Win – Win bet is just what it sounds like: betting that the horse you pick will win the race. You win if the horse wins.
Place – For a horse to Place it must finish the race either first or second. This bet generally pays less than the win bet but it gives you two chances to win instead of just one.
Show – For a horse to Show it must finish the race either first, second or third. This bet pays less than either the win or place bet, but it gives you three chances to get a return for your investment.
Across the Board – This is a quick way to say that you want to bet a horse to finish in any of the first three positions and consists of three bets: A $2.00 Across the Board bet = $2.00 to win, $2.00 to place, and $2.00 to show. If the horse wins you collect all three bets. If the horse finishes 2nd then you collect the place and show bets. If the horse finishes 3rd then you will only collect the show bet.
Exacta – With this bet you must pick the first two finishing horses in the correct order of their finish. Sometimes called a Perfecta. Also known as a Forecast bet.
Quinella – In the Quinella you must pick the horses that finish first and second. Either one can be first and the other one second.
Trifecta – With this bet you must pick the first three finishing horses in the correct order of their finish. The simplest form of this wager is the Straight Trifecta, which is a single combination of the first three dnabet finishers.
Superfecta – In a Superfecta you must pick the first four finishing horses in the correct order of their finish. Since it s very difficult to determine the top four finishing horses without playing a lot of combinations (which can be very costly), the superfecta is not a very popular bet among seasoned handicappers. If, by chance, the top four finishers stand out and can be determined easily, then the return on the wager is generally very low and will probably be smaller than the amount of money required to hit the winning combination.
Daily Double – To win a daily double bet you must pick the winning horse in two consecutive races. Your bet must be placed before the start of the first of the two races.