When it comes to horse racing betting there are three main horse betting options and a variety of other options. When you bet horse racing online or at the track you probably will be betting on your horse to win, place or show.
Winning is simple enough, as you need your horse to finish first. Place betting is having your horse finish first or second, while show betting is having your horse finish in the top three. Let’s look at win, place and show horse betting.
Win Betting
Win betting is the easiest of all wagering strategies. If your horse wins, you win. If your horse loses, you lose. It is not difficult to comprehend and a preferred betting strategy for millions of casual bettors. Another reason for the popularity of win betting is the fact that you can see approximately what your horse will pay to win before the race runs.
Place Betting
When you bet to place, your horse must finish first or second in order for you to win your wager. The payoffs are lower on winning place bets because the place pool (all money wagered to place on a race minus the track takeout) is split between two horses – the horse that wins the race and the horse that finishes second.
Show Betting
When you bet to show, your horse must finish first, second or third in order for you to win your wager. With show betting your risk is reduced (you win if your horse finishes anywhere in the top three positions), the payoffs are often very small when compared to win or place betting. This is because the show pool (all money wagered to show on a race minus the track takeout) must be divided equally and paid out to the holders of show tickets on the first three finishers in a race. The payoffs on show bets are dependent on which horses finish in the top three positions. If the favorites run out of the top three positions the show payoffs will normally be higher than if the favorites finish in the first three positions.
Triple Crown Horse Betting
The excitement of horse race betting is generally amplified only a few times per year, when the hype of the Triple Crown races dominates the headlines. The Kentucky Derby odds bring the initial excitement in May, which is followed two weeks later by the Preakness Stakes and then capped with the Belmont Stakes in June. These are the three premier horse races each season and can turn into a lucrative proposition for horse betting winners.
The horse racing schedule continues, as it makes its way through summer horse racing at Del Mar race track and Saratoga race track, onward to the Breeders Cup.
Whether you are a bigger fan of gambling or the horses, these events combine the two seamlessly. Betting on horse racing brings an excitement that is tough to match, as the race is filled with intensity from start to finish as the lead changes hands multiple times.
Bet on any of regular races during the season, or better yet, bet on the ponies during a major Triple Crown horse races or handicap events. Horse racing is truly a magnificent sport that has stood the test of time.