Horse Racing Betting – How To Bet On Horse Racing

There’s one thing that you absolutely need to have before you start betting on horse races: An appreciation for the sport.

Everything else can be learned, but if you don’t have an actual, sincere appreciation for horse racing as a fan, it will feel more like a chore than a hobby to keep up with upcoming events and horse racing culture. If it’s not fun, then the entire purpose of gaming is defeated.

That said, here’s a basic guide to turning your appreciation for horse racing into a hobby (and hopefully, a secondary income).

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Know Your Bets

Every sport has its own rules, so every sport has its own types of bets you can place. Here are the types you’ll need to know for horse racing…

Straight Bet: Also known as a single or a “Win bet”. The simplest, and most common. Place your bet on your favorite horse, and collect if your horse comes in first.

Place: With a place bet, you collect whether your horse comes in first or second.

Show: You collect if your horse comes in first, second, or third. Of course, you stand to win less and less money between a straight bet, a place, and a show.

Combination Bet: Pick anywhere from two to four horses to win in chosen order. Your return depends on the accuracy of your prediction.

Pick 3: Pick the winners of three races in a row. Depending on who you’re betting with, you can either pick three at once, or pick one at the beginning of each race.

Quinella (AKA, Reverse Forecast): Pick two horses to finish in the first two places, in either order.

Perfecta/Exacta/Straight Forecast: Pick the two winning horses, but they must cross in the order you predicted for you to collect.

Trifecta: Same as Perfecta, but with three horses.

Superfecta: Predict the first four horses across the finish line in the right order.

Daily Double: Pick the winners of the first two races of the day. You must place your bet before the first race begins.

Jackpot: Pick the first place winners of six races to share in the jackpot. The jackpot prize may be a sum of money or other prizes, depending on the particular track.

Beyond understanding the bets you can place, all you really need is the betting savvy that comes with experience. Place a few bets, and you’ll start developing an instinct for how to more accurately predict races,

You can bet on horse races online at any number of betting websites, but if you get a chance, nothing really beats seeing the race live, chatting with fellow enthusiasts, and being right there as it happens.