Bet on a Live Horse Race

Have you ever wanted to bet on a horse race but were unsure of how to do it? Well now you can learn the basics of betting and make your experience at the racetrack fun, exhilarating, and profitable. Learning the horse betting rules can be quite confusing at first, but after some experience you will be betting like a pro!

Steps

  1. Locate a horse track and determine its racing schedule.
  2. Plan on arriving at least half an hour early to familiarize yourself with the track.
  3. Purchase a racing program. These cost about $4 and include information about the horses and jockeys in each race.
  4. Find a seat with a comfortable view of one of the racing monitors. The monitors display dynamic betting odds, race number, and a live feed on what is happening on the racetrack.
  5. Open the program to the current race. You can find the race number on the monitors.
  6. Decide on which horses you think have the best chance of winning. Each horse is assigned a number that appears in the program and on the horse's saddle pad. Evaluate the horses one at a time using the information provided in the program:
      • Look at the percent chance that the jockey will win the race on this particular horse. This can be found under the jockey’s name.
      • Look at the horse's race record. Most programs have a diagram at the beginning that will show you where it can be found.
      • Look at the estimated odds of this horse winning the race. This will appear as a large number printed next to the horse’s information.
        • Note: the published odds are estimates and can change depending on the track condition, amount of money bet on the horse, and other factors. These changes can be observed on the monitors prior to each race.
      • Take into consideration the estimated outcome for the first three places. This information is usually printed at the top of the page.
      • Consider the following additional information located in the back of the program:
        • Jockey’s overall win percentage
        • Trainer’s overall win percentage
        • Owner’s overall win percentage
  7. Decide what kind of bet you would like to make and the amount you want to bet. Some common bets are as follows:
      • Place a ‘win’ bet if you think you know the winning horse.
      • Ex: “$2 to win on number 3.”
      • Make a ‘place’ bet if you think a horse will come in first or second.
      • Place a ‘show’ bet if you think a horse will come in first or second or third.
      • Place an ‘exacta’ bet if you think you know the first and second place horses in order.
      • Ex: “$2 extra, numbers 3 and 5.” (3 will come in first and 5 will come in second)
      • Place a ‘quinella’ bet if you think you know the first and second place horses, but not the exact order.
      • Place a ‘trifecta’ bet if you think you know the first, second, and third place horses in the exact order.
      • Place a ‘superfecta’ bet if you think you know the first, second, third, and fourth place horses in the exact order.
  8. Think about where everyone else is betting. The more people bet for a particular horse, the worse your odds are. Preferably, you want a winning horse, which isn't favored by the crowd.
  9. Locate the betting table and place your bet with one of the cashiers. You will receive a ticket with the details of the bet.
  10. Watch the race and wait for the official outcome to appear on the monitors.
  11. If you have a losing ticket, discard it. If you have a winning ticket, present it to the cashier and you will receive a cash voucher for the amount you have won.
  12. At the end of the day, take all of your vouchers to the cashier to receive your winnings in cash.

Tips

  • Remember that bets on horses with the lowest odds will yield the lowest winnings. If you want a safe bet, you can rely on the favorite horses. If, however, you are willing to take a risk, you can bet on horses with higher odds and potentially make more money if the horse wins.
  • Do not be fooled if a horse's odds of winning (on the monitor) suddenly increases right before the race. Often times the trainer and owner will bet a lot of money on their own horse in order to encourage you to bet on their horse as well.
  • It is helpful to look in the program and find the colors assigned to the horses for each race. This way you can more easily keep track of the horses during the race. Make sure you look at the blanket of the horse for the color and not the jockey's shirt.

Warnings

Things You'll Need

  • Racing Program
  • Money
  • Pencil

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