Horse Betting Terms
Introduction: Horse Betting Terms
The thing with horse racing, just to make matters slightly more complicated, is that you don’t just have to bet on the winning horse. Oh…how simple that would make everything. Depending on the type of bet you place, there are any number of terms to describe both the wager and the result.
If you would like to learn a lot of interesting gambling terms check out our online jackpot guides.
Straight Bets:
OK…this is the simplest form of horse betting. Essentially it means that you’re simply betting n a horse to win. That’s it! So if the old nag comes in second or third place, then you’ve lost the bet. maybe that was a little too straight forwards, as today a straight bet implies a bet on placing a horse first, second or third. Still, relatively easy to follow. There are a number of other terms related to straight bets, but we’ll leave them alone for now.
Across the Board
This is the placing of three wagers. The one is for the horse to win, another for it to come second and the final bet on the horse to come in third place. Now, if the horse wins, you’ll get all the three bets paid out. Great. If it finishes second, then your payout is for the bets on the second and third placings. Seems pretty clear so far. So even if you don’t come in for first place, a third-place will still win you back some cash.
Horse Betting: In the Money
If a horse finishes in the money, then it must come in first, second or third.
On the Nose
You’re wagering on the horse to win in a horse race, not a boxing match.
Horse Betting: Place
Place simply means that the horse came in second. A place bet means that you’re betting on the horse to come in second place. Now, you’ll win the bet if the horse comes in second. But you’ll also pick up some cash if the horse finishes first. But not if it comes in third place.
Show
A horse that comes in third place is called show. Why not just say the third place we have no idea! A show bet works on the same principles as a place bet. That means that you collect the third-place winnings if your nag comes in first, second or third place. It goes without saying that most of your earnings will come from a straight bet; the horse you bet on wins the race. place bets and show bets pay less and less, but still, offer enough for punters to make across the board bets.
Exotic Wagers
This isn’t about betting on lap-dancing elephants or ostrich racing. This refers to more complicated betting strategies. Often they involve more than one horse or even more than one race. Though they are harder to win, when they do payout, they tend to be much bigger. Below are some examples of exotic bets.
Horse Betting: Exacta
For this, you need to select the first two winners in the race and in the order in which they finish. Unless your box you bet.
Boxed Bet
This is a way of betting that tries to cover all the possibilities and combinations or multiple horses taking part in the race. So, if you want to box an exacta, then you would wager one horse A to win and Horse B to place second. But you’d also bet the reverse, that Horse A would come in second and Horse B in first. So, you’re kinda sure on those two horses but can’t fathom out which one will actually win. Each one of these two combinations is a separate bet. So….boxing a $2 exacta would cost you $4.
Daily Double
Not a form of laxative. This means that you’re wagering on two separate horses running in consecutive races. Normally these are the first and second races of the day. To get a payout, each horse must finish first.
Horse Betting: Pick 3
Pay attention as things will start getting a bit more complicated. Pick three is really just an enhanced version of the daily double. So, you would wager on the first place horses of three consecutive races instead of two races. In fact, your “pick” races can encompass as many as 6 races. In other words, you would need to bet o the winners of six races, one after another. Nuts! With such a bonkers bet, the rewards can be equally nuts. Sometimes, at some race tracks, the Pick 6 can roll over, like a casino jackpot, if no one wins it.
Quinella
It sounds like a Mexican cheese eaten with sweetened hazelnut cocoa spread. But it’s actually a variation of boxing a bet. our two-horse pick, must both win and place, but the order is not of importance. This is a single bet, unlike the boxed exacta, which is two wagers, and so the payout for the Quinella is less.
Horse Betting: Superfecta
Not a James Bond villain, this is up there along with the Pick 6 in the difficulty stakes. So…first choose four horses. They must finish in the exact race order. And yes, for those with a penchant for going full retard, you can box a superfecta in the same way you can box an exacta. But that’s an awful lot of combinations. And it can become very expensive if you’re wrong. We suggest you stay well clear of this one.
Trifecta
Could this be the Pope’s hat? Nope, it involves picking the first three finishers in a race. Also called a “triple”, it’s like the bastard child of an unholy alliance between an exacta and a superfacta. Unless you box your wager, then the horses will need to come in at the specific order specified.
Additional Betting Terms
Bridge Jumper
Yes, it means what you think it does. It describes someone who put an unusually large bet on a horse. The implication being that a loss will result in suicide.
Dead Heat
This is an exact tie between two or more horses at the finishing line. This is the photo finish. Race track officials will take a look at the video footage stills to determine the outright winner. Sometimes, they really are tied in which case the earning are divided between the winning horses.
Inquiry
Normally when something out of the ordinary occurs at the racetrack, then there’s what’s often referred to as a steward’s inquiry. Things like illegal use of the crop or horse blocking will lead to this.
Objection
Following on from above, a rider, owner or trainer can call foul on something that’s occurred. Lead’s to a steward’s inquiry.
Horse Betting Terms: The Odds
These are often set in the morning before the races start. They represent the statistical probability of a horse winning. There are official “handicappers” who check out the horse’s prier to the race and decide which will have to carry greater weights in order to level the playing field, so to speak. They tend to set the odds. As the betting begins, then the odds change to reflect where the money is being placed. When there’s a lot of money riding on one horse, then this drives it’s odds downwards. Conversely, when there’s a little bet on a particular horse, then it’s because no one is expecting it to win. Hence the odds are higher. This last horse is known as a “long shot”. As you can imagine, long shots pay a lot more than the “odds on” favorite.
Now, that you learned all the terms just choose one of the online jackpot sites and choose a horse which is favored by the odds.
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