A “WIN” bet is just what it sounds like: betting that the horse you pick will win the race. You win if the horse wins.

For a horse to “PLACE”, it must finish the race either first or second. This bet generally pays less than the win bet but it gives you two chances to win instead of just one.

For a horse to “SHOW” it must finish the race either first, second or third. This bet generally pays less than either the win or place bet, but it gives you three chances to get a return for your investment.

This is a quick way to say that I want to bet a horse to finish in any of the first three positions. ($2.00 Across the Board = $2.00 to win, $2.00 to place, and $2.00 to show). If the horse wins you collect all three bets. If the horse finishes 2nd then you collect the place and show bets. If the horse finishes 3rd then you will only collect the show bet.

With this bet, you must pick the first two finishing horses in the exact order of their finish. In other words, you must pick the horse that wins and the horse that finishes second.

A “box” on two or more horses in a race means taking all the possible combinations of those horses in each place of finish. If you have determined that two horses are the best in the race but you are not sure which one will win and which one will finish second, then the safest bet is to do the exacta box. You can box more than two horses, but it is very important to remember that with each additional horse you add to the box the cost of the Racebook wager goes up substantially. The formula for calculating the cost of an exacta box is (horses in box) x (horses in box minus 1) x (dollar amount of bet). A $2.00 box of two horses would be (2 x 1 x $2.00) = $4.00. A $2.00 box of three horses would be (3 x 2 x $2.00) = $12.00. A $2.00 box of four horses would be (4 x 3 x $2.00) = $24.00. As you can see the cost of the exacta box increases greatly with each additional horse. Also, remember that you can wager as little as $1.00 on the exacta box.

If you are confident in a horse winning a race, but may have several choices as to the second-place finisher, you may elect to do an exacta wheel. If for example, you think the #4 horse is going to win and the #2, #5, #7, or #10 horses will finish second, you could place the following wager: ($2.00 exacta wheel the 4 WITH the 2, 5, 7, and 10). Following the same formula for calculating the cost of the exacta wager as above, we have (1 x 4 x $2.00) = $8.00. So it will cost you $8.00 to do an exacta wheel with one horse to win and anyone of four horses to finish second.

Another point to note is that some horses do not like to win. They allow other horses to pass them without making an extra effort to win the race. This can easily be determined by simply looking at their past performances. If for example, their racing record indicates that they have won one race and have finished second six times, you may want to place multiple horses in the Win column and this “seconditis” horse in the Place column. The previous wager might be ($2.00 Exacta Wheel the 2, 5, 7, 10 WITH the 4).

In the Quinella, you must pick the horses that finish first and second. Either one can be first and the other one second. This bet functions exactly the same as the “Exacta Box”. Although the Quinella has the same function as the “Exacta Box” the payoff can vary substantially. You must remember that there is no such wager of an exacta box; it is really two separate bets on one ticket. The Quinella wagers are entered into their own pool separate from the exacta pool. Not all tracks offer the Quinella wager, but all tracks accept the term exacta box whenever the exacta wager is offered. If both the Quinella and Exacta wagers are offered it is wise to check the tote board before making a Quinella or Exact Box wager to see which one offers the greater payoff.

With this bet you must pick the first three finishing horses in the order of their finish. In other words, you must pick the horse that wins, the horse that finishes second and the horse that finishes third.

The simplest form of this wager is the Straight Trifecta, which is a single combination of the first three finishers in the exact order of finish.

The trifecta box has a $1.00 minimum bet per combination — $6.00 minimum total cost. You can box three or more horses on a single ticket and wager $1.00 (or more) on each combination.

The following examples are for a $1.00 Trifecta Box:

3 horse box ( 6 combinations) Cost $ 6
4 horse box ( 24 combinations) Cost $ 24
5 horse box ( 60 combinations) Cost $ 60
6 horse box (120 combinations) Cost $120
7 horse box (210 combinations) Cost $210
You must notice the more combinations you play the more chances you have to win, but the winnings will be less…because the total amount risked will be deducted off the winning amount.

The Key Wager requires the Key horse to finish FIRST with any combination of two or more horses finishing second and third. For example, if your key horse is #5 and your other horses are #’s 2, 4 and 6, you will win if #5 finishes first and two of your other three horses finish second and third.

You may select one or two horses to finish in a given position and combine your selection with all possible combinations. The number of combinations will vary according to the total number of horses in the race.

The trifecta part wheel is offered at a $1.00 minimum bet per combination so $2.00 is the minimum total cost. It is now possible to make a Trifecta wager coupling one or more horses to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

Example: You want #4 and #7 in the win position, #1, #9, and #11 in place position, and #2 and #5 in the show position to bet $1.00 on each combination, tell the clerk: “$1.00 Trifecta Part Wheel 4 and 7 with 1, 9, 11 with 2, 5.” There are 12 possible combinations in the bet for a cost of $12.00. To win, the 4 or 7 must finish first, the 1, 9 or 11 must finish second and the 2 or 5 must finish third. You can also omit the words Part Wheel and the clerk will perfectly understand the play.

Note: Different countries and different race tracks may have different rules, use different terms for how to bet and also for the types of bets. If unsure, ask the Member Services staff when placing a bet.

With this bet you must pick the first four finishing horses in the order of their finish on a given race. In other words, you must pick the horse that wins, the horse that finishes second, the one that finishes third and the horse that finishes fourth on a particular race. The simplest form of this wager is the Straight Superfecta, which is a single combination of the first four finishers. The minimum bet for a Straight Superfecta is $2.00.

The Superfecta Box has a $1.00 minimum bet per combination so $24.00 is the minimum total cost. You can box four or more horses on a single ticket and wager $1.00 (or more) on each combination.

The Superfecta Box has a $1.00 minimum bet per combination so $24.00 is the minimum total cost. You can box four or more horses on a single ticket and wager $1.00 (or more) on each combination.

The following examples are for a $1.00 Superfecta Box:

4 horse box ( 24 combinations) Cost $ 24
5 horse box (120 combinations) Cost $120
6 horse box (460 combinations) Cost $460
7 horse box (840 combinations) Cost $840

This wager requires the key horse to finish FIRST with any combination of three or more horses finishing second, third and fourth. For example, if your key horse is #5 and your other horses are number’s 2, 4, 6 and 8, you will win if #5 finishes FIRST and three of your other four horses finish second, third and fourth.

Example: In a Superfecta Full Wheel, You may select one or more horses to finish in any given position and combine these selections with all possible entries in the other positions. The number of combinations will vary according to the total number of horses in the race.

The Superfecta Part Wheel is offered at a $1.00 minimum bet per combination so the minimum total cost is $2.00. It is now possible to make a Superfecta wager coupling one or more horses to finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

Example: You want the (#4 and #7 in the win position), the ( #1, #4, and #7 in place position), the (#1, #2, #4, #7 and #9 in the show position) and the (#1, #2 #4, #7, #9 and #11 in the fourth position).

The daily double involves picking the winning horse in two consecutive races on the same track. All tracks offer the early daily double which involves races #1 and #2. Most tracks also offer a late daily double which is the last two races of the day. Some tracks also offer a rolling daily double which is on any two consecutive races. To win a daily double you must pick the winning horse in each of the two races. Combination bets can also be made on daily doubles.

When you are confident of a horse winning either of these two races but are uncertain of the outcome of the other race, especially if the horse in which you are confident that it has good to excellent odds, you might want to consider the daily double wheel. In this bet, you bet your key horse with all the horses in the other race. Your key horse might be in either of the two races.

The formula for calculating the cost of the daily double wheel is simply the number of horses in the first leg times the number of horses on the second leg, times the dollar value of your bet.

Example: The race other than the race containing your key horse has 10 horses and you wish to make a $2.00 bet. (2 x 1 x 10 = $20.00)

The daily double part-wheel bet is a further refinement of the daily double wheel bet. This allows you to exercise your handicapping skills to eliminate all horses that you think will not win the race. This will reduce the size of your investment.

Example: As in the example in the daily double wheel above you have a key horse in one race and 10 horses in the other race. But you have decided that only five of the 10 horses have a chance of winning their race. So, by doing a daily double part wheel, you have one horse in combination with five horses and if you wish to bet $2.00, your cost would be ($2.00 x 5 = $10.00). You just saved yourself $10.00 over the full wheel bet and hopefully you did not throw out the winning horse. If for example, you decided that the #5 horse will win the first race of the double and that either horses #2, #4, #5, #8 or #9 will win the second race of the double you would tell the clerk i.e. ($2.00 Daily Double Part Wheel 5 with 2, 4, 5, 8, and 9).

Note: A $10.00 daily double part wheel (5 with 2, 4, 5, 8, 9) would cost ($10.00 x 5 = $50.00).

In order to win a Pick 3 bet, you are required to select the winning horse in three consecutive races.

The pick 3 part wheel allows you to single your favorite horses in some races and combining them with several good-paying horses in other races in an attempt to hit a good-paying win ticket. There is generally good value in the pick 3 bet, and frequently they will pay considerably more than the comparable amount of money bet in a 3 race parlay. To increase the probability of winning a pick 3 you may want to play multiple combinations by selecting more than one horse in one or more of the three races. You can bet any amount from $1.00 and up. Remember, that if you bet a $1.00 bet, you only collect 1/2 of the payoff amount since most bets are quoted for a $2.00 bet.

This wager is very similar to the Pick 3, but the player must pick the winners of four consecutive races from a given track.

This wager requires the player to select the winner of six consecutive races. It works exactly the same as the Pick 4 previously explained but involves 6 consecutive races.