How to Bet Horse Racing

How do you go about betting horse racing? There are three common bets to make in win, place and show and a number of other wagers known as exotics. It is very easy to make horse racing bets at the online racebook and you can watch the races online using your computer or mobile device. The great part about horse racing betting is that you can make multiple bets throughout the day and be in action all the time. Let’s look at how to bet the horses.

Win

The first bet that most people make in horse racing in the win bet. This is as simple as it gets as you are putting money on a horse to win a race.

Place

This wager is one in which you make looking for your horse to finish first or second in the race.

Show

The show wager is the third major bet in horse racing and in this bet you cash your bet if your horse finishes first, second or third in the race.

Exacta

The first of the exotic wagers is the exacta. This bet is where you are picking the first two horses in a race and to cash your ticket they have to finish in exactly that order. Let’s say you like the No. 2 horse in a race to win and the No. 7 to finish second. You put in an exacta wager of 2-7. The only way this wager wins is if the two horses finish with the No. 2 winning and the No. 7 finishing second.

Quinella

If you like two horses but are unsure which one is going to finish first and which one will finish second then you can play the quinella. With this bet you simply need your two horses to finish first and second in any order to cash your ticket.

Trifecta

The trifecta is where you are betting on the first three horses in a race to finish in an exact order. In that previous example you would need the No. 2 to finish first, the No. 7 to finish second and then whatever horse you chose to finish in third place. Because it is tough to predict the exact order of a trifecta the best option is to box horses and we’ll look at that option coming up.

Superfecta

The superfecta wager is where you are trying to predict the exact order of the top four horses in a race. You need the horses you choose to finish in the exact order of finish in the top four spots to cash your ticket. There are some racebooks that offer this wager with the $1 superfecta, but there are also some tracks that offer the ten cent superfecta wager. Again, the best option when playing the superfecta is to box horses.

Daily Double

The Daily Double is where you are picking the winners in two consecutive races. This wager used to be for the first two races on a horse racing card, but today it is oftentimes available on a number of races.

Pick 3 and Pick 4

The pick three is just another step past the Daily Double, as you are trying to predict the winners of three straight races. Racetracks will offer Pick 3’s throughout the day starting with the first race and continuing throughout the card. The Pick 4 is where you are trying to pick the winners of four straight races. The Pick 4 is normally offered for the last four races at a racetrack.

Since it is tough to predict the winner in three or four races in a row you can improve your odds by selecting multiple horses. Let’s say you really like a particular horse in the first race of a Pick 3 but then like three horses in each of the next two races. You would say No. 1 in the first race and you might like No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 in race two and No. 7, No. 8 and No. 9 in race three. If No. 1 was the winner of the first race then you would need any one of your three horses to win the second race and any one of your three horses in the third race to win for your Pick 3 ticket to cash.

Pick 6

I will mention the Pick 6, but it is not nearly as popular a wager as the others because it is so hard to hit. You have to pick the winners of six straight races and normally those are the last six races on the card at a racetrack. Not all racetracks offer the Pick 6, so you need to check out which tracks offer this wager.

Boxing Horses

I mentioned boxing horses earlier and this is what you do when you want to select multiple horses on a ticket. You can do this for trifectas, superfectas, Pick 3’s, Pick 4’s and Pick 6 tickets. For example, when you try to hit a trifecta you could choose four or five horses and box them together. You are looking for the horses you selected to finish first, second and third in any order. This gives you the advantage of not having to worry about the exact order and you can select three or more horses to improve your chances.

Horse racing betting is fun, exciting and it is much easier to do than you might think. Check out your favorite racebook today and start betting the ponies.