HOW TO PLACE A BET
You’ve read the form guide, you’ve got your tips and you’re ready to try your luck at the track, but what do I say? What type of bet do you want?
The first thing you need to decide on is what type of bet you want to do. In most cases, those new to horse racing will stick with the basics – bet for the win only – otherwise known as “on the nose”, place only – second or third place, or an each way bet – where you bet that your horse will win, but on the off chance you’re not 100% certain you bet on a place as well so you’ll still get some money back if it comes a place.
Below are some of the main types of bets that you’ll use and how much each one will cost you:
| Type of Bet – Standard | Minimum Bet |
| Win Only | $1.00 |
| Place Only | $1.00 |
| Win and Place | $2.00 ($1.00 for win and $1.00 for the place) |
| Type of Bet | Description | 50% | 100% |
| Exacta | Picking the 2 horses that come 1st and 2nd in the race in order | $1.00 | |
| Quinella | Picking the 2 horses that come 1st and 2nd in the race in any order | $1.00 | |
| Trifecta | Picking the 3 horses that come 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the race in order | N/A | $1.00 |
| Trifecta boxed | Picking the 3 horses that come 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the race in any order | $3.00 | $6.00 |
| 4 Horse boxed Trifecta | Picking a trifecta but where you select 4 horses instead of 3 to give you an extra chance | $12.00 | $24.00 |
| First4 | Picking the 4 horses that come 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the race in order | $6.00 | $12.00 |
| First4 boxed | Picking the 4 horses that come 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the race in any order | $12.00 | $24.00 |
| Any 2 | Picking 2 horses in a race where both horses must come within the first 3 in any order | $1.00 |
There are also bets like Quadrella’s (picking the winners of the last 4 races at applicable race tracks), Trebles (picking the winners of the last 3 races at applicable race tracks), Double and Triple Trio’s (picking the trifectas from 2 selected or 3 selected races) and Daily Doubles (picking the winner of 2 races, generally in a row). These are fairly advanced and generally more costly, unless of course you’re a punting genius in which case I’m happy to share these details if you’ll share your secret to success.
I’m missing something here but can’t for the life of my think of it right now.
Do I use a Bookmaker or the Tote?
What’s the difference between a Bookmaker and the Tote?
Bookmakers – When you place a bet with a bookie you are betting against him/her direct. Bookmakers set their betting odds based on a number of things including statistical probabilities mixed with a little public opinion. You can only place win/place, otherwise known as each way, bets with bookmakers because the bets you place with them don’t go into a pool like tote bets do. Once you’ve placed a bet at the bookmaker, the odds you get remain the same regardless of how much the bookies prices fluctuate
Tote – Bets placed at a tote go into state-wide pool where dividends are calculated and divvied up between winners. For example, if 5 people put $1 on horse number 1 to win and 5 people put $1 on horse number 2 to win, there would be $10 in the pool. Now if horse number 2 wins, then the pool is split up between those 5 lucky betters will each win $2 each. Because your bets go into a pool with tote bets, you can bet on Quinella’s, Trifecta’s etc which depend on the pool for dividends. The price at the tote will fluctuate depending on the amount of bets placed unless you’ve opted to ‘fix the price’. This will guarantee your payout amount if your horse comes in first. You can fix the price for the each way bets if you feel that the tote price will drop lower than the current price prior to the race. Simply state that you want fixed price when placing your bet.
Whether you bet with a bookmaker or the tote, the idea between choosing between them is to get the best odds for your money.
What do I say when I want to put a bet on?
This is probably the easiest part of racing because all the hard decisions have been made – the outfit, accessories and you’ve picked your horses.
Whether you place a bet with the bookie or the tote, you essentially say the same things. It’s usually noisy so always make sure you speak clearly and loud enough for them to hear you.
- State the location and race number – Race 4 at Doomben, next race on the Gold Coast etc
- State the amount you want to spend and the type of bet you want – $5 each way fixed price or 4 horse box trifecta for $12
- State the horse number NOT the name
For instance you might say “Next race on the gold coast, can I please have a 4 horse box trifecta for $12 with horse numbers 1, 3, 4, 7”.
Always, always, always check your ticket before walking away, there are plenty of sad tales of losses because the wrong bet was placed due to an error by the attendant.
Happy punting and good luck!