Horse racing is a very exciting and lucrative sport. Anyone who hasnt been to a good track is missing out. Winning lots of money at horse racing is very possible. In fact, it tends to get overlooked in the sports betting world. Think about this. If you were going to wager on a baseball team that was far better than the team it was facing, you might have to lay down $2.50 to $3.00 to win $1. In horse racing, you can often wager on a horse thats superior to the rest of the field (even a small field) and receive a much better line. Since this is a primer, lets talk about the basics of horse racing itself. A horse race can consist of two or more horses. The field, as it is called, varies from race to race. There are three main finishing points in any horse raceWin, Place and Show. Win is of course first place. Second place is called Place and Show is third. These three spots are known as in the money. A horse that doesnt finish in the money is referred to as also ran. Horse racing offers a plethora of wagering options. For instance, one can wager on a horse to win, place and showalso called across the boardor any mixture of the three. There are also other wagers, which are called exotics. One example of an exotic wager is a Trifecta. A Trifecta wager consists of three horses that will finish in the exact listed order. For example, if a bettor placed a 5-8-1 Trifecta, the 5 horse must finish first, the 8 horse second and the 1 horse third. Another example of an exotic wager in horse racing, and a popular one, is the Pick 4. Horse racing bettors play Pick 4s constantly. When a bettor makes a pick 4 wager, he or she is picking the winner in four consecutive races. Winners of the Pick 4 are paid from a pool of wagered money. Theres also a Daily Double, Pick 3 and Pick 6. In the event that theres no winner, the money is carried over to the next day. This happens often with the Pick 6. One of the best things I like about horse racing is the quickness of the races. Unlike a baseball game, I dont have to wait three hours to find out if I won or not. Additionally, unlike other sports, there can be up to hundreds of races on a single day. A typical racetrack will run eight races or more per day. There are many racetracks around the country. Theres a lot more to horse racing, but this primer will start you on the right path. |
