Betting the ponies has been a pastime around the world for centuries. There is nothing like the rush of watching the horses come down the backstretch with your horse pushing up the outside, making a last-minute charge for the lead. Fans screaming, dirt flying, jockeys jockeying — truly amazing. If you haven’t experienced that live, we recommend that you at least try your best to make it to the track once. You will be hooked.
Whether you’ve been to the track before or not, you probably know that horse racing and sports betting go together like peanut butter and jelly. If you’ve always wanted to get into the action but aren’t sure where to start, you’re in the right place. Or, if you’re a seasoned better who is looking to improve your track success, you’re also in the right place.
In this guide, we’re going to walk you through everything you need to know to get started in horse racing betting or to take your horse racing betting to the next level. We’ll walk you through the best online sites to bet at and the strategies you need to win. We will also break down the most popular types of horse racing bets into terms that you can understand. We’ll have you screaming in excitement at the ponies like the best of them in no time.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites
No longer are the days that you’re forced to head to the track to place your bets and sweat the ponies. While this is still something we recommend you do because it’s awesomely fun, sometimes it’s not feasible. What happens if you don’t live close to a track? What happens if the track by your house is closed because of rain or for track repairs? What if you want to bet on some of the bigger races that are going on around the country?
Online horse racing betting solves all of this. Not only can you bet on races at pretty much any track in the world, but you can also watch the races right from the online sites as well! This means that you can get your pony fix at any time and from anywhere. If you’re ready to get started, here’s the list of the best horse racing betting sites and sportsbooks on the web.
|
Rank
|
Betting Site
|
Bonus | Bet Now |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
BetOnline
|
50% up to $1,000 | Go to Site |
| 2 | 
MyBookie
|
50% up to $1,000 | Go to Site |
| 3 | 
SportsBetting.ag
|
50% up to $1,000 | Go to Site |
| 4 | 
Bovada
|
50% up to $250 | Go to Site |
| 5 | 
BetNow
|
50% up to $1,000 | Go to Site |
Why did we pick these sites? We picked these sites because they truly are the best of the best available. These sites offer the most tracks and actions, the most betting options, the best interfaces, and most importantly, these are the most trusted sites on the web. None of these sites can ever pay us for a more favorable recommendation or a better review.
Horse Racing Betting Strategy
What’s the only thing that’s more fun than placing a horse racing bet? Winning a horse racing bet! There is no greater rush than seeing your horse or horses cross the finish line exactly as you predicted. You then get to proudly march over to the cage to collect your winnings or, if you’re betting online, see your bankroll jump up.
But winning horse racing bets doesn’t just happen by being lucky or picking the horse with the coolest name. There are strategies and tips that the experts use to make better-educated picks that have a much better chance of winning. We’ve collected all of the top horse racing betting strategy tips from our team of experts and compiled them together in a dedicated guide for you.
In this strategy guide, you’ll find basic and advanced strategies that are essential to a long-term winning horse racing betting strategy. Take your time and work through this guide, and then you’ll be on your way to crushing the races.
The Most Popular Horse Racing Bets
One of the main reasons that people don’t end up getting involved in betting on horse races is that they don’t understand the different bets available. A lot of people look at their options for each race and see a foreign language. Today, we’re going to walk you through all of the most popular types of bets available.
Win, Place, Show
Win, place, and show bets are some of the simplest horse racing bets that you can make. With each bet, you pick a horse, and if they finish in the correct position, you win! If you bet a horse to win, they have to win the race for you to win your bet. It’s that simple. A place bet is a bet for a horse to finish in first or second place. You don’t get extra money for a better finish. If your horse finishes first or second place, you win your bet. A show bet is one where you pick a horse, and if they finish in one of the top three slots, you win your bet.
If you’d like to learn more about these three bet types, click the link below for a complete breakdown.
Exotic Betting
Exotic bets are horse racing bets where you place a wager on more than one outcome at a time. In other words, you’re going to be betting on more than one horse at the same time. Different forms of exotic bets will have different parameters and conditions that must be met for you to win your bet. You must complete every part of an exotic bet for your bet to win. Below you’ll find a complete breakdown of exotic bets and what you need to know to get involved.
Below, you’ll find the different types of exotic bets that are available to you.
- Quinella
A quinella bet is a wager on two horses in the same race to finish in first or second place. It doesn’t matter which of your two horses gets first and which gets second as long as they finish in the top two. - Exacta
An exacta bet is similar to a quinella bet, except it does matter in which order the horses finish. You’ll pick which of your horses will get first and which will get second. As long as they finish in exactly that order, you’ll be a winner. - Trifecta
A trifecta is similar to an exacta bet, but instead of picking the first and second place horses you’ll be picking the entire top three. Each horse will need to finish in the exact order that you picked to win your bet. - Superfecta
The superfecta is the trifecta on steroids. Instead of picking only the top three horses, you’ll be picking the top four horses in a given race. They have to finish in the exact order that you choose for you to win your bet. - Daily Double
A daily double bet is one where you pick the winner of two consecutive races. Usually, this is offered on the first two races of the day or the last two. Some parks will offer rolling daily doubles available throughout the day. - Pick 3
A pick three wager is identical to the daily double, except that it is for three races in a row. As with the daily double, a lot of tracks will have rolling pick threes as well. - Wheel Betting
Wheel bets utilize the above bet types, but allow you to bet more horses than the bet calls for. For example, let’s say you think that the #5 horse is going to win, but you aren’t sure whether the #6 or #9 horse is going to get second. You could place a wheel bet for an exacta where if the #6 or the #9 horse got second and the #5 horse wins, you win.
The Big Picture – Horse Racing Betting
Congrats on making it through our horse racing betting guide! By this point, you should feel pretty well-equipped to make your first bet at the tracks. Take full advantage of the online sites we recommended above as you can take your time and keep this guide open if you need help. Make sure you read through our strategy guide above as well to give yourself the best chance to walk away a winner!
