Skip to main content

New to Betting

A beginners’  guide to betting on horse racing.

Step 1: Decide How Much to Bet

The minimum “basic” bet is $2. You can bet more if you want. It’s always up to you.

Step 2: Pick Your Horse

You can pick a horse because you like its name, number or colour. That’s the fun way. Another way is to pick a horse because of a jockey’s or driver’s record, or the horse’s past performance.

A race program, available for a small fee, will give you this information for every horse and for every race being held. You don’t need a race program to pick a horse, but it does help!

Step 3: Pick Your Basic Bet

  • WIN: Your horse must finish first.
  • PLACE: Your horse must finish first or second.
  • SHOW: Your horse must finish first, second or third.

Once you’ve mastered the basic bets, you’re ready to try other types of bets like the Daily Double, Exactor, Triactor, Superfecta, Pick 3, Pick 4 or Pick 6.

They’re similar to making a basic bet, and a whole lot more fun. Because when you win a bet like these, you can win more money!

To help make these bets, we have included some examples below.

 

Choose a Betting Window to Place Your Bet

Once you’ve decided on the dollar amount, horse and bet type, you’re ready to place your bet.

When you get to the betting window here’s all that you have to say when you get there:

  • RACETRACK NAME: Woodbine
  • RACE NUMBER: Race #1
  • BET AMOUNT: $2
  • HORSE NUMBER: #7
  • BET TYPE: Win

Put it all together and say:

“Woodbine, race 1, two dollars on number 7 to win.”

Your tell will collect your money and print out your ticket. Be sure to check your ticket to confirm it’s the bet you want.

OR

Choose a Self-Serve Terminal to Place Your Bet

When you get to a Self-Serve Terminal here’s all you have to do when you get there:

  1. Deposit money via dollar bills, voucher or Cash Card.
  2. Press/Tap the track you would like to bet: Woodbine
  3. Press/Tap the Race Number: Race #1
  4. Press/Tap the Bet Amount: $2
  5. Tap the Horse Number: #7
  6. Press/Tap the Bet Type: Win
  7. Press/Tap the “Finish With Receipt” button.
  8. Be sure to check your ticket to confirm it’s the bet you want.

Step 4: Placing your Bet

Choose a Betting Window to Place Your Bet

Once you’ve decided on the dollar amount, horse and bet type, you’re ready to place your bet.

When you get to the betting window here’s all that you have to say when you get there:

  • RACETRACK NAME: Woodbine
  • RACE NUMBER: Race #1
  • BET AMOUNT: $2
  • HORSE NUMBER: #7
  • BET TYPE: Win

Put it all together and say:

“Woodbine, race 1, two dollars on number 7 to win.”

Your teller will collect your money and print out your ticket. Be sure to check your ticket to confirm it’s the bet you want.

OR

Choose a Self-Serve Terminal to Place Your Bet

When you get to a Self-Serve Terminal here’s all you have to do when you get there:

  1. Deposit money via dollar bills, voucher or Cash Card.
  2. Press/Tap the track you would like to bet: Woodbine
  3. Press/Tap the Race Number: Race #1
  4. Press/Tap the Bet Amount: $2
  5. Tap the Horse Number: #7
  6. Press/Tap the Bet Type: Win
  7. Press/Tap the “Finish With Receipt” button.
  8. Be sure to check your ticket to confirm it’s the bet you want.

After the Race

When the race is “official” take your ticket and check it against the official results to see if your ticket is a winner.

Know the Lingo

How to Play the Odds

Here are some examples of how a $2 bet pays out at various odds.

ODDS: 1/2 8/5 2/1 7/2 5/1 10/1
PAYS: $3 $5.20 $6 $9 $12 $22

Here is how a 10/1 pays $22:
$2 bet x 10 is $20, plus you get your original $2 bet back, giving you $22.

Odds are the numbers appearing beside the horse’s number and they’re displayed on the TV monitors around the track, on the in-field board, or within the racing browser on the website.

Generally speaking, the more favoured a horse is by bettors, the lower the odds and the lower the pay-out.

Less popular horses have higher odds and a higher pay-out.

These exotic bets are similar to making a basic bet, but a whole lot more fun. Why? Because when you win a bet like these, you can win more money!

Bigger Payouts for Exotics

Payouts are determined by how much money is bet into each of the pools, so watch for payouts of these exciting bets on the TV screens as soon as the races are declared official.

Exacta

Pick the top 2 finishers in a race in the exact finish order. $2 Exacta – horse numbers 1,2 = Cost $2

Trifecta

Pick the top 3 finishers in a race in the exact finish order. $2 Trifecta – horse numbers 1, 2, 3 = Cost $2

Superfecta

Pick the top 4 finishers in a race in the exact finish order. $1 Superfecta – horse numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 = Cost $1

Daily Double

Pick the winners of 2 consecutive races. $2 Daily Double – horse numbers 1,1 = Cost $2

Pick 3

Pick the winners of 3 consecutive races. $1 Pick 3 – horse numbers 1, 1, 1 = Cost $1

Pick 4

Pick the winners of 4 consecutive races. $1 Pick 4 – horse numbers 1, 1, 1, 1 = Cost $1

When you “box” an exotic bet your selected finishers can finish in any order. With a typical exotic bet you must identify the exact order the runners will finish in order to win.

Exacta Box

Pick the top 2 finishers in a race.
They can finish in any order within the top two positions.
$1 Exacta Box – horse numbers 1, 2 = Cost $2

Trifecta Box

Pick the top 3 finishers in a race.
They can finish in any order within the top three positions.
$1 Trifecta Box – horse numbers 1, 2, 3 = Cost $6

Superfecta Box

Pick the top 4 finishers in a race.
They can finish in any order within the top four positions.
$1 Superfecta Box – horse numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 = Cost $24

A Few Things to Keep in Mind…

When you bet on horse racing, you should always keep the following statistics in mind.

Favourites “WIN” only 32% of the time.

Favourites “PLACE” (come in first or second) only 53% of the time.

Favourites “SHOW” (come in first, second, or third) only 67% of the time.

 

Smart bettors, beginners and experts alike, always read the fine print. Our lawyers wanted us to remind you that these tips are intended as a guide only. These tips are based on historical results and do not represent actual or implied future performance.

Plus, you must be at least 18-years-of-age to bet.

Wagering on horse racing is easy, convenient and fun!

You can bet On-site with the help of Betting Tellers: Our expert tellers will assist you in making your bets with cash. And, Self-Serve Terminals: DIY betting with money or a betting card. You can also bet Digitally using HPIbet (For serious Horse racing Fans) and bet365 (For Sports Bettors).