Basic Bets
$2 MINIMUM

  • Win: Your horse finishes 1st
  • Place: Your horse finishes 1st or 2nd
  • Show: Your horse finishes 1st, 2nd, or 3rd

 

PRO TIP: Try a combination! Betting across the board will place a Win bet, a Place bet, and a Show bet at the same time, increasing your winning odds.


Exotic Bets

$1 MINIMUM

  • Exacta: Your (2) horses finish 1st and 2nd in that order
  • Trifecta: Your (3) horses finish 1st, 2nd & 3rd in that order



PRO TIP: Try boxing your bet to increase your winning odds. For example, box a Trifecta bet and win if your 3 horses finish in any order, instead of a specific order.


Boxes and Wheels

In exotic wagers (exacta, trifecta, superfecta), you can cover more combinations by boxing and wheeling horses. Boxing horses will give you every possible combination with the horses involved. This term is used when multiple horses are selected in wagers where the bettor is not sure of the order in which the horses will finish. As an example, you wish to bet an exacta, but think that three or perhaps four horses have a real chance of finishing first or second. You can box these selections, which allows you to play the horses you like and not worry about the order in which they finish.


Wheeling and part-wheeling horses enables you to choose what horses to back for each position in the wager.


This type of wager can be used when you feel that one of your selections will finish in a certain position, either first, second or third. The horse you select to finish in a certain position is your “key” horse. The other horses you have selected may then finish in any order and you are a winner. As an example, let’s say that you wish to bet a trifecta and you feel strongly that the #2 will win the race. In this situation, you can “key” the #2 on top (to win) with your other selections. If #2 wins and any of your other selections finish second and third, you would win.



Using more horses on your ticket will increase your chances of winning, but the cost of your ticket increases based on the number of combinations you’re covering. However a lot of tracks offer trifecta and superfecta combinations for a fraction of a dollar (50¢, 20¢, or even sometimes 10¢), allowing you to spread your tickets out without exhausting your entire bankroll for the day’s races.