When searching for an establishment in Japan, copy and paste the words “競輪” into the search box, then enter the name of the place where you are located after putting a space.
Hello, this is Kei!
Today, I am going to explain 「KEIRIN」 in Japan today!
◆What is 「KEIRIN」?
「KEIRIN」 is a form of public gambling recognized by the government.
In principle, nine riders compete to see who can reach the finish line the fastest by riding a speedy bicycle specially designed for competition around a mortar-shaped track called “a bank”.
There are slight variations from race to race, but the riders are competing for position over a distance of roughly 2,000 meters.
Each lap is 333, 400, or 500 meters, depending on the race track. So it would be four to six laps.
Other than 「KEIRIN」, there are other forms of public gambling such as 「KEIBA」, 「BOAT RACE(KYOTEI)」, and 「AUTO RACE」, each of which has its own merits and characteristics, but I don’t think there is any other form of gambling that requires as much thought and intelligence as 「KEIRIN」.
You can participate in 「KEIRIN」 for as little as 100 Japanese yen, making it a very reasonable form of gambling. There used to be a time when you could participate for as little as 10 Japanese yen. haha
「KEIRIN」 is easy on the wallet, but there have been some amazing payouts in the past.
On September 21, 2016, the biggest payout in the history of 「KEIRIN」, 4,760,700 Japanese yen, appeared! In other words, 100 Japanese yen can turn into 4.76 million Japanese yen in 「KEIRIN」.
In addition, girls can also become 「KEIRIN」 players. The race for girls is called the Girls’ 「KEIRIN」, and as a rule, there are only seven women in the race, and the distance is a little shorter (1,500 to 1,666 meters), but they run at speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour.
With a retirement age in the early 40s and a long lifespan, there are more than 2,300 「KEIRIN」 players, which is the largest number among all professional sports in Japan.
With that many players, of course, there are bound to be differences in ability, which is why 「KEIRIN」 players are divided into six classes, starting with the top S-class S-team , followed by S-class, S-class 1, A-class 1, A-class 2, and A-class 3.
The top S-class S-team is made up of only nine players, and if they were to compete against the A-class 3 players, they would win no matter how.
The higher the class, the higher the prize money you can win, but it’s a tough world, and if you don’t perform well, you get fired.
Through physical training, one’s ability changes, and the change in ability determines whether one wins or loses… You can see that while it is gambling, it also has a sporting aspect to it.
◆Attraction of 「KEIRIN」
【1】Payout and Winning Rate
The largest-ever payouts and all-way buys for Japan’s four public gamblings are as follows.
・「KEIBA」
Maximum 18 horses ⇒ 4,896 ways to buy all three sets of horses
The largest payout ever ⇒ 29,832,950 Japanese yen
・「KEIRIN」
Maximum 8 bicycles ⇒ 504 ways to buy all three bicycles
The largest payout ever ⇒ 4,760,700 Japanese yen
・「AUTO RACE」
Maximum 8 cars => 336 ways to buy all 3 sets of tickets
The largest payout ever ⇒ 15,721,720 Japanese yen
・「BOAT RACE(KYOTEI)」
Maximum 6 boats ⇒ 120 ways to buy all 3 sets of tickets
Maximum payout ever ⇒ 682,760 Japanese yen
Looking at this, it can be said that 「KEIRIN」 and 「AUTO RACE」 have a very good balance between winning rate and payout, because you can consistently hit the target and aim for a reasonably high payout.
【2】Tactics
Next, let’s talk about the tactics used in racing. In 「KEIRIN」 and 「KEIBA」,the main point is that the living beings play the leading roles, human in 「KEIRIN」 and horse in 「KEIBA」. is run over 2,000 meters, and 「KEIBA」 is run over 3,000 meters in some long races.
「KEIRIN」 players and jockeys who control 「KEIBA」 are always thinking about how to read the flow of the race, where to catch the winner, and where to maximize their output.
Although there is no lack of tactics in 「BOAT RACE(KYOTEI)」 and 「AUTO RACE」, the tactics are even more important in 「KEIRIN」 and 「KEIBA」, where you have to pay attention to the personalities of the riders and jockeys, making the predictions very fun and profound.
【3】By man-powered
So far, the two attractions have been those that apply to other forms of gambling, but let’s consider the last attraction that is unique to 「KEIRIN」!
Of all the public gambling events, 「KEIRIN」 is the only one that is conducted by human power. There is a sense of tension in 「KEIRIN」 that cannot be found anywhere else, as all responsibility is concentrated on the individual rider, not on the machines or the horses.
The key to victory or defeat is the physical strength that comes from daily training, but at the same time, it’s also important to have a good grasp of the race’s development and to have a good head start on the other racers. So, we fans are fascinated by the clash of professional athletes who are sophisticated in both body and mind.
◆How to participate in 「KEIRIN」
【1】Buying a ticket at 「KEIRIN」 race track
「KEIRIN」 race tracks all over Japan are equipped with automatic ticket vending machines where you can buy tickets with cash. The mark sheets for voting are placed on the entry table for general seating, or on each individual seat for reserved seating, but don’t worry, they are in an easy to find place.
Just two things to note.
One, don’t forget to take the ticket that comes in exchange for the mark sheet! If your prediction is correct, you have to put the ticket into the machine to get a payout. If you don’t have the ticket, your payout will be ruined.
Second, pay attention to the cut-off time. The cut-off time varies a little between purchase methods, and is two to five minutes before the race starts. Whichever method you choose, make sure you buy your tickets with plenty of time to spare!
【2】Buying a ticket at an off-site ticket booth
There are more than 70 off-site ticket booths in Japan, which are facilities designed for the buying of tickets outside of 「KEIRIN」 race tracks.
The process of buying a ticket is the same as when you buy a ticket at 「KEIRIN」 race track.
If you have any problems, please feel free to ask the staff for help.
【3】Buying a tickets online
With the spread of the Internet, it has become possible to vote online. In addition, most of the services that support online voting also offer live streaming, so everything from buying to watching the race to payout can be completed with a smartphone.
This means that you can participate in 「KEIRIN」 anywhere in Japan. There are a number of online services and apps that allow you to buy tickets, but to be honest, there is not much difference between them.
If you search for “「KEIRIN」 online voting” or “「KEIRIN」 voting sites,” you can easily find them. It’s free to register, so you might want to try registering with a few of them and compare! By the way, I use “Odds Park 「KEIRIN」,” which is well-known for its TV commercials.
◆Type of ticket
There are seven types of tickets in 「KEIRIN」, and each ticket has a different winning chance and a different payout, so it is important to understand the characteristics of each ticket.
【1】Quinella
This is a ticket that guesses the players who will come in first and second place. In other words, if you can pick two players who will finish in the top two, you will win the race.
The odds of winning are 1/36, even if the first and second finishers are opposite.
【2】Exacta
This is no different from Quinella in that it guesses the first and second place finishers.
However, Exacta must be decided in order for the race to be a winner.
The odds of winning the race are 1/72, which is much lower than Quinella, but it allows you to aim for a higher payout.
【3】Trio
This is a ticket that guesses the combination of players that will finish in the top three.
As with Quinella, you don’t have to worry about the order of the first three finishers.
The odds of winning are 1/84.
【4】Tierce
This is a ticket that guesses the combination of the top three finishers in the order in which they are placed.
It has the most combinations and the odds of winning are 1/504, which makes it much more difficult, but as I said at the beginning, it is a dream ticket that can sometimes yield a payout in excess of several millions!
【5】Bracket Quinella
In 「KEIRIN」, there is a “frame”.
In principle, a race is held with nine players, and each of the nine is assigned a “bicycle number” from 1 to 9.
The difference between a “frame” and a “bicycle number” is that more than one player can be in a frame.
There will be one person in each of the 1-3 frames, and two people in each of the 4-6 frames, for a total of 9 people.
In this way, you can choose two frames and guess the players who will come in first and second place.
Since the order is irrelevant, the odds of winning are as high as 1/18.
【6】Exacta Quinella
This is no different from Bracket Quinella in that you pick two frames and guess the players who will come in first and second.
However, the odds of winning are a little lower than the Bracket Quinella, at 1/33, because the players in the selected frames must come in first and second place, and they must be decided in the same order.
【7】Quinella Place
This is a ticket that guesses the combination of two players who finish in the top three.
“The three patterns are “first and second,” “second and third,” and “first and third.
Basically, the higher the odds of winning, the lower the payout, and the lower the odds of winning, the higher the payout.
Buy a ticket that suits your purpose and personality!
◆How to predict 「KEIRIN」
Now that you know how to participate in 「KEIRIN」 and the different types of tickets available, let’s talk about how to predict. While the ability to run fast is important and essential in racing, 「KEIRIN」 is not simply a competition where the fastest player wins.
This is due to the unique “line” of 「KEIRIN」. In the beginning, I said that 「KEIRIN is profound, and this profundity is due to the “line”.
“Lines make it interesting, and lines make predictions difficult.
But what is a “line” anyway? It’s often referred to as “forming a line.
It’s often referred to as “forming a line.” “Forming a line” means that players from the same region or classmates from the same 「KEIRIN」 school who are going to race in a certain race will join forces to fight each other.
At first, I was quite surprised, thinking, “Isn’t that cheating?” But in 「KEIRIN」, “forming a line” is allowed.
One of the major factors in forming a line is the effect of the wind.
If you’re a male player, you’re going to be running at speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour, and the players in front of you are going to be at a disadvantage because of the wind resistance.
To take this into account, 「KEIRIN」 has a race leader who runs in front of the riders from the beginning to the middle of the race, acting as a windbreaker and pacemaker.
Even if there is a leader to protect you from the wind, those in front of you are likely to suffer from wind resistance and lose energy, and if you stay behind, you may not be able to turn the tide before the finish line.
The idea was to form a “line” of two to five players who would work together to figure out how to form a line that would work in their favor and compete with other “lines”.
Each player has his or her own special racing pattern, which is sometimes expressed in terms of leg quality.
There are three types of leg patterns.
【1】Stalker
This is not good for the last sprint, but it is common among players with a lot of stamina.
They start the race from the front and use their endurance to set off early and overtake the rest of the field.
【2】Stay Off the Pace
On the contrary, it is common among players who are good at sprinting in the final stretch.
This is a strategy of holding back and then overtaking the front-players in the final straight.
【3】Move on the Far Outside
As in the case of Stay Off the Pace, the player stays in the back until the middle of the race, and then rolls up to swallow the front in the final stages of the race.
It looks similar to Stay Off the Pace but the image is that it takes a longer spurt than the players who are good at Stay Off the Pace.
As you can see, each player has his or her own personality, and the line is formed based on that personality.
The reason why 「KEIRIN」 is so profound is because you have to read and understand these psychological battles.
◆Who is suited for 「KEIRIN」
- Interested in gambling or who like to gamble
- Like sports
- Like mind games and brain games
- Like psychological and brain games.
- Want to make a lot of money and play around with girls
- Want to make money at the touch of a button
- Want to meet girls who like 「KEIRIN」
- Want to make friends through 「KEIRIN」
◆Who is NOT suited for 「KEIRIN」
- Dislike gambling
- Dislike sports
- Lose self-control when gambling
- Don’t have the money to buy a ticket
- Don’t want a girl who likes 「KEIRIN」
◆Summary
How was it guys? Are you interested in 「KEIRIN」 now?
All Japanese public gambling is interesting and I recommend it, but I think 「KEIRIN」 is one of the most unique gambling because the power and psychology of each player directly affects the winner!
After all, 「KEIRIN」 are held 365 days a year at 43 different race tracks throughout Japan, so the chance to win is right in front of you every day.
Please enjoy 「KEIRIN」!
See you later. That was Kei.