How to Bet on Horses

The Preakness, Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes have fun written all over them.  How can watching horses, ladies with giant hats that defy gravity at times, and a circular track sound like fun?  How about when you bet and win money doing so?

Gambling has gone back decades, even centuries, and the same can be said about horse betting.  If you like to gamble and have wanted to know more about the world of horse race betting, there are some pieces of information you’ll want to consider when picking that perfect horse to place on.

If you go in to place a bet it’s best to decide if you want to wager on just one horse which is called a straight wager or if you want to bet on multiple horses which is called an exotic wager.  Both have different ways of betting.  Let’s me explain a bit further. Let’s begin with the single or straight wager.

With single horse or straight wager you only bet on one horse and so the following apply:

Win – This is where you have picked just one horse to win and so you bet on that horse.  This is fairly easy and if your horse wins then you get to collect your prize money.

Place – You are betting that your horse will either take first or second.  If it does then you get to collect.

Show – This is what you bet when you think your horse might come in first, second, or third.  Never hurts to at least try to get the top three and still win some money.

Across the Board – Getting this right is lucky and fun.  This means you are betting that your horse will win, place, and show.  Call it a trifecta or as they call it a “combo straight wager” and if you get this right you’ll be one happy horse fan.

Win/Place/ and Place/Show – Similar to the Across the Board wager, this is a multi-wager bet.  The Win/Place is that you are betting the horse will win and place.  Place/Show you are betting the horse will place and show.  So you get a 50/50 odds on your money that you could be a winner on both or just one of those.

Now that we have the single horse or straight wager covered, let us go to the more challenging yet more rewarding (if you are lucky) bets: The Exotic Wagers.

With exotic wagers, the rules are the same, but with a bigger twist because you are betting on more than one horse.

Exacta – This is betting on 2 horses to come in first and second and in the exact order you place them.

Quinella – With this bet, you are betting on 2 horses to come in first and second but in any order.  This is important as it’s different than the Exacta.  Make sure you choose accordingly when placing your bet.

Trifecta – Just like it sounds, you are betting on 3 horses to place first, second, and third in exact order.  This one is very hard and if you like to risk it, this can also be very profitable.

Superfecta – Taking it one step further than the Trifecta you are now betting on 4 horses to come in the exact order you place them from first to fourth.  Surprisingly this one is a popular bet because most tracks let you place this type of bet starting at just ten cents.

So now you know what you can use to bet on, but the next part is actually placing the bet.  You need to do the following in exact order:

1.)  Name the racetrack you will be placing your bet.  If you are there, skip to point 2, but if at a casino or offsite place, then this is step one.

2.)  Tell them the race number.

3.)  Let them know much you plan on placing for the bet.

4.)  Also inform them of the type of bet you plan on placing.  This is where all those fun words up above come into use.

5.)  The horse you are betting on’s program number.

Once you have done this, you hand over your money, and then you get your ticket.  Make sure to keep it safe and if you win go and collect.  That’s it.  It’s pretty simple once you’ve done it a few times and now go have fun and pick your pony!