Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture
  3. Evergreens

How to Bet on Horses: A Primer for Playing the Ponies

By

kentucky derby 2018
The field heads toward the first turn during the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 5, 2018. Rob Carr/Getty Images

Making a bet at the racetrack can be quite the daunting task if you’ve never done so before. Horse racing has its own very specific lingo. Forgetting to box that exacta bet could be the difference between going broke at the track or hauling off a bankroll.

Recommended Videos

Knowing the basics of how to bet on horses can be quite helpful, especially when you’re anticipating a booze-filled afternoon at the track. You can impress your friends and sound like a handicapper in no time. Most importantly, you won’t annoy the regulars who are there to blow their pension checks on 10 cent superfectas and dollar coffees (or mint juleps).

There are two main types of bets: straight wagers and exotic wagers. As you can guess from the names, straight wagers are fairly basic bets, whereas exotic wagers are significantly more complicated. If you’re new to horse racing, start out with straight wagers. Once you’re acclimated (to losing money), then try your hand at the more multifaceted, exotic bets.

Straight Wagers

Win

A win bet is pretty straightforward. You pick a horse to win and that is exactly what it’ll have to do for you to earn any money. In many races, there’s a clear standout favorite and a win bet is a solid, albeit boring option. If you spend all day at the track making win bets on the opening line favorites, you’ll be betting plenty of money with the possibility of making very little. If you throw a few bucks down on the third or fourth best horse in a given race and that horse actually wins, you’ll be raking in a lot more dough.

Place

With a place wager, your horse can either come in first or second. This is a solid betting option if there’s a horse you’re moderately confident about or if you’re the kind of person who likes a little leeway at the finish line. We understand. Commitment can be difficult.

Show

A show wager means your horse can either come in first, second, or third. This type of bet gives you greater flexibility, although the payoff is significantly less than a win or place bet considering you’ve erred entirely on the side of caution. If you’re spending a day at the track, picking a few long shots in a small field race can pay off handsomely. Putting a show bet on the overwhelming favorite is shameful, so we encourage you not to do it.

Exotic Wagers

Exotic wagers often package various horses in a single bet. With this wager, you’re picking multiple horses to finish in a specific order. These bets are exceedingly more difficult to win than a straight wager and the payouts are much higher considering the lower odds of success.

Exacta

In an exacta bet, you’re picking two horses to finish in first and second places in a specific order. If, for example, you want to pick an exacta with the No. 5 horse to come in first and the No. 6 horse to come in second, you’ll want to bet a “five, six exacta.” If the No. 6 horse comes in first and the No. 5 horse comes in second, you lose.

You can, however, “box” any exotic wager. Boxing allows you greater flexibility, although it does make your bet more expensive. If you box your “five, six exacta,” either of those two horses can come in first or second, but you need both in those top spots.

Trifecta

A trifecta bet is even more complex than a basic exacta. With a trifecta wager, you’re picking the first, second, and third place horses in a given race. Again, this can be boxed, so any of these horses can come in first, second, or third, although all horses in your wager will need to show to win. Still with us? Great.

Superfecta

If you’re really feeling like a big shot (or maybe just the right amount of alcohol has hit your frontal lobe), you can try your hand at the elusive superfecta. With this wager, you’re attempting to predict the first, second, third, and fourth place horses in a given race in that exact order. Do yourself a favor and just box it. Unless you’re clairvoyant, you’re wasting your time anyway.

Daily Double

Most tracks feature a Daily Double betting option. The track will showcase two races as part of this Daily Double feature; you have to pick the winners of both races to win. There are many other variations of this. Some tracks will have a Pick 3 wager as well, allowing you to pick the winners of three consecutive races. There is also the Pick 4, where you — wait for it — pick the winners in four consecutive races.

And those are the basics, boys. You can now play the ponies with at least some semblance of confidence.

Article originally published May 4, 2017. Last updated April 26, 2018.

The Manual Staff
The Manual Staff
Former Digital Trends Contributor
The Manual is simple – Showing men how to live a life that is more engaged. Whether it be fashion, food, drink, travel… Read Full Bio
Culture
What I Learned From John Daly About Smoking Cigars
Body Part, Finger, Hand

I’ve been smoking cigars for two decades. I fell in love with the aroma when I walked into my first cigar lounge, Fair Oaks Cigars, in South Pasadena, California, when I was 21 years old. I remember my first stogie — Flor de las Antillas from My Father Cigars. During my early 20s and 30s, I smoked cigars religiously, at least five per week. I puffed alone in the living room, hours before getting ready to hit the town with friends. On my patio on a lazy Saturday afternoon. In the car during heavy traffic. On the rooftop lounge at the mid-high-rise building I lived in for a few years in downtown Los Angeles. Inside my loft — decked with concrete floors and walls, and exposed pipes — while watching pay-per-view boxing or a Dodgers game.

No matter the setting, smoking a cigar, to me, was the occasion. I never needed, nor do I need now, a reason to light up. It doesn’t matter if I smoke alone at a lounge or with friends on my patio; I love that, for an hour-plus, time slows down for me. Because smoking cigars can’t and shouldn’t be rushed. It’s not a cigarette. From the moment you light up to when you set down the final stub of a cigar, at least 45 minutes to an hour has passed, during which, if you’re like me, you made new friends, formed stronger bonds, and/or reflected on all that is great in your life.

Read more
Culture
What’s the deal with Bryson DeChambeau? The Open Championship controversy explained
Baseball Cap, Cap, Clothing

It was Ryan Fox who birdied the 18th hole on Sunday to win The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Despite the electric finish, all anyone’s talking about is Bryson DeChambeau, who was given a two-stroke penalty following Friday’s second round. The penalty has apparently divided the golf community, but the fact remains that DeChambeau’s response to the penalty over the weekend took away from Fox’s triumphant moment. And now, word is that DeChambeau reportedly tried and failed to rope President Donald Trump into said controversy.

The drama unfolded after Friday’s second round, when it seemed DeChambeau finished the day in sole possession of second place with a -7 under score heading into the third round. At least it appeared that way — until the leaderboard was updated to reflect a two-stroke penalty against DeChambeau, after officials claimed he stomped on the grass behind his ball to improve the line of his swing at No. 5. That, officials say, violates Rule 8.1, which states that, in order “to support the principle of ‘play the course as you find it,’ this Rule restricts what a player may do to improve any of these protected ‘conditions affecting the stroke’ (anywhere on or off the course).”

Read more
Culture
Spain outlasts Argentina to win FIFA World Cup and cap sensational tournament
Celebrating, Person, Clothing

And just like that, Argentina’s luck ran out. Spain’s Ferran Torres emphatically found the back of the net from 8 yards out in extra time to secure La Roja a 1-0 win and the country’s second World Cup. Torres’ goal came in the 106th minute, but don’t let that fool you: this was a one-sided contest from start to finish, and a deeper look at the box score reflects that.

I predicted Spain would beat Argentina, 3-1, and from the start it seemed like that prediction would come to fruition. Spain came out swinging, almost immediately recording two shots on goal, including an early header that came so close to finding the back of the net. Spain’s relentless attack was evident throughout the match. La Roja applied pressure with swift passing and precision shots. Just ask Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez, who seemed to be the only one playing defense, making one spectacular save after another, 11 to be exact.

Read more