Betting - 8 of 8

Other Bets

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Exacta

A popular bet where you have to select the first and second horse in the correct order. Minimum bet is £2, however you may have a £1 reverse exacta which is two bets on the first and second in either order. If you can’t decide between more than two horses, then bet on more, in a perm. Covering three horses at £1 a line will cost £6, covering 4 will cost £12, provided the first two home are in your selections then you win.

Another possibility is, if you are certain about the winner but are less sure about what will come second then you can have your winning horse as a banker and have any number of horses as the second choice ….. cost will be £1 per extra horse. (NB examples here are quoting £1 stakes, there is no reason why you cannot invest more if you wish)

Trifecta

Similar to the Exacta but in this case you have to predict the first three home. Available only on selected races, the first three have to be selected in the correct order. Permutations (combinations) are available if desired.

Tote Jackpot

Available at the main meeting each day, all you have to do is select the first six winners at the designated meeting. Returns can be very high for a small investment. If you select one horse in each race the bet will cost just £1. However if you fancy a couple of runners in a race no problem, select as many as you want.

The total number of bets is found by multiplying the number of selections in each race. So, for example, say you select one horse from the first two races (you’re feeling confident), in the third  race you fancy three horses, in the fourth and fifth you fancy one horse and in the sixth you fancy two horses, then you will have a total of six bets. 1 x 1 x 3 x 1 x 1 x 2 = 6. If you fancy two horses in each race then you are looking at 64 bets i.e. 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2=64.

The minimum total bet is £1 but when you are betting more than one line you can have smaller stakes, provided the total stake is above £1.

So taking the previous examples, a £1 unit stake will cost £3 and £64 respectively, for a 50p unit the cost would be £1.50 and £32 respectively, but with a lower stake you would only win 50% of the declared dividend. For a 10p unit stake (the minimum) the cost would be 30p and £6.40 respectively, however as the first example is below £1 it wouldn’t be allowed, in the latter case if it won you would collect 10% of the declared dividend.

Tote Placepot

Available at all meetings this is a very popular bet where you can win without backing a winner. All you have to do is chose a horse / horses to be placed in the first six races at the meeting. You can select more than one horse as with the jackpot, with the added bonus that you can get more winning lines because if you choose two horses in a race the could both be placed. The rule for the number of places is the same as in the standard place betting. The one thing to watch out for is if there are four or less runners in the race then you must select the winner of that race. Stakes rules are the same as the jackpot, except that the minimum total bet is £2.

Tote Quadpot

Similar to the placepot except you need to choose placed horses in races 3 – 6 inclusive. A useful backup if your placepot goes down in either of the first two races. Stakes rules are the same as for the placepot.

Scoop 6

Generally only a Saturday bet, with the occasional Bank Holiday offering as well. You need to select the winners of six selected televised races. If you are lucky enough to select all six winners you win the win pool (or a share if there is more than one winner). Anybody winning the win pool then goes on to have a chance of winning the bonus pool and to do this you have to select the winner of the following weeks bonus race - usually a large field handicap, so it isn't easy. There is a consolation dividend if all your selected horses are placed. If any pool is not won the pool is rolled over and some big pools can develop. Like the Jackpot and Placepot you can have multiple lines, however you cannot reduce the stakes and all lines have to be played at £2 a line. There have been some £1M plus Scoop 6 winners and some people have won with just a single line.