Strategy and different tactical ploys will come into play again at Hollywoodbets Greyville this afternoon, where the first Hollywoodbets Punters’ Challenge of 2021 gets underway at 12h20.
The popular challenge, which today offers a 100% winner prize of R975 000, as well as R10 000 to be shared amongst the top twenty finishers, has proven a happy hunting ground for players of various levels – proving that technical knowledge and luck could play a major role in the outcome, but it’s a competition that anybody could win big at on the right day.
We spoke to the top three winners for December, and there is clearly no hard and fast solution to finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Dollymathevula was the big winner. She utilises her mobile phone and pops in at Hollywoodbets Tzaneen branch, where she purchases convenient top-up vouchers.
When pressed for her competition strategy, Dolly says she focusses on favourites ‘with low odds’.
Her winnings have proven a lifechanger for her.
“I am going to enrol for a Business Management Course in 2021. I am still young and always wanted to further my studies,” she tells proudly.
Dolly conceded that she is still a relative novice in the challenge.
“I started with the Punters Challenge on 22 November and loved seeing other punters win and always wished I could be that lucky. Perseverance paid me back quickly!” she laughs.
Second placed Rajen R, who is still over the moon at being blessed with his second grandchild recently, likes to look at the odds and says that most of the time he goes the way of the favourite.
“But every now and then I go for the outsider which gets me a better return.
Rajen’s ‘home branch’ is Hollywoodbets Bayview Chatsworth.
“It’s a beautiful venue but due to COVID I have been sticking to betting online with my son’s help.”
Third placed finisher 081009311k, who plays out of Hollywoodbets Rustenburg, admits that he targets the favourites.
He will be buying clothes and food for his home where he is bread-winner and now cannot work due to COVID level 3 as a contractor.
“I like the fact that the competition is free and I have won a lot of money at Hollywoodbets over the years.”
While favourites are clearly a safe approach, players receive points depending on where their selection finishes in a race, and how many actual runners there are in a race
Therefore, in a twelve-horse race, 1st position will receive 12 points, 2nd position 11 points, 3rd position 10 points, all the way down to last position with 1 point. In a seven-horse race, 1st position will receive 7 points, 2nd position will receive 6 points, and so on.
Bonus points are awarded for winning selections, where the Hollywoodbets Starting Price (SP) for that horse will be added to the points awarded.
If the winning horse’s SP is 4/1 for example in a race, then an additional 5 points (4 + 1) will be added to the points earned. In the above twelve-horse race example the winning selection would have 17 points awarded (12 plus 5 bonus points).
The prize breakdown per meeting is R4 000 for the winner, R2 000 for 2nd place, R1 000 for 3rd place, R500 for 4th place, R250 each for positions 5th to 10th and R100 each for positions 11th to 20th. Prizes are credited to the winners’ Hollywoodbets account and can be used for betting purposes or withdrawn as cash.
The game is simple, requiring a player to pick one horse for each race on the card, and submitting their picks 5 minutes before the first race of the day.
