Want to start betting on horse races but don’t know where to? Our quick-start guide will give you the insights you need to kick off. Horse racing betting can seem stressful at first, but it’s actually pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it.
Most sportsbooks use a lot of horse racing terminology that is confusing to the beginner. Knowing the basic lingo before you sit down at the racetrack will help you to choose the right online betting platform to ensure you’re getting the best deal, balance the buy-back and the odds you are offered, and just enjoy the whole process to the fullest.
Before you jumpstart your adventure, there are a few horse racing tips for betting that will come in handy.
Without further ado, let’s start with the most common ones:
Straight Bets
The most common types of horse racing bets are straight bets. Note that with straight bets, you wager on one horse. This helps the bettors keep it simple as it cuts down the choices to a single horse in a single race. Most writings on super horse racing tips will tell you to start from straight bets if you are doing your very first steps.
Win – You win if you predict the horse that comes in first and wins the race
Place – You will win if your horse comes in first or second
Show – You win if you predict the horse that will come first, second, or third.
Multiple Straight Bets
Across the Board – There’s an option to combine win, place, and show bets called across the board bet. When you put an across-the-board bet, you wager your horse to do all the three win, place, and show. You get the payout for all three if your horse wins. You win place and show bets only if your horse comes in second. Coming in third place will bring you a payout for only the last show bet. The bet is also referred to as combo straight wager for having three bets in one. These bets usually tend to be more expensive as they feature three in one wager, and thus, they are usually less profitable and riskier than the single ones.
Win/Place, Place/Show – There are other picks for multiple straight wagers that combine only two bets. You can either bet on your horse to win and place or to place and show. The winning principle is the same as in the across-the-board bets.
If your horse finishes second, you collect the place and show money; if he finishes third, you just get the show money. Because you’re placing multiple wagers on your horse in a single bet, win/place and place/show are more expensive.
Exotic Bets
If you’re in the mood for a more complicated game, you might want to go for exotic horse racing betting. The main difference is that, unlike straight bets, exotic bets require wagering on multiple horses during one or multiple races. These bets might help you snag bigger wins within a short period of time. However, they require better knowledge on the market and horse races in general.
A good horse racing terminology guide can’t go without extending a bit on the most common exotic bet types.
Exacta – While placing an exacta bet, you’ll need to pick two favorite horses and predict which one will be the winner and which one will come the second in order. You can also bet an exacta box, meaning that either horse can come first or second regardless of the order. Exacta box requires multiple bets; thus, it will cost you more.
Quinella – Quinella is similar to exacta box bets. The only difference is that it’s not a multiple bet and will cost you less. The to dollar quinella wager will cost four dollars in exacta box bet. The essence is the same—you pick two horses to run in first and second places in any order to win.
Trifecta – Trifecta bet is similar to exacta bets, the only difference being the number of horses you bet on. This one includes three horses. To place a trifecta bet, choose three horses and predict who will win, place, show in order. Trifecta bet box enables you to win if the horses you bet on come in first, second and third places without any order. The trifecta box bet, however, will cost you upfront.
Superfecta – As you might guess, the distinct feature of superfecta bets is the number of horses you can bet on. This time you can go with choosing four horses. To bring some cash to your pockets, your horses need to complete the race in your chosen order. Like in the previous two bets, there is also a superfecta box bet option available, which will cost you more than the ordinary bet.
Understanding the most common horse racing terms is fundamental to the whole betting process. Having the practical lingo at hand will help you tackle your bets with confidence. Our last horse racing tip for betting is to put the new terms into practice. Go to Pnxbet, one of the most accessible online betting platforms, and make your first horse racing bet right away.