Breeders Cup Betting Guide
Straight or Basic
Straight or basic bets pay-out when you pick the horse to win, place or show. Win means that the horse finishes first. Place means that the horse will finish second. Third means that the horse will finish third.
One important note is that if you bet the horse to win it has to finish first. If you bet the horse to place, it can finish first or second. If you bet the horse to finish third, it can finish first, second or third. Of course, usually, the pay-out is higher if you bet the horse to finish first.
Across The Board
This means you are wagering on a horse to Win, Place and Show. This is essentially a $6 bet as each “single” bet is a wager of $2. Another way to think about this is that you are placing $2 on the horse to finish first, second, and third.
Daily Double
To win this bet you must select the winners of two consecutive races. Not all tracks offer the daily-double bet on all wagers. There is usually an “Early Double” which is comprised of the first two races on the card and then there is a “Late Double” which is comprised of the last two races on a card.
Exacta
You pick the first two finishers of any given race in exact order. Therefore, you pick the horse to finish first and then the horse to finish second. The order must be “exact” - - hence, the term “exacta”.
Approximate Payoff for a $2 Win Bet
Odds Pays Odds Pays
1-9 $2.20 2-1 $6.00
1-5 $2.40 5-2 $7.00
2-5 $2.80 3-1 $8.00
1-2 $3.00 7-2 $9.00
3-5 $3.20 4-1 $10.00
4-5 $3.60 9-2 $11.00
1-1 $4.00 5-1 $12.00
6-5 $4.40 6-1 $14.00
7-5 $4.80 7-1 $16.00
3-2 $5.00 8-1 $18.00
8-5 $5.20 9-1 $20.00
9-5 $5.60 10-1 $22.00
Here are some strategies that will be helpful to the newcomer when wagering on the races odds:
- Think twice about putting your money on the favorite. Favorites only win 33% of the time. You will cash more tickets but in the long-run you lose your bankroll. Do your homework at bet on “overlays”.
- Listen to experts but pay more attention to write-ups posted on BetUS regarding horse racing. Get familiar with the jockeys, trainers, horses, and their tendencies. Make yourself an expert.
- Tip sheets are okay, but, more importantly, get to know how each track plays and who the “hot” trainers at each track are. Also, educate yourself on why some horses prefer different racing surfaces. Horse racing is a fickle game and you want to make sure that you have all of the information you need before placing a wager.
- Always check the programs for correct race numbers and extra information regarding horses, jockeys, etc. Never assume anything in thoroughbred racing!
- Watch the horses run. Listen to the quotes from trainers and jockeys before and after races. There is a lot you can learn by just keeping your ears open.
Glossary of Wagering Strategy Terms
Overlay – A horse going off at higher odds than what you expected the horse to go off at. This is what you want. You want to wager on a horse that will “pay-out” more than you expected it to.
Underlay – A horse going off at lower odds than it should. Check out BetUS articles regarding horse racing for more information regarding how to spot underlay and overlays.
Personal Money-Line – Your personal money-line will determine whether or not you think a horse is an overlay or underlay. This is a very important concept to understand. You must determine the “fair odds” of the horse.
Fair Odds – Fair odds are pretty much the odds at which you will or won’t be on the horse. After you handicap the race, you set your personal money-line for each horse you think has a chance in the race. If the horse is going off at your personal money-line odds, then that horse is going off at “fair odds”.
Live Horse Betting Lines
