize what is owed out to each person and cash each out with a few clicks of the
mouse.
Does Backyard Bookie display the odds
for all types of bets?
Backyard Bookie displays odds for Win, Place, Show, Exacta, and
Daily Double odds. Odds for other bet types would contain so many combinations that would
need to be shown that it would not be very practical.
Why are the odds for place and show bets shown as
"average" odds?
Place and show odds are "average" odds because the odds that will be paid out
depends on what combination of racers that finish in the money. When calculating the
payouts for place and show bets, the first thing that is done is that money is taken out
of the total pool of bets for that bet type to cover giving each winning bettor his or her
money back. The remainder is then divided up as winnings. If one of the favorites comes in
along with the racer that you bet on, your payoff will be less than the
"average" odds shown. That is because more money is used out of the pool to pay
the bets back to each winning bettor and less is available to divide up as the winnings.
Conversely, if a long-shot comes in along with the racer that you bet on, then your payoff
will be better than the "average" odds because less will be used to pay back bet
amounts and more will be available to distribute as winnings.
Why does Backyard Bookie pay off bets that aren't totally
correct?
Because Backyard Bookie is geared toward office or home use, the number of bets placed
will be relatively small compared to public betting parlors. This means that often there
will be no one with a totally correct ticket. Backyard Bookie allows you, in this
situation, to choose one of three options: (1) the house keeps all of the bets, (2) pay
all bettors back their bets, or (3) pay winnings to those with the most correct picks. The
last option applies only to multi-pick bets, which includes exactas, trifectas, daily
doubles, and pick 3 through pick 6 bets.
Can I Use Backyard Bookie on a computer not
connected to the Internet? You can use Backyard Bookie on a
computer that is not connected to the Internet, but if you do, you'll probably
want to copy the "race card" file for the Derby to that computer. (For
Thoroughbred Edition owners, this is a necessity.) To do this,
click here, and follow the instructions to
download a copy of the desired race card file. Then copy it to your
Backyard Bookie computer.
Does Backyard Bookie have a Windows 3.1 or Mac version?
No, at this time, Backyard Bookie runs only on Windows95/98 or NT. And MACs
running virtual PC.
Where can I get a book on pari-mutuel betting?
Please visit our Amazon.com links page where we have
highlighted books available there on the topic of pari-mutuel betting.
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