The trifecta is one of the most popular online betting choices among horseplayers, and for good reason. A small investment can turn into a generous windfall if you can correctly pick the exact running order of the top three finishers in a horse race. However, being a consistent winner in horse race trifecta betting takes smarts, handicapping prowess, and a little luck does not hurt either.
Best category bonuses go to the American Express Trifecta. The combination of The Platinum Card, Gold Card, and Blue Business Plus provide an incredibly well-rounded earning trio. The cards in the Amex Trifecta seem to complement each other, while some of the other trifectas have more overlap. The trifecta also includes the. Part Wheel Strategy and The Mathematics. In a prior article we provided a Trifecta Part Wheel example using a key horse in the first position and introducing the mathematics for calculating the number of combinations of a Part Wheel wager, Pyramid Style.
Trifecta bets can be broken down into several key elements:
• Handicapping a horse race and coming up with the major contenders in a race.
• Finding a horse race in which at least one or two of the top three betting favorites looks vulnerable.
• Laying out the trifecta tickets to maximize profits and coverage.
*Below are a few horse racing trifecta betting tips to keep in mind when heading to the betting window
Selecting the Race
In general, do not wager on races in which there are six runners or less, or in a race where you think the top two betting choices are going to complete the exacta. Even if you land a longshot in the third slot, the trifecta seldom will come back with a good payoff, and in the long run is not a good bet.
The best races to attack when doing trifectas is when you can find a race in which one or two of the top betting choices look weak, and in a large field where there are several live longshots that can land in the money.
Laying Out Your Ticket
The biggest mistakes is how tickets are played. Many horseplayers will narrow the field down to three or four horses, and just box the contenders.
• Handicapping a horse race and coming up with the major contenders in a race.
• Finding a horse race in which at least one or two of the top three betting favorites looks vulnerable.
• Laying out the trifecta tickets to maximize profits and coverage.
*Below are a few horse racing trifecta betting tips to keep in mind when heading to the betting window
Selecting the Race
In general, do not wager on races in which there are six runners or less, or in a race where you think the top two betting choices are going to complete the exacta. Even if you land a longshot in the third slot, the trifecta seldom will come back with a good payoff, and in the long run is not a good bet.
The best races to attack when doing trifectas is when you can find a race in which one or two of the top betting choices look weak, and in a large field where there are several live longshots that can land in the money.
Laying Out Your Ticket
The biggest mistakes is how tickets are played. Many horseplayers will narrow the field down to three or four horses, and just box the contenders.
Here is a look at the costs for boxing:
$1 trifecta box using 3 horses = $6
$1 trifecta box using 4 horses = $24
$1 trifecta box using 5 horses = $60
$1 trifecta box using 6 horses = $120
Using a box strategy is fine if you actually think each horse on your ticket has an equal chance of winning, but that is seldom the case. A better strategy is to find one or two key horses that have the best chance to win, then more of your bankroll can be devoted to the second and third slots, which are generally trickier to fill.
Instead of just boxing your top four selections for a $24 investment, you could lay out the ticket like this:
- 1,2 over 1,2,3,4 over 1,2,3,4,5,6 = $24
A $60 ticket could look like this:
- 1,2,3 over 1,2,3,4,5 over 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 = $60
Most horseplayers find it easier to pick a winner than it is to find the horse that is going to land home third, and by spreading out on the bottom end of the ticket, you just might land a few longshots that complete a hefty trifecta payoff.
The 50-Cent Trifecta
Some tracks are now taking 50-cent trifectas, which give horseplayers added options.
With 50-cent tickets now available in online horse trifecta betting, even horseplayers with a limited bankroll can cover more options. The two examples of our trifecta keys above would be half the price, $12 and $30.
Of course, the payoff if you hit the trifecta would be half. However, with the money saved by halving the ticket, an astute horseplayer could play extra tickets with key horses.
For example the 1,2 over 1,2,3,4 over 1,2,3,4,5,6 for $12 could be supplemented with additional tickets.
For instance the following 50-cent tickets:
1 over 2 over 3,4,5,6,7,8 = $3
1 over 2,3 over 2,3,4,5 = $3
1 over 2,3,4 over 2,3,4 = $3
2 over 1,3 over 1,3,4,5 = $3
If your two key horses finish in the first and second spot, you are lined up to hit the trifecta multiple times. The key to successful trifecta wagering is to structure your tickets according to what you think the probabilities of the outcome are going to be.
You will save money by structuring your horse race trifecta betting tickets in this manner. While you may cash fewer tickets than using a boxing method, in the long run your return on investment will be higher. In addition, having multiple tickets with your key horse in the top spot could lead to higher payoffs.
These are just a couple of horse racing trifecta betting strategies that can make your online horse wagering more enjoyable and profitable.
Superfecta betting offers bettors the chance at a life-changing score for a moderate outlay of cash. Five-figure superfecta payoffs occur on a weekly basis, with 6-figure payouts not that uncommon, especially on horseracing's biggest days - Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup.
The superfecta in the 2007 Kentucky Derby, won by 9/2 shot Street Sense, paid $29,046.40 for a $2 ticket. In 2005, the Kentucky Derby was won by 50-1 shot Giacomo, triggering a monstrous $1 superfecta payoff of $864,253.50. There were six winning tickets. At the 2006 Breeder's Cup there were three 5-figure $2 superfecta payoffs and one 6-figure payoff of $113,911.80, in the Breeder's Cup Sprint. That should be enough to convince you that superfectas are worth going after - intelligently that is.
Superfecta betting requires that you select the first four finishers in a race in exact order. Originally offered as a $1 minimum wager, which prevented many smaller bettors from being able to effectively cover numerous superfecta combinations, many tracks now offer $0.10 and $0.20 superfecta bets. This has allowed even casual bettors a shot at cashing a big ticket.
The key to superfecta wagering is to cover as many of the probable outcomes as possible without spending a fortune. This is not easy when you consider that in an 8-horse field there are 1,680 (8 * 7 * 6 * 5) possible winning superfecta combinations. A $1 box of all possible winning superfecta combinations in an 8-horse field would cost you $1,680. A $0.20 or $0.10 superfecta box would cost you one fifth or one tenth of the $1 box cost respectively.
While superfecta boxes do have their place in specific scenarios, they are generally the most inefficient method of betting the superfecta, simply because they allocate the same amount of money to every possible combination. This is out of line with the actual winning probabilities of each combination, and thus results in inefficiencies in the superfecta betting pools that smart bettors can take advantage of. Additional superfecta wagering strategies include straight superfecta bets, superfecta wheels and superfecta part key wheels.
Straight Superfecta Betting
The simplest of all superfecta wagering strategies, a straight superfecta bet covers the least amount of combinations for the least amount of money. A straight superfecta bet 2-3-5-6, usually offered in a minimum denomination of $2, would cost you $2, and would win only if the final order of finish was 2-3-5-6. Of course, this would give you only one of the possible 1,680 combinations in an 8-horse field. Not much coverage, not much outlay of cash, and not much chance of winning.
Superfecta Boxes
Boxing all horses in the superfecta is not only cost-prohibitive; it is also dumb in 95 percent of cases - rating each possible combination as having an equal probability of winning. Of course, if you were absolutely certain that the two favorites would finish out of the money in an 8-horse field, you could box the remaining six horses and make a profit. A $1 6-horse superfecta box covering 360 combinations would cost you $360 (6 * 5 * 4 * 3). If both favorites finished out of the money, and assuming the superfecta betting pools were of reasonable size, the superfecta would likely pay more than $360 for a $1. You could also play the smaller $0.10 or $0.20 superfecta boxes offered by some tracks, for one tenth or one fifth of the cost of a $1 ticket, but you would also only collect one tenth or one fifth of the total $1 payoff respectively.
Realistically, the only time to play a large superfecta box is when you believe one and preferably two of the favorites will finish out of the money. Despite the obvious inefficiencies of superfecta box betting, it remains the most popular form of superfecta wagering among casual players and even decent handicappers, primarily because it requires very little mental effort. If you do find a race where the favorites look like they can finish out of the money - which would make the superfecta box strategy profitable – the costs of such boxes follow below.
$1 Superfecta Box Costs
(Divide by 5 for $0.20 superfecta box cost and by 10 for $0.10 superfecta box cost)
- $1 superfecta box of 4 horses = 24 possible combinations = $24
- $1 superfecta box of 5 horses = 120 possible combinations = $120
- $1 superfecta box of 6 horses = 360 possible combinations = $360
- $1 superfecta box of 7 horses = 840 possible combinations = $840
- $1 superfecta box of 8 horses = 1,680 possible combinations = $1,680
- $1 superfecta box of 9 horses = 3,024 possible combinations = $3,024
- $1 superfecta box of 10 horses = 5,040 possible combinations = $5,040
- $1 superfecta box of 11 horses = 7,920 possible combinations = $7,920
- $1 superfecta box of 12 horses = 11,880 possible combinations = $11,880
Superfecta Wheels
A superfecta wheel keying one horse with a number of others to finish in the remaining three positions allows you to lower your costs based on good handicapping. While not the most efficient method of betting the superfecta, a superfecta wheel is a much better option than a superfecta box, as it allows you to reduce your costs based on probabilities. For example, if you like one horse to finish first or second, and can narrow the remainder of the field down to five contenders, you could play your key horse to finish first and second over your remaining five contenders in second, third and fourth and first, third and fourth.
A $1 superfecta wheel keying the 1 horse to finish first with 2,6,7,8,9 in any of the second, third and fourth positions would provide you with 60 possible combinations at a cost of $60. You could also key the 1 horse in a $1 superfecta wheel in the second position with any of 2,6,7,8,9 to finish first, third and fourth at a similar cost of $60. The total cost of a superfecta wheel keying your main horse in first and second with five other horses to finish in the remaining three positions would be $120. Compare this to boxing six horses in a $1 box at a cost of $360. Obviously the more cost efficient superfecta bet is to key a horse. Below are the costs involved when keying one horse with a set number of others in $1 superfecta wheels. Again, divide by five or 10 if you are playing $0.20 or $0.10 superfecta tickets respectively.
Superfecta Wheel Costs
- $1 superfecta wheel 1 horse with 3 horses in the remaining three positions = $6
- $1 superfecta wheel 1 horse with 4 horses in the remaining three positions = $24
- $1 superfecta wheel 1 horse with 5 horses in the remaining three positions = $60
- $1 superfecta wheel 1 horse with 6 horses in the remaining three positions = $120
- $1 superfecta wheel 1 horse with 7 horses in the remaining three positions = $201
- $1 superfecta wheel 1 horse with 8 horses in the remaining three positions = $336
- $1 superfecta wheel 1 horse with 9 horses in the remaining three positions = $504
- $1 superfecta wheel 1 horse with 10 horses in the remaining three positions = $720
- $1 superfecta wheel 1 horse with 11 horses in the remaining three positions = $990
Getting Creative - Superfecta Part Key Wheels
The most efficient method of playing the superfecta is to find more than one key horse and use other multiple contenders to fill out the remaining positions in the superfecta. In the early days of superfecta wagering, before $0.20 and $0.10 superfecta bet minimums were in place, this strategy allowed many sharp $1 superfecta bettors to take their shot at pool scooping (taking the whole superfecta betting pool) at a reasonable cost, while also giving them numerous combinations that many other bettors simply would not have. This was an especially productive strategy at smaller tracks where the superfecta pools were decent yet not large enough to cover every possible combination.
For example, in a small superfecta betting pool, let's say you liked horses 2 (3-1), 4 (5-1) and 10 (12-1) in a 10 horse field. You might play a $1 superfecta part wheel 2,4,10 with 2,4,10 with 2,4,10 with all, which would include 42 combinations at a cost of $42.
In the days of pool scooping, you would also play your above three horses with ALL in all remaining spots, to in an effort to cover as many combinations as possible. For example, to key your three main horses with ALL others in all possible spots, the superfecta tickets would be as follows:
- 2,4,10 with 2,4,10 with 2,4,10 with ALL = 42 $1 combinations at a cost of $42
- 2,4,10 with 2,4,10 with ALL with 2,4,10 = 42 $1 combinations at a cost of $42
- 2,4,10 with ALL with 2,4,10, with 2,4,10 = 42 $1 combinations at a cost of $42
- ALL with 2,4,10 with 2,4,10 with 2,4,10 = 42 $1 combinations at a cost of $42
Total cost for 168 of the most probable $1 superfecta combinations = $168
In the above scenario, your three main key horses would all have to finish somewhere in the first four positions, but you would be surprised how many times this simple strategy produces one of the few winning superfecta tickets – and thus a large profit. In fact, in the above scenario, you might also take the whole superfecta pool without having all the correct horses on your ticket.
For example, let's say the 8 horse at 47-1 wins the race with horse 2 finishing second, horse 4 finishing third and horse 5 finishing fourth. So the order of finish is 8-2-4-5. You're holding a ticket that reads ALL-2-4-10. So you have the first three finishers but not the fourth. In some cases, because of the small pools and the inability of other bettors to cover all possible superfecta combinations, nobody has a winning ticket on the combination 8-2-4-5. In this case, the whole superfecta pool would be paid out to anyone holding the ticket 8-2-4-ALL – which you have with your ticket that reads ALL with 2,4,10 with 2,4,10 with 2,4,10.
While the above scenario is not as common as it once was since the advent of the $0.20 and $0.10 superfecta minimums, it still occurs on a regular enough basis to make the strategy profitable, assuming you can select the right three horses to finish somewhere in the first four positions.
Another favorite superfecta wagering strategy is to key a pair of horses to finish in certain positions with a number of others. For example:
- 2,4 with 2,4 with 5,6,7,8,9 with 5,6,7,8,9 = 40 $1 combinations = $40
- 2,4 with 5,6,7,8,9 with 2,4 with 5,6,7,8,9 = 40 $1 combinations = $40
Total cost for 80 of the most probable $1 superfecta combinations = $80
In the above scenario you have played the two horses identified by your handicapping as the most probable winners to finish first and second and first and third in the superfecta with your other contenders in the remaining positions at a cost of only $80 (and less if you are able to play $0.20 and $0.10 superfectas).
Contrast this to the lazy bettor's superfecta box of seven horses (no key horses as determined by handicapping in the above scenario) at a cost of $840. You have reduced your costs by $760 ($840 - $80) while also having a great shot at getting the superfecta.
In he above scenario, let's say your winning $1 superfecta ticket paid $1,000. If you had played a 7-horse box at a cost of $840 your profit would be $160 ($1,000-$840). With the part key superfecta wheel your profit would be $920 ($1,000 - $80). Which would you rather have?
While you will cash a lower number of winning superfecta tickets using the wheel and part-wheel superfecta wagering strategies, your net profit will be much higher – assuming your handicapping is relatively sound.
Good handicapping is essential, but creativity in structuring your bets to cover the highest number of probable combinations for the least amount of money is the real key to profitable superfecta betting.
Related:
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