horse betting can be a lot of fun!
by Melissa Cook
There are few areas of the casino that are mysteries to me. I’ve conquered my fears in nearly every corner of the gaming floor, and can place a wager at any table or machine—if not always with perfect skill, then at least with a modicum of confidence.With one exception: the race and sportsbook.
The Vegas sportsbooks are cavernous places, with monitors displaying a multitude of games and races and boards posting numbers that make no sense to me. The atmosphere is always different from the rest of the casino. Even at the most festive property, there’s an aloof, serious air in the sportsbook that is almost palpable. They are darker than the outside world; quieter, unless an incredible play or a photo-finish is occurring; and dominated by men. You feel you have to know what you’re doing before you dare set foot in one of them, or run the risk of being punted out on your ignorant rear end.
I won’t even attempt to understand sports betting. Frankly, there isn’t a game out there I care enough about to put myself through that. I like watching hockey and football and baseball, but I can’t name the players, and any stats I hear go in one ear and out the other. So that whole half of the race and sportsbook equation will have to remain a mystery to me.
But horses, I like. Horses are pretty and horse races are short. I knew I could get into horse betting, if only I could get over my fear of placing the actual bet.
Not that horse betting is any less complex than sports betting. Some believe it’s an actual science. They know the jockeys and the horses’ parents (OK, the sire and dam). They know what the tracks are like, and which horses do best on those tracks, and what kind of shoes the horses are wearing. They monitor the weather, the past races, the time of day, the position in the gate. They’ve got systems and hunches and sources and tips.
If you know any of those things, just skip over this article. If you know how such-and-such horse ran the last time the track was muddy, you know too much to read this.
This is a beginner’s piece—an article designed to let the average gambler go into the sportsbook and place a simple bet on a race. Because if you’ve never done it, you should. Horse betting is not nearly as intimidating as it looks, and even for the novice, it can be an inexpensive diversion, full of fun and excitement.
Getting Started
All race books have a few things in common, so if you can get comfortable with the basics, you can navigate around any one of them, regardless of their size.
Each book covers a number of races at tracks across the country at any given time, so the first thing you have to figure out is what races are going on where, and which ones you want to bet on. Generally located near the betting windows, you’ll find an area with a bunch of different printed pages. There will be separate ones for each of the tracks covered. Turfway Park, Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park are just a few you’ll see. The sheet will have the track name at the top, along with today’s date, the track condition and the post (or start) time of the first race. It will then list each of the races, the length of the race, the type of race, the horses’ names, numbers and jockeys, the weight the horse is carrying (weight of the rider and equipment), and the types of wagers that can be made on that particular race. It will also show the morning odds for each horse. But keep in mind, the odds change right up until the time the horses leave the gates, and you’ll actually be paid according to the odds when they “go off.”
Along with these sheets, you can also purchase (from the window) the Daily Racing Form (about $3). This daily newspaper is considered the Bible for horse betting. It covers a ton of information, including the history of the horses and a short, expert analysis of their chances at that day’s race. There are regional editions of the paper, so you’ll need to ask the teller for the one that covers the track you’re interested in. For example, let the teller know you want the Racing Form for Santa Anita. That issue will cover Santa Anita, as well as a couple of other tracks in the area.
Take your papers and something to write with, and find a seat. Some race books (such as Caesars and the Fiesta) have individual monitors at each seat, in addition to big-screen monitors throughout the room. Find the station or monitor that is covering the track you’re betting on. You’ll see the race number, the horses, the current odds, and any changes to the race line-up on the left side of the screen. Between races, you’ll see the horses for the next race being paraded around before they are led to the gates. It gives you a chance to see who you’re wagering your money on.
You can make your bet right up to the start of the race, and there’s usually between 20 and 30 minutes between races, so you’re in no great hurry to choose your horses. That’s one of the nice things about horse betting. Unless you’re betting on several horses at several different tracks at once, you can relax with a drink and make your choices at a leisurely pace.
Place Your Bets
Here’s where it can get tricky. There are a multitude of ways you can wager on the horses, including bets that cover a number of races throughout the day. For our purposes, I’ll just explain the “simple” bets—wagers that can get you started and give you a chance to make some money.
Two dollars is the minimum you can risk, but nowhere else in a casino can you make two bucks last as long. Of course, a $2 bet will rarely result in a big win (unless that long-shot comes in), but it is possible to play with that little invested. More often than not, however, you’ll spend closer to $6 on a given race. As you become more familiar with placing the bets, you’ll probably want to up the ante for a bit more excitement.
The following are the most common bets:
Win
You pick one horse to come in first. If he does, you win.
Place
Your horse can finish either first or second.
Show
Your horse can finish first, second or third.
Across the Board
When you bet a horse to Show, you get paid less money than when you bet him to Win, even if he finishes first. For this reason, you can wager all three bets: $2 that he will win, $2 that he will come in second, and $2 that he will come in third. The total bet will cost you $6. But let’s say your horse wins the race. You get paid the odds on him Winning, Placing and Showing.
Exacta
You pick two horses—one for first place, one for second place. They must finish in that order.
Trifecta (or Triple)
You choose the first, second and third place horses, in that order.
Exacta Box
You pick two horses. It doesn’t matter what order they finish in, as long as one finishes in first place and the other in second place.
This wager is similar to a “way” ticket at keno. You actually take a $1 Exacta Box, but because there are two ways for you to win, it costs you $2. For example, say you tell the teller you’d like a $1 Exacta Box on horses 3 and 6. You win if horse 3 comes in first and 6 comes in second, or if 6 comes in first and 3 comes in second.
Trifecta Box
This is the same as the Exacta Box, except you are choosing three horses for first, second and third places. A $1 Trifecta Box will cost you $6, because there are six different ways you can win.
All of these wagers apply to a single race. But you can also place bets that cover the outcomes of several races. These aren’t easy to hit, but the payoffs can be substantial.
Daily Double
This wager is usually offered on the first and second races at a given track. You must pick a horse in the first race to Win and a horse in the second race to Win.
Pick 3
You must pick the winners of three separate races.
Pick 6
Talk about a long shot! You have to pick the winners of six consecutive races. Continued on...
