Trifecta Betting
The following is a discussion of Trifecta betting. Successful trifecta bettors can win substantial amounts of money, but the likelihood of making a successful straight trifecta bet is remote. Trifecta betting variants are safer wagers.
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See Also: Trifecta Box Bet | Trifecta Wheel Bet
If you're looking to win big at the race track, trifecta betting might be the way to go. Trifecta betting involves picking and sequencing the top three horses correctly. In its most basic form, a trifecta bet consists of picking three horses to finish in a specific order in a horse race. In its most complex form, trifecta betting involves keying multiple horses for a certain finishing position in various combinations that improve your chances of winning. This is also known as Trifecta Wheel betting.
Sample for how to make a straight Trifecta Bet from a horse racebook.
1. First, make sure you select the "Trifecta" betting option from your horse racebook's wagering menu.
2. Note the horses listed in the race, usually on the left hand side of the screen. The column to the right lists the odds - the "ML" column in the above diagram.
3. Make your picks for the horse that will place first,
second, and third in the exact order you specify. In this diagram, the horse with 2:1 odds has been picked to win, followed by the horse with 10:1 odds for second place, followed by the horse with 12:1 odds for third place.
4. ***Notes: To make a successful straight trifecta bet, you must pick three horses and those horses must finish in the order you specified. Advanced horse bettors might choose to place a Trifecta Wheel bet by choosing more than one horse to finish in a certain position. For example, horse "Jones" is selected to win, horses "Smith" or "Charlie" are BOTH selected to take second place, and horse "William" is selected to take third place.
Example: $2 Straight Trifecta Bet
Most trifecta bets cost $2 or multiples of $2. If you're betting a trifecta for the first time, bet the lowest amount possible - usually $2 - until you're more comfortable making trifecta wagers.
Example Bet: $2 Straight Trifecta on Horses 13-9-4 means you are betting $2 that horses 13, 9, and 4 will finish first, second, and third in consecutive order, respectively.
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Trifecta Betting Variant #1: Trifecta Box Betting
Unlike a straight Trifecta Bet, Trifecta Box betting involves picking the top three horses that will finish the race in ANY order. Trifecta Box betting improves your chances of being successful because the order in which the horses finish is unimportant.
There's one small catch: Trifecta Box bets cost more than a Straight Trifecta Bet, usually $6 per bet. The extra money paid for a Trifecta Box bet is for purchasing all the various combinations in which your three horses can finish. Mathematically speaking, the are 6 possible finishing combinations of 3 horses. Therefore, your Trifecta Box bet will cost $1 per combination, for a total of $6. The $6 amount is usually the minimum wager required to make a Trifecta Box Bet.
Example: $1 Trifecta Box Bet
Sample for how to make a straight Trifecta Box Bet from a horse racebook.
1. First, make sure you select the "Trifecta" betting option from your horse racebook's wagering menu.
2. Note the horses listed in the race, usually on the left hand side of the screen. The column to the right lists the odds - the "ML" column in the above diagram.
3. Make your picks for the horses that will place first,
second, and third in any order. In this diagram, you must click the blue "Box" option to make a Trifecta Box Bet.
A $1 Trifecta Box bet on horses 11-1-7 means that there are 6 different possible winning combinations in which these horses can finish. Therefore, your cost is $1 per combination, for a total of $6. The bet wins if horses 11, 1, and 7 finish in the top 3 in any order.
Trifecta Box Combinations on horses 11, 1, and 7 at $1 each:
Finishing 11-1-7 = $1
Finishing 11-7-1 = $1
Finishing 1-7-11 = $1
Finishing 1-11-7 = $1
Finishing 7-11-1 = $1
Finishing 7-1-11 = $1
Total Wager = $6
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Trifecta Betting Variant #2: Trifecta Wheel Betting
The Trifecta Wheel bet involves keying in a horse OR horses into the race's eventual first, second, and third place positions. Trifecta Wheel betting is much less risky than a straight trifecta bet because you are allowed to select more than 3 horses to finish in the top three positions in the exact order you specify. Wheel betting requires a specific order of multiple horses, whereas box betting requires any order of any 3 horses.
The Trifecta "Key" Concept
Understanding "keying" horses into your Trifecta Wheel is crucial to making a successful bet.
First, start with the first place position. Select a horse or set of horses that can place first in your wager. For example, if horses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are in a horse race, you could choose any one of the six to place first OR some combination of the six to place first.
Example 1st Horse Key is: Horses 1, 5 & 6
This means when the race has finished, if horse 1 OR horse 5 OR horse 6 places first, your first place trifecta wheel key will be successful.
Second, pick your horse or horses that will place second and third, using the same procedure as the first key. You can pick any of the horses to fill your second and third keys.
Example 2nd Horse Key is: Horses 2, 3
This means when the race has finished, if horse 2 OR horse 3 places second, your second place trifecta wheel key will be successful.
Example 3rd Horse Key is: Horses 2, 3, & 4
This means when the race has finished, if horse 2 OR horse 3 OR horse 3 places third, your third place trifecta wheel key will be successful.
Example Winning Combination with our Keys: 1, 3, & 2
Given the keys we created above, a race result of horse 1 placing first, horse 3 placing second, and horse 2 placing third, the bet would win.
Example Losing Combination with our Keys: 3, 5, & 6
Given the keys we created above, a race result of horse 3 placing first, horse 5 placing second, and horse 6 placing third, the bet would lose, because we did not include these horses in the correct order in our first, second, or third keys.
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Trifecta Wheel Bets Cost $1 Per Possible Finishing Combination
Consider the following examples, where we've keyed select horses into the first, second, and third place positions; and how much the total bet would cost considering all of the possible finishing combinations.
Example 1: You believe horse 8 will win the race, and that horse is your first key. Next, you believe one of horses 16-7-2 will finish second, and that set is your second key. Finally, you believe one of horses 16-7-2 will fiinish third. This bet would cost $6.
Trifecta Example #1 Wheel Combinations on horses 8 then 16-7-2, then 16-7-2 at $1 each:
Finishing 8-7-2 = $1
Finishing 8-2-7 = $1
Finishing 8-16-2 = $1
Finishing 8-2-16 = $1
Finishing 8-16-7 = $1
Finishing 8-7-16 = $1
Total Wager = $6
Example 2: You believe either horse 5 or 7 will win, follwed by either 5 or 7 in second, followed by one of 4-1-3-9-2 in third.
Trifecta Example #2 Wheel Combinations on horses 5-7 winning, then 5-7 second, then 4-1-3-9-2 third at $1 each:
Finishing 5-7-4 = $1
Finishing 5-7-1 = $1
Finishing 5-7-9 = $1
Finishing 5-7-3 = $1
Finishing 5-7-2 = $1
Finishing 7-5-4 = $1
Finishing 7-5-1 = $1
Finishing 7-5-9 = $1
Finishing 7-5-3 = $1
Finishing 7-5-2 = $1
Total Wager = $10
Trifecta Betting Reference Examples:
Trifecta Box
3 horse $1 trifecta box = $6 Wager
4 horse $1 trifecta box = $24 Wager
5 horse $1 trifecta box = $60 Wager
6 horse $1 trifecta box = $120 Wager
7 horse $1 trifecta box = $210 Wager
8 horse $1 trifecta box = $336 Wager
9 horse $1 trifecta box = $504 Wager
10 horse $1 trifecta box = $720 Wager
11 horse $1 trifecta box = $990 Wager
12 horse $1 trifecta box = $1320 Wager
Trifecta Wheel, with one horse key and various other horses
$1 trifecta wheel 1 horse with 3 horses = $6 Wager
$1 trifecta wheel 1 horse with 4 horses = $12 Wager
$1 trifecta wheel 1 horse with 5 horses = $20 Wager
$1 trifecta wheel 1 horse with 6 horses = $30 Wager
$1 trifecta wheel 1 horse with 7 horses = $42 Wager
$1 trifecta wheel 1 horse with 8 horses = $56 Wager
$1 trifecta wheel 1 horse with 9 horses = $72 Wager
$1 trifecta wheel 1 horse with 10 horses = $90 Wager
$1 trifecta wheel 1 horse with 11 horses = $110 Wager
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Tracks Supported: All major North American tracks (including Canada). Tracks have tiered maximum payout limits.