Bet on Horse Racing at Bodog | Kentucky Derby Odds

How to Bet on Horse Racing

Horse racing is known as the Sport of Kings because of its original popularity with aristocrats and royalty, but over time, racing has reached a wider audience. Some top races, such as the Kentucky Derby, attract hundreds of thousands of spectators every year, and while watching the race is a blast, betting on them takes things up a notch. If you’re new to it, here is a small primer to get you started on horse betting.

Basic Horse Racing Bets

While there are many different types of wagers available to horse betters, a good place to start is with the win-place-show bets. The Win bet is simple: pick who you think will win the race. The Place bet means your horse pick has to finish first or second in order to win your bet. The Show bet means your horse has to finish in the top three, which gives you a better likelihood of winning, so your payouts will be smaller than if you picked the Win or Place bets.

Exotic Horse Racing Bets

Once you have the basics down, you can move into the exotic bets, which offer bigger payouts. The three most popular exotic bets are: the Exacta, Trifecta and Superfecta. The Exacta bet requires you to pick the winner and second-place finisher. The Trifecta requires you to predict which horses will finish first, second and third. And the Superfecta requires you to pick the first-place, second-place, third-place and fourth-place finishers.

Calculating The Odds in Horse Racing

The amount you win depends on the horse's odds. If you see a horse available for 3/1, that means you bet $1 to win $3. The bigger the numerator, the less likely the horse is to win, which results in increased payouts. The beauty of horse betting online nowadays is that betting slips have built-in calculators that help with the math, so you don’t have to wrack your brain.

Post Positions in Horse Racing

Once the field is set, the post positions – or starting gates – for each horse will be announced. Take note of where your pick is starting from as some starting gates are more conducive to winning than others – especially in the big races, like the Kentucky Derby. For example, since 1987, only one horse has won the Kentucky Derby from positions 1, 2 or 3. No. 14 has been unlucky too as no horse from that post has won since 1961. The worst is No 17, which has never produced a winner.

Make sure to do a little bit of research before placing your bets. There is plenty of quality information, stats and analysis about the horses to help you make an informed decision. Bodog also offers a Racebook FAQ page and a "How to Place a Bet" page to help get you on the winning track.

 

 

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