Exotic Wagering
These bets require you to pick more than one horse in the correct order, so they are generally harder to win than a straight wager. However, the potential for reward or the "big score" is much greater.
- Daily Double
- Your horses must come in first in two consecutive races. You place your bet before the first of the two races -- it's all or nothing. Example: Tell the clerk, "Give me a $2 double 3-7."
- Exacta
- You must select the first two horses in the exact order of finish. A favorite bet because of the potentially big payouts. Example: Tell the clerk, "Give me a $1 exacta, 3-7."
- Quinella
- You win when your horses finish first and second, in either order. Example: Tell the clerk, "Give me a $2 quinella, 3-7." In order to win, #3 and #7 may finish first and second in either order.
- Place Pick All
- The Pick All is a wager made on eight, nine or ten consecutive races. In order to win you must correctly pick horses that finish either first or second in all the races. The Pick All offers an interesting twist. You may purchase your tickets using either your own selections or those randomly generated by the mutuel machines. Your wager must be made before the start of the first race, and remember, even if you get beat by a nose for first place, you still have a chance to win.
- Trifecta
- You must select the first three horses in the exact order of finish. It's tough to pull off, but in addition to a huge potential payoff you get bragging rights for the next 24 hours, as in "I hit the trifecta!"
- Superfecta
- You must select the first four horses in the exact order of finish. (See Trifecta for bragging rights.)
- Pick Three
- You must select the correct first place finisher in each of the three consecutive races that make up the Pick Three. The bet must be placed before the first race on the Pick Three.
- Pick Four
- You must select the correct first place finisher in each of the four consecutive races that make up the Pick Four. The bet must be placed before the first race on the Pick Four.
- Pick Six
- You must select the correct winner in the six successive races that make up the Pick Six. The bet must be placed before the first race on the Pick Six.
- Keys
- For all exotic wagers, you may key a single horse in any race or in a certain finishing position. When you feel that one of your selections will finish in a certain position, either first, second, third or fourth, the horse you select to finish in a certain position is your "key" horse. The other horses you have picked may then finish in any order and you are a winner. For example, look at a trifecta with the #1 the "key" horse in the race. Remember, to cash a trifecta ticket you must also have the second and third-place finishers, in order; and for this example, say the #3, #7 and #10 all look like possible contenders. In this situation, the #1 is "keyed" on top (to win) with the #3, #4 and #5. If #1 wins and any of the other selections finish second and third, you win. Example: Tell the clerk, "Give me a $1 trifecta key 1 with 3/7/10 with 3/7/10." To calculate the cost of the bet, multiply the number of possible horses in each position by the dollar amount bet. In the above example, the cost would be 1x3x2x$1=$6.
- Box
- The term "box" tells the mutuel clerk that you want all possible combinations of the horses selected in wagers such as exactas, trifectas and superfectas. Example: Tell the clerk, "Give me a $1 trifecta box numbers 1, 3, and 7. If you box your selections, as long as the horses you have picked finish first, second, and third in any order, you win.
As the number of horses in the bet are increased, the key and box bets can quickly become very costly:
Exacta boxes:
| Number of horses in box | Cost for $1 bet |
| 3 | $6 |
| 4 | $12 |
| 5 | $20 |
| 6 | $30 |
Trifecta boxes:
| Number of horses in box | Cost for $1 bet |
| 3 | $6 |
| 4 | $24 |
| 5 | $60 |
| 6 | $120 |
