How To Bet on Horses – Exotic Wagering – Trifecta Wagering Strategies
Trifecta Wagering Strategies
Trifecta betting requires you to pick the first three finishers in a race in exact order. The payoffs can be excellent if you use sound handicapping principles and wait for value.
The most common trifecta wagers involve boxes and wheels with multiple combinations of horses at a cost of $1 per combination. The minimum amount you can spend on a straight trifecta wager is $2. A $2 straight trifecta bet 2-3-5 would payoff if the first three finishers in the race were 2-3-5 in that exact order.
A $1 trifecta box of three horses costs $6, or $1 per combination and requires that your three selections finish in the top three positions in any order. For example, a $1 trifecta box 2-3-4 would be a winning ticket if horses 2,3 and 4 finished in the top three positions in any order.
A $1 trifecta wheel involves your key horse(s) played in various positions with other combinations of horses. For example, a $1 trifecta wheel keying horse 3 to win with horses 4,5,6 to finish second and horses 4,5,6 to finish third would cost $1 per combination, or $6. This ticket would be a winner if the number 3 horse won with either 4,5 or 6 finishing second and 4,5, or 6 finishing third.
Another common trifecta wagering strategy is to key two horses in two positions with numerous other horses in the additional position. The structure of this bet might look like 2,3 with 2,3 with 4,5,6,7,8. In this case, horses 2 and 3 would have to finish first and second in either order, and one of 4,5,6,7 or 8 would have to finish third. The number of combinations in this bet is equal to 10, so a $1 trifecta wheel 2,3 with 2,3 with 4,5,6,7,8 would cost $10. Many handicappers will key their top two selections in all three positions, especially if they are betting against the favorites.
To cover all the bases in the above scenario, a bettor would play the following $1 trifecta tickets:
$1 trifecta wheel 2,3 with 2,3 with 4,5,6,7,8 = $10
$1 trifecta wheel 2,3 with 4,5,6,7,8 with 2,3 = $10
$1 trifecta wheel 4,5,6,7,8 with 2,3 with 2,3 = $10
The total outlay for the above trifecta wheels would be $30.
The key to playing trifecta boxes and wheels once again comes down to finding the value in a race. If your handicapping tells you there is a good chance the favorites can run out of the money but the race is otherwise wide open, a trifecta box may be the way to go. If your handicapping tells you that the favorite is weak but the second or third choice is great value, than wheeling that second or third choice with a number of other horses may be your best bet.
Another instance where a trifecta can pay well is when you think a good value favorite will win, but the remaining contenders are weak and can finish out of the money. A wheel of this type of favorite on top of a number of longshots in the second and third positions can often produce lucrative payoffs, especially in big fields.
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