►Greyhound racing. What is it? In recent years, greyhound racing has fallen out of favor in many parts of the world. Concerns about the treatment of the dogs and a lowered interest in racing in general have combined to significantly decrease the number of races that can be found in some markets, and have completely eliminated the practice in others. But what if you could enjoy the excitement of a fast-paced greyhound race without any of the worries that come up when the welfare of real animals is thrown into the mix? That’s the idea behind virtual racing games, such as Dogs 3D by InBet. In this game, you’ll be able to enjoy a day out at the track, without ever actually going out at all, as all the action will be simulated right on your screen. ►And They’re Off! The concept of the game is simple: every couple minutes, a new race is held between six simulated dogs. Players can make a variety of bets before the race on which of the greyhounds will win or place well, and then watch a computer-generated race take place right in front of their eyes. When you first enter the game, you’ll see a layout that presents you with all of the information you might need in order to place your wagers. The largest portion of the screen is dedicated to posting the odds of the various bets you can make. Above the screen, you’ll see how much time is left before the next race: each contest takes place on a regular schedule, with about two minutes separating the end of one race and posting time in the next. On the right site of the screen, you can look through a history of recent race results, with the first, second, and third place finishers of the last several races listed. A statistics tab also allows players to see which greyhounds have had success in recent competition, and which have been struggling. Of course, the abilities of the dogs (and their associated odds) vary between races, but this is still all the information you’ll need if you want to track trends over a session. Perhaps the most important aspect of the layout is in the upper right, which is where you’ll get to see the races play out. Once a race begins, you can click here to make the computer-generated action go full screen, then root on your contestants of choice throughout the full lap around the track. ►Win, Place, and Show While this game doesn’t offer quite as many bet types as many racetracks, there’s still a lot to look at here, especially if you’re not familiar with this form of games. The simplest bets are actually located on the right, where you’ll see all six runners listed. Next to them are three potential bets: one for predicting that the dog will finish in first (also known as a win bet), one that predicts someone will finish in the top two (place), and finally a bet that your choice will end up in somewhere in the top three (show). All bets here and elsewhere in the game are expressed in decimal format. That means that the number listed is what you will win – as a ratio of your bet – including the amount of your initial bet. For instance, if you win at odds of 2.50, you’ll get your initial bet back (1 unit) and another 1.5 units in profit. Players are free to make any combination of bets they like, without restriction. On the left side of the betting layout, you’ll see an option that allows for you to wager on which greyhounds will finish in the first and second positions, in their exact order. This is known in the racing world as an exacta bet. Since this is a more difficult task than just picking a winner, these exactas tend to pay out at much higher odds.