History > How to Bet > FAQ's > Glossary of Terms
HOW TO BET
Betting for Beginners
How Betting Works
Racetrack betting is called pari-mutuel betting, which is French
for “to bet amongst us”. This is because the money
everyone bets is placed into pools and shared amongst winners
at the end of the race. You never bet against the track, only
against others who have placed similar bets. Each type of bet,
Win, Place and Show has its own pool from which
money bet is paid out to customers with winning tickets.
Pick a Horse
Maybe you like the way a horse looks, its name, number or the
colours of its jockey’s or driver’s silks. Some
pick the horse with the best winning record. Some pick the
trainer or jockey. Some watch as the odds reflect the horse
most likely to win; keeping in mind that favourites don’t
always win. People use all sorts of methods to make their selection … so
relax and choose a style that’s best for you.
Check the Odds
You’ll see the odds posted on the Tote Board (the display
board on the infield) and on TV monitors throughout
the
building.
These odds are determined not by the racetrack, but by how many
people bet on each horse. The Tote Board shows the payout on
a $2 bet.
Three Basic Bets You can Choose From
1) WIN – Your horse must finish 1st.
2) PLACE – Your horse must finish 1st or 2nd.
3) SHOW – Your horse must finish 1st, 2nd, or 3rd
Other Bets You Can Choose
DAILY DOUBLE: Your 2 horses must finish 1st in two consecutive
races. You’d ask for “$2 Daily Double 4 & 7” if
you want horse #4 to win in the first race and horse #7 to
win the next.
EXACTOR: Your 2 horses must finish 1st and 2nd in exact order in the same race. You’d ask for “$2 Exactor 5 & 6” if you want #5 to win and horse #6 to finish second.
EXACTOR BOX: Your 2 horses can finish either 1st or 2nd. You’d ask for $1 Exactor Box 5 & 6 ($2) or $2 Exactor Box 5 & 6 ($4).
TRIACTOR: Your 3 horses must finish 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in exact order, in the same race. You’d ask for “$2 Triactor 5, 6, 7.” Horse #5 must win with horse #6 finishing 2nd, and horse #7 finishing 3rd.
TRIACTOR BOX: Your 3 horses can finish either 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. You’d ask for “$1 Triactor Box 5, 6, 7” ($6) or “ $2 Triactor Box 5, 6, 7” ($12).
It’s Time to Place Your Bet – A Beginner’s
Guide to Betting with Confidence
Just go to a teller in the betting area. You’ll need 5
pieces of information in the following order:
1) Track name
2) The number of the race
3) The amount you want to bet
4) The type of bet you want
5) The horse’s number
Please exercise common courtesy. Wager as early as possible to avoid the last minute rush and the possibility of being shut out.
For more exotic combination bets, ask any clerk for friendly guidance.
Once You’ve Placed Your Bet, Enjoy the Race
If you win, go to any betting window and collect. Don’t
lose your winning ticket. Our computer uses it to calculate your
payoff. You can collect your winnings at any time during the
night.
Any Questions?
Just ask. Your comfort and enjoyment is our number one reason
for being here, and there’s nothing that we are doing
that is more important.
HOW TO READ THE RACE PROGRAM (HANDICAPPING)
Welcome to “The Racing Game”
You don’t have to place a bet to experience the thrill of picking a winner,
but it does tend to increase your involvement. The choice is yours. Just read
on if you’d like a little more information.
Step 1 – Pick a Horse
Some people pick their horses based on familiar names, lucky numbers, birthdates
and just about any method that seems to work for them. This type of wagering
can be fun – though it won’t always produce a winner. Some people
study the program’s past performance information for hours on end,
while others simply refer to the selections at the top of each page.
Step 2 – Place Your Bet
If you’re new to the racing game, we suggest that you make a SHOW bet
for your first play. The minimum amount is $2 and you collect a payoff if your
horse finishes first, second or third. When you’re ready to place your
bet, to go any mutuel window and say to the teller “TWO DOLLARS TO SHOW
ON NUMBER… PLEASE”.
Step 3 – Cheer ’em Home
At post time the horses will move into position behind the starting gate. The
gate picks up speed until the starting point then pulls away and the race
is on. You can follow your horse by the driver’s colours or the saddle
colour which is indicated in the program. After the race, wait until the
finish is declared “OFFICIAL”. If your horse finished first,
second or third (and you made a show bet) go to a mutuel window to collect
your payoff.
Instant Harness Handicapping – A Quick Lesson
in How to Pick a Winner
The Check Mark System
So how do I handicap, you ask? Well, you could spend years developing and perfecting
your own system – many people do – or you could follow our simple “Check
Mark System”.
The Driver Factor
Like all athletes, drivers possess varying amounts of ability and even the
good ones have slumps. Shown beside each driver’s name are his statistics
for the current year, including wins, seconds, thirds, (all Canadian and
U.S. starts) and a Universal Driving Rating. The U.D.R. is calculated much
like a baseball player’s batting average. Anything between .250 and
.300 are excellent but rare. Give a horse a check mark if the driver’s
average is .300 or higher.
The Consistency Factor
Consistency is one of the most outstanding characteristics of the Standardbred
horse. Good horses are able to perform well week after week. In the upper
right of each horse’s past performance section is the horse’s
best winning time and a summary of its starts, wins, seconds thirds, win
percentage and money won for this year and last. If a horse has been first,
second or third in at least half of its races this year, put a check beside
its name. If its win percentage is at least 30%, give it another check mark.
The Class Factor
Class as the term is applied to horses, comes from one thing and
one thing only. Horses that can go faster and earn more money are
said to be “classy”. Better horses race for more money.
That’s why some races have higher purses. Thus, the purse
will be our key to class. The purse for each race is shown on each
past performance line, about 2 inches from the left margin. If tonight’s
purse is less than what a horse raced for last time, it’s
a good indication that it's “dropping” in class; conversely,
if the purse tonight is greater than he raced for last time, it's
“moving up” in class. Horses dropping in class have
an advantage so find them and give them a check mark.
The Post Position Factor
Post position (the horse’s position out from the rail at the start) is
another key. While it’s true that “it’s not where you start,
but where you finish”, the post position is of great importance in harness
racing. Horses starting from the inside have less distance to travel. Give
a check mark to each horse in post one through five and give a bonus check
mark to the horses in post positions (six, seven, eight) in their last start – they’re
going to have an easier time of it!
The Time Factor
Time, and how it fits into the handicapping picture, depends on
many factors and can be quite deceiving. Horses generally go faster
on larger tracks like 1 mile and 7/8s mile tracks as opposed to
5/8s and ½ mile tracks. Track conditions, weather, the leader’s
pace and many other factors can influence a horse’s time.
Give checks to each of the three horses who posted the fastest times
in their most recent races. If your program contains a feature called
the NUMBER (a bold number to the left of each horse’s finish
time) give a check mark to the horse(s) with the highest NUMBER
in the last start. Do the same for each horse’s second last
start and third last start. If one horse has the three top Numbers
on the page, he would have three check marks.
The Form Factor
Current Form is a term used to describe how well a horse has been performing.
While class, time and post position indicate how well a horse might do tonight,
yet another symbol, the parked symbol, may tell us more. Parked symbols indicate
that a horse raced too wide and are a good indicator of fitness, especially
where they appear in winning or close efforts. Give a check mark to horses
that were parked in their last race if they won or were within one length.
To Sum It Up
After all that checking you’ll want to bet on the horse with the most
check marks. It’s that simple!