Guide for Horse Race Betting Options

The old guys (handicappers, wise guys, or railbirds) still lean on basic horse race betting options like win/place/show, exactas, and daily doubles. That will never do with the younger horseplayers who love betting the exotics. Such bets allow them to win big money from smaller wagers.

For novice and recreational horseplayers, there is a big need for betting information. With that in mind, the following information will serve as a betting guide related to the most popular betting options.

Win bet - pick a horse to finish 1st only, the selection must win to cash

Place bet - pick a horse to finish 1st or 2nd, the selection must finish in one of those two positions to cash

Show bet - pick a horse to finish 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, the selection must finish in one of those two positions to cash

Exacta bet - pick a horse(s) to finish 1st and another horse(2) to finish 2nd, selections must finish in those exact positions to cash

Quinella bet - pick a two or more horses to finish 1st or 2nd, selections must finish in one of those positions to cash

Trifecta Bet - pick a horse(s) to finish 1st, another horse(s) to finish 2nd, and another horse(s) to finis 3rd, selections must finish in those exact positions to cash

Superfecta bet - pick a horse(s) to finish 1st, another horse(s) to finish 2nd, another horse(s) to finis 3rd, and another horse(s) to finish 4th, selections must finish in those exact positions to cash

Daily Double bet - pick the winners of two (2)consecutive races, must have winners in both races to cash

Pick-3 bet - pick the winners of three (3) consecutive races, must have winners in all three (3) races to cash

Pick-4 bet - pick the winners of four (4) consecutive races, must have winners in all four (4) races to cash

Pick-5 bet - pick the winners of five (5) consecutive races, must have winners in all five (5) races to cash

Pick-6 bet - pick the winners of six (6) consecutive races, must have winners in all three (6) races to cash

For online horseplayers who like to wager on races from Europe, the following betting option would need to be added:

Swinger bet - pick two horses and both horses have to finish in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place positions

That's a typical betting menu for online horseplayers in the U.S. If you are looking for a decent score without having to wager a large sum, you might want to look at the Pick-3 betting option. In the three-race sequence, it only takes one horse a big odds to deliver a three or four-digit payoff for a $1 investment. That would make for a good betting day, wouldn't it?