When is the Melbourne Cup this year?
Melbourne Cup 2018 event will be held on the 6th November 2018, at 2:30pm ACDT at the Flemington Racecourse, Flemington.
Winning is only half of the Melbourne Cup 2018.
The other half?
It’s about getting an edge. Because, well, that’s where the fun lies.
First-time punter or seasoned gambler, it doesn’t matter.
This Melbourne Cup 2018 guide is all about leading you to make the perfect bet with special deals, latest promotions and pro-horse racing tips.
All the edge you’ll been looking for on race day.
How to Place a Bet on the Melbourne Cup 2018
What makes the Lexus Melbourne Cup 2018 different?
Everything is expected to be bigger.
From the Prize money to the $128 million futuristic grandstand.
There’s a $1 million boost for the prize money.
Up from $6.25 million in 2017 to $7.3 million in 2018. It’s unmatched in cultural impact as the world’s richest handicap race. It’s also Australia’s richest race next to the Everest.
Another highlight: runners who finish from sixth to 12th will receive $150,000 in stake money. Last year, only the first ten placers were rewarded.
Obviously, there’s a lot at stake.
Thus, when you want to make a bet in the race that stops the nation, don’t forget you have more than one option.
1. Bet at your Local TAB
In the 2017 Melbourne Cup, Australians have punted almost $90 million with the TAB.
Tabcorp. has over 4,000 venues around Australia with UBET a good choice given their stand-alone locations all throughout Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania.
Betting at the TAB is easier than it looks when all you have to do is fill up a betting slip and hand it over to the attendant. Or take the do-it-yourself route using the electronic betting terminals.
What’s your edge at the TAB?
The payout is less (compared with online bookies) but there are punters who report they feel “safer” betting on a physical tab.
Not to mention luckier too.
You’ve probably heard of the TAB’s Millionaire’s Promo.
Last year, Irish invader Rekindling made a millionaire when one man won $1,000,000 from a $5 each-way bet.
You may also like: How to fill out a betting slip horses?
Another punter became $48,000 richer from a $3,000 bet at $16 odds for Rekindling. Meanwhile, Johannes Vermeer brought in TAB’S biggest bet amount with $20,000 at $10 odds.
Safe to say, if you’re the kind of punter who feels lucky with a ticket at hand, this option is for you. Just don’t lose your ticket to be able to claim your cash.
2. Bet with On-course Bookmakers at the track
It’s how most people placed their bets back in the day anyway.
A long time ago, in 1882 to be exact, men who dealt with bets wore bags in a stand.
Which obviously makes this the choice of the remaining old-school punters.
Give this a go, if you happen to be at the Flemington racecourse on the Melbourne Cup 2018.
Don’t forget, there’s the newly built $128 million grandstand to lure you live anyway. Plus, it would be hard to miss anything from the stunning view at the much talked about rooftop garden.
What’s your Edge at the track?
Excitement is your edge.
There may be no Melbourne Cup 2018 deals or promos involved but the experience of being at the center of the action is unrivaled.
Rest assured, betting with a bookie on race day isn’t dead. However, the future is getting bleak for relic bookies.
Some on-course bookmakers admit on-track face-to-face betting may soon be extinct. So, take advantage of traditional betting while you still can. Win or lose, you’ll have a souvenir.
3. Bet Online with Trusted Bookmakers
Even before Steve Jobs could conceive any iPhone, online sports betting was already a thing.
In fact, the first licensed online bookmaker in Australia launched in 1996.
Just five years after the internet has gone mainstream.
Fear not about your money.
Security isn’t an issue given the tight Interactive Gambling Act which followed suit in 2001.
The bottom line: websites and apps are designed to make online betting fast, safe, simple and straightforward.
Even if you do get lost, the best online betting sites have excellent customer service you can reach out to. The rest, you can Google.
Surprisingly, on Flemington Racecourse Melbourne cup day itself, some people avoid the crowd at TAB queues and bet on their phones instead.
Simply put, it’s the most convenient choice for millennial punters.
Be careful where you bet though. Avoid international betting sites online without a local license.
Last year, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) identified over 20 illegal incidents.
Plus, there’s a new 2018 rule. Racing Australia may confiscate your device if you’re caught betting with illegal betting sites online.
What’s your Edge in Online Betting Sites?
Why it can be a long list.
Convenience.
Security.
Punter-friendly.
But the best reason is this: better odds.
These days, there are many licensed online bookmakers who’ll compete for your money.
Deals are irresistible.
Some offer sign-up bonuses and incentives along with endless promotions.
You just have to have a hardworking eye to spot what the best online sites have to offer.
All in, betting on the Melbourne Cup 2018 feels better when you know, you’ve got almost nothing to lose.
That’s a strong edge.
Read more: 5 Best Australian Sports Betting Sites !
Melbourne Cup: Best Betting Deals to Watch Out for
Last year’s cup saw a stretch of value from a single bet.
Get an idea on how far your betting dollar can go this year.
If history repeats itself, you may get an extra edge again by being on the lookout for Melbourne Cup Specials as these.
William Hill – Earn Extra Rewards
Last year, punters who backed up a horse that finished fourth got an extra $25 reward from William Hills Melbourne Cup 2017 special promo.
Sportsbet – Bonus Back Refund
Their Cup day special was another bonus bet refund on that day only. Punters whose horses finished 2nd or 3rd on either Race 1, 2 or the Cup itself were entitled to $25 returns in bonus bets.
CrownBet – Better Bonus Returns
They topped Sportsbet’s offer with a $50 money-back in bonus bets. That is if punters placed a fixed-odds on a horse who finished form 2nd to 5th.
PointsBet – Real Money Back
Backers of 2nd to 4th placers were entitled to $100 money back in actual cash, not just bonus bets. Plus, bonus bets for the first fixed-odds bet.
Unibet – Triple Treats
Last year, Unibet offered three specials. First was the $50 bonus bet returns for backers of 2nd or 3rd placers in any group race. The second was the best of the three totes offer on exotic bets. The third was the 25% cash boost on winnings on all races from 12-1pm, on Cup day.
TopBetta – Earn Money by the Margin
In the unique approach among all special deals, TopBetta multiplied the profits of punters who bet on the winning horse, depending on the margin of its win. That means three lengths ahead and profits were tripled.
UBET – Cash back Cup
There were two conditions to earn up to $50 worth of cash. It had to be a fixed win bet on races 1 to 5 on cup day. Or Doomben. Next, the horse should have placed second or third.
That said, here’s a simple how-to if you need help getting started on your online betting adventure this coming Melbourne Cup 2018.
How to Place a Bet on the Melbourne Cup Online
Want to place your first bet online in a matter of two minutes?
Follow these steps.
Step 1. Choose your Trusted Online Bookmaker
Not all bookmakers online are created equal.
Don’t ignore the basics, go for the ones that are legal, licensed and safe.
To get an edge, narrow it down to the best odds offered.
Check out our top Australian betting sites here including the biggest bets made last 2017 Melbourne Cup from each bookie.
| Horse | Top 2017 Melbourne Cup Bets | Odds |
| Almandin | $22,000 | $11 |
| Marmelo | $20000 | $9 |
| Marmelo | $5,000 | $11 |
| Max Dynamite | $5000 | $19 |
| Marmelo | $4000 | $9 |
| Horse | Top 2017 Melbourne Cup Bets | Odds |
| Humidor | $10,000 | $6.50 |
| Johannes Vermeer | $5,000 | $10 |
| Almandin | $5,000 | $6.50 |
| Boom Time | $4,000 | $7.25 |
| Tiberian | $2,000 | $26 |
| Horse | Top 2017 Melbourne Cup Bets | Odds |
| Marmelo | $100,000 (place) | $3.10 |
| Marmelo | $50,000 (each way) | $8 and $3.10 |
| Ventura Storm | $10,000 (each way) | $41 and $11 |
| Single Gaze | $6,000 (each way) | $41 and $11 |
| Almandin | $4,000 | $6.50 |
Step 2. Sign up
Before you can make any bet, you have to sign up.
Create an account and complete the basic details asked.
You need to be over the age of 18 to sign-up with any site.
Remember, you can sign-up with more than one site to compare deals and odds.
That’s because welcome packages from the same site vary per state.
Here’s a hint: they’ll make up for it with incentives. So always be on the lookout for the best deals on your state!
Step 3. Deposit
Don’t hold back because you have to make a deposit. First of all, it’s easy.
As long as you have standard banking facilities—debit card, credit card or other deposit methods (Paypal, Poli, BPAY, Skill)—it should be fast and hassle-free.
So far, depositing funds via MasterCard or Visa is the most popular choice among punters. The upside: funds are immediately available to your account.
If you do choose your credit card, simply enter your card details to deposit the minimum amount required (or commit to the amount you’re comfortable) and start betting.
Next, online booking sites make it fun. Many will offer you a 100% deposit bonus bet, even more. Meaning, if you deposit $50, you’ll get an additional $50 as your bonus bet.
We found that the best Melbourne Cup 2018 Promotions, for now, come from these top bookies:
Top Online Betting Sites Deposit required Bonus Offer
| Top Online Betting Sites | Deposit required | Bonus Offer |
|
$25 | 100% deposit match with up to $501 bonus bets |
|
$50 | 300% deposit bonus |
|
$25 | 400% deposit match with $200 deposit bets |
Step 4. Place a Bet and Cheer on!
Nearly all bookies will have a dedicated page for punters, way before the Melbourne Cup 2018 day itself.
In fact, you can place a bet as early as the year before.
However, the final field of 24 hopeful horses will only be completed at approximately 7:30 pm on Saturday, November 3, 2018.
Any time after that would be the perfect time to lock in your bet with the help of a form guide.
Whenever you decide to make a run for your money, just follow the prompts. Start by choosing your race (Melbourne Cup) as the starting point.
Then select the “bet type” and have fun with your selections.
How often do you bet?
First time? Once a year?
Want to know how every bet type can give you that winning edge?
Read up. This is how you can make your bet count.
Know your Bet Type on Melbourne Cup
Betting on a horse can be as simple as choosing one horse to win past the post or it can be more.
Here are the different types of bet explained.
Win Betting- The most popular and simplest bet type of them all, choose the one best horse who finishes first. Last year, Rekindling started paying at $15 with Ladbrokes. If you placed $10 win bet on this horse, you would have won $150.
Place Betting- Pick the horse who can place in either the first, second or third place after the race. Either place, you get the place dividend. Your odds of winning are better but the amount you can collect gets lowered too.
Each Way Betting- This bet type covers both the perks of Win and Place. Collect the Win dividend if your horse places first or collect the Place dividend if your horse lands on either second or third.
How to get an edge: If you’re going for either the win or place bet, you’ll get an edge backing the first and second favorite. Go for each way and favorites can earn you a 51.7% chance of winning!
After all, favorites have won 34 out of 157 Melbourne Cups.
Exotics
Eager to take more risks? Under these exotic bet types, your risks come with bigger rewards.
Quinella (pick 2 horses in any order)
Choose the first two runners of the race in no particular order and you’re good as a winner too.
Exacta (pick 2 horses in exact order)
Higher returns for the precise punter! Pick the two horses that will finish first and second and you will be exactly where you want to be.
Trifecta (pick 3 horses in exact order)
With a cup field of 24 horses, winning the trifecta is a dream come true for all punters.
A boxed trifecta earns you big if you guess the first three horses in any order. But a straight trifecta gives you an even bigger if you can correct their exact order of winning.
First Four (4 horses in exact order)
Enough said, you can be an instant millionaire if you get the first four horses in the correct order.
Of course, getting them in any order still makes a perfect win.
How to get an edge:
First, know that exotic bets cost more. Risks alert! You can go all or nothing or just have fun playing. As such:
- Choose your horses wisely. Spot the winners from past races. Caulfield Cup, Lexus Stake etc. Check out their place on their last run. Form guide should tell all.
- If you want to have fun Start Small. Don’t try getting a 5% dividend on the win because, given the massive betting pools, even a 1% stake on the full price would be rewarding.
- Compare values from online bookmakers before you make your bet.
The 2017 Melbourne Cup: Top Wins from Exotic Bets
Are there people winning this thing? Surprisingly, yes.
Sportsbet.com.au shares their biggest Exotic Bet winners from last year’s Melbourne Cup:
Boxed Trifecta:
$151, 255 from a $50 Boxed Trifecta
$ 100, 433 from a $33 Boxed TrifectaStraight Trifecta:
$60, 502 from $20 Straight Trifecta
The TAB also records their first four win:
First Four:
$55, 920 from a $30 outlay (TAB)
$22,641.09 from $10 First four
Meanwhile, these were the Exotic Bets payouts from the 2017 Melbourne Cup:
Quinella
No. 22 Rekindling
No. 7 Johannes Vermeer
VIC – $96.90
NSW – $102.30Exacta
No. 22 Rekindling
No. 7 Johannes VermeerQLD – $188.40
VIC – $199.10
NSW – $211.70Trifecta
No. 22 Rekindling
No. 7 Johannes Vermeer
No. 9 Max DynamiteQLD – $2,863.40
VIC – $3,025.10
NSW – $3,410.20First Four
No. 22 Rekindling
No. 7 Johannes Vermeer
No. 9 Max Dynamite
No. 13 Big DukeQLD – $52,665.80
VIC – $44,736.30
NSW – $54,338.70
Highlights of the Melbourne Cup 2017
Four names are worth recalling to this day.
Rekindling was the champion horse straight from the northern hemisphere.
Corey Brown was the 41-year-old winning jockey. This is his second cup win.
Meanwhile, it’s the first cup for Joseph O’ Brien, the handsome 24-year-old Irish trainer.
Finally, Lloyd Williams has now become a six-time winning horse owner of the Melbourne Cup.
Favorites Faltered
Honestly, nobody expected Rekindling to win.
People were all Marmelo and Almandin as the favorite horses all throughout.
In the end, Marmelo finished 9th while Almandin ended up 12th. So much for the favorites.
On the other side of the grass, Rekindling wasn’t just a stayer, he was a stalker, staying close to the leading horses.
Near the closing stages, he managed to outrun Johannes Vermeer while the rest of the herd battled out their place.
Respect goes high for three-year-old Rekindling who is actually the youngest horse to win the Melbourne Cup since 1941.
The Horses of the Melbourne Cup 2017
It’ s interesting to note that the first four winners of the 2017 Melbourne Cup came from barriers 2,3, 4 and 5!
Not to influence your decision but no horse has ever won from Barrier 18.
Looking back, these were the 23 runners from last year’s cup in the exact order they finished in the race:
- REKINDLING
- Johannes Vermeer
- Max Dynamite
- Big Duke
- Nakeeta
- Thomas Hobson
- Tiberian
- Libran
- Marmelo
- Wicklow Brave
- Red Cardinal
- Almandin
- Cismontane
- Amelie’s Star
- Boom Time
- Wall Of Fire
- Single Gaze
- US Army Ranger
- Humidor
- Hartnell
- Ventura Storm
- Bondi Beach
- Gallante
Melbourne Cup 2018 Odds
It’s never too early to plan a punt. That’s how winners win anyway.
However, news has it that Llloyd Williams won’t be entering last year’s Melbourne Cup quinella winners Rekindling and Johannes Vermeer into the Melbourne Cup 2018.
“Very unlikely that you will see them in the Cup,” Williams told RSN 927’s Racing Pulse.
“We’ll see them probably in weight-for-age races but they will be up too far in the weights.”
Meanwhile, as the 2018 Melbourne Cup nominations will be announced on August, 28, the odds go on.
For now, here are the top two available Melbourne Cup odds from two of our recommended bookies:
1. SportsBet
2. TAB
The Final Edge
Nothing is ever down to pure luck.
So, if you want to make the most out of luck as a beginner, these final parting tips can assure your 50% edge of winning from a bet:
Please review the form guide. Even if you don’t choose a favorite, choose horses who’ve placed in their previous races. While luck can be handy, this method will improve your luck than choosing your favorite color.
Concentrate on placing Win bets. Because, the chances of winning on the exotics are lower and is never about luck. Especially if you’re a beginner.
Never Bet More than you can afford. It’s better to have fun as a casual punter than to suffer as a degenerate gambler.
In life, there are more losing days than winning days. But no one can ever stop you from looking on the bright side.
That is, you’ll have 100% edge if you can manage to have fun this Melbourne Cup 2018.
If the stars align, the race that stops the nation might be the start of something new for you. That may go beyond the bets.
You may also like: The Ultimate Guide to the Melbourne Cup