How to Bet on Horses (Part 1)

In order to bet on horses and have a real chance of defeating the house, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the different types of wagers that are offered to you in order to utilize them more effectively.

Common wagering types:

WIN: This means that you are placing a wager on the horse that you believe is going end up in first place, and if he does, you are able to collect.

PLACE: If you use this one, you are betting your horse to finish second, and so if he does finish either first or second, you win (and as presumed, your winnings will be lower as the bet is less risky).

SHOW: Same concept as the two below, only this time you are betting your horse to end up in third place, so, if he finishes 1st, 2nd or 3rd, you also win.

ACROSS THE BOARD: When you place this type of bet, you are wagering on win, place and show at the same time, but it works a little bit different. For example, let’s say that you are laying $2 on each of the aforementioned betting types, so, if your picked horse wins, you collect winnings for the 3 bets, if your horse finishes second, you collect earnings for place and show and if it finishes in the third position, you only get earnings for the show bet.

Exotic wagering types:

These are a bit more difficult to win than the common betting types, and the reason is because they require your selections to finish in a determined proper order.

EXACTA: Here you are picking 2 horses to finish in first and second place, and they should end the race in the order you pick them so you can win the wager.

QUINELLA: On this one you are betting on 2 determined horses to finish 1st and 2nd and either of your picked horses can finished first or second.

TRIFECTA: Here you are betting on 3 horses to finish in first, second and third and they should finish the race in the specified position you picked for them for you to win. When betting a trifecta, at least seven horses should start the race.

We hope this article has helped you understand common horse betting types in a better way. We also provided you with info on the most utilized exotic betting types, and on the second part of this series, we will continue to expand on this subject so you can get familiarized with others such as the superfecta and the daily double.