Posted on 8/13/2007 7:33:06 PM

Horse Betting Basics

By Brian Mulligan

Starting the journey to the betting windows at the racetrack, the computer, or your luckiest horseracing betting shop can be a treacherous and intimidating venture. Let’s try to break down some of the terms a novice may encounter - as far as what types of bets are offered - and break through the mumble jumble.

We’ll also touch on how to initiate the bet and a few of the basic online betting terms.

The most common form of all wagers is to win. You cash a ticket if your horse finishes first. A place wager is a bet that your horse finishes 2nd. If he wins or runs 2nd, you cash.

When horse betting to show, if your horse finishes 1st, 2nd or 3rd, you win.

Betting across-the-board is betting one horse to win, place and show.

A daily double bet calls for the selection of the winning horse in 2 designated races. Most tracks offer Daily Double bets in the 1st and 2nd races. If a fan bets a ‘7-7’ daily double, number 7 must win 2 consecutive races.

When betting an exacta (or perfecta) the horses you select must finish in exact order of finish. If you bet a 1-7 exacta, the 1 horse must win and the 7 horse must place.

In a quinella bet you are rewarded if your selections finish first and 2nd in any order. If you make a 4-5 quinella bet, and the 5 wins and the 4 runs 2nd, you win. If the 4 wins and the 5 runs 2nd you also win.

You must select the 1st, 2nd and 3rd horses in a race in their exact order of finish when winning a trifecta bet.

Twin trifectas are usually offered on full fields and tough races. To win the bet the player must select the exact 1-2-3 finish in 2 designated races.

A winning superfecta wager encompasses selecting the exact order of finish of the top 4 horses.

When playing vertical wagers, a good strategy is to key one horse in the first, second or even third slots of the bet and surround him with logical contenders and a couple of live longshots. With just a little luck, you can make a nice score with this agenda.

The Pick 3 and Pick 4 have become one of the most popular bets at the track among sophisticated players because the takeout - the percentage of tax taken from each betting pool - is spread out among 3 or 4 races. We are talking value right off the top and that is the name of the game.

To win the Pick 3, a player must correctly select the horses that come in 1st in 3 designated, usually consecutive races. Add a race to hit the Pick 4.

The Pick 6 is an elongated Pick 3 but with syndicate bettors getting together on the huge carryover days, the 6 and dream of a life changer are tough to come by.

Unless you have an unlimited bankroll, and in that case you should be on your own Caribbean island, you have to have singles in the horizontal type bets. Using one, two or even three singles, if successful, will give you a chance to shoot for the moon for the huge score.

Remember, there is value in the Pick 3 and Pick 4 but if you like a 5 or 6-1 shot in that sequence, make sure you bet straight to fuel the animal.

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