Odds are a reflection of a racebook's
estimation of how likely a particular horse is to win
a race.
Horse racing odds are usually expressed as X - Y. X
is the amount won on a winning bet, Y is the required
wager in order to win X. Dividing X by Y gives a ratio
to 1.The smallest ratio represents the favorite.
A simple formula for calculating your
payout is (odds ratio to 1) x bet amount + bet amount.
For a base bet of $10, winning odds of 3 - 1 will pay
$40.00 ($30 + the return of your initial bet), while
5 - 1 will pay $60.00 ($50 + the return of your inital
bet). We will go through a more complicated example
of 7 - 5 step by step, again using $10 as the bet amount.
First divide 7 by 5, you get 1.4 (7/5 = 1.4). Multiply
1.4 times the initial bet amount, you get $14 ($10 x
1.4 = $14). Add the initial bet amount, you get a total
of $24 ($14 + $10 = $24).
The easiest place to begin betting on horses, in order
to gain a workable grasp of horse racing odds, is with
the straight wagers. The straight wagers are Win, Place,
and Show.
SHOW is the easiest bet to win. The
horse you pick needs only to finish in the first, second,
or third position in the official order of finish in
order for your bet to pay.
PLACE is slightly more difficult to
win than show because the horse you pick must finish
in the first or second position in the official order
of finish in order for your bet to pay.
WIN is the most difficult of the three
straight wagers to win - the horse you pick must finish
first in the official order of finish in order for your
bet to pay. As a win bet is more difficult to win than
a show or place bet, a successful win bet will also
pay more than a successful show or place bet if an equivalent
amount is wagered.
Minimum and maximum bets will differ
from racebook to racebook, and from track to track.
Generally the bigger the track or the more important
the race, the higher the limits.
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