EXOTIC WAGER COMBINATIONS

Straight: Refers to any wager placed where there is only 1 combination. For example, a Trifecta with horses 1/2/3 would be a straight bet. Since a straight bet is only 1 combination, the total cost of the bet will the amount of the bet. For example, if you bet this Trifecta for $2, it would cost a total of $2. A multiple race exotic wager may be referred to as “Straight”, if you take only 1 horse in each race.

Box: A boxed wager is where you take every possible combination of a set of horses. For example, a Trifecta Box with horses 1,2,3 would cover every Trifecta possibility with those 3 horses. In this example, it would come out to 6 combinations, or 6 bets. So if you bet this Trifecta Box for $1, it would cost a total of $6.

Key: If you a key a horse, it means you are taking the horse by itself on top and you will take several horses behind. For example, if you bet a Trifecta Key 1/2,3,4,5 you are betting that the 1 horse will win the race, and the 2nd and 3rd finishers will be one of those other 4 horses you choose. However, your key MUST finish first for you to collect on this wager. In this example, the Trifecta is 12 combinations (would cost $12 for $1 bet).

Wheel: A wheel refers to taking the entire field for a leg of a wager. For example, you might bet an Exacta Wheel if you think you know the horse that will win but you don’t know who will finish 2nd. An example would look like 1/ALL. In this example, the number of combinations is the number of horses in the race besides the 1. Taking ‘ALL’ for a leg is very common in the last leg of a Trifecta or Superfecta since it is very difficult to predict who will run 3rd or 4th. A bettor may also take ALL in multiple race exotic wagers if a race is wide open and they have no idea who will win that race or leg of the wager.

Partial (Wheel): A partial is any combination of horses that does not fit one of the special combinations listed above. One example of a partial would be a Trifecta with the horses 1,2/1,2,3/1,2,3,4. This is a custom combination where you need the 1 or 2 to win, the 1,2, or 3 to run 2nd and the 1,2,3, or 4 to run 3rd. This particular example is 8 combinations. Partials are very common but their cost can sometimes be difficult to calculate. You should use our
Exotic Wager Cost Calculator if you are not sure what the cost of a partial will be.

Reverse: Reverse is an informal term, typically referring to Exactas. Some bettors may “press” an Exacta one way if he thinks a horse has a better chance to win, but then “save” his bet in the Reverse. This can be more cost-effective than boxing because the bettor is wagering more money on the combination with his/her favorite horse on top. One example, would be if you bet $5 Exacta 1/2,3 and then bet a $2 Exacta 2,3/1 to save with the Reverse for less. In this case you are hoping that the 1 wins, but in the case where the 1 runs 2nd to your other 2 choices, you hope to at least cover the total cost of your wager.