The Knowledge Track: Understanding Horserace Betting Terms

A day at the track, let alone at an offtrack betting site, can feel like a trip to Greece, particularly if you don’t speak Greek (we’re hinting at the famous “all Greek to me” idiom, so work with us here).

From words like exacta and perfecta to terms like place and show, horse race wagering can feel like a foreign language. Thankfully, we’ve got your subtitles right here. So review them before you bet on horse racing. Especially if you plan to bet on horses in Greece (kidding, kidding).

Win—Bet on your horse to finish first and you’ll win if your horse—yep, you guessed it—finishes first. Pretty straight forward.

Place—If you’re not completely confident that your horse will finish first, but you think second place is a solid bet, then choose Place when you bet on horse races. If your pick edges out first or second, you’ll win.

Show—This one’s kind of like a place bet, only you’re covering first, second, and third position. So as long as your horse finishes in the top three spots, you’ll net a win.

Exacta—Pick two horses to finish first and second. To win, the finishing positions of both horses must be in the order you picked. So betting on horses and wagering Exacta 3-5 means that horse #3 will finish first and horse #5 will finish second.

Exacta box—This one’s like the Exacta, only it doesn’t matter which horse finishes in which position. So if you bet $10 Exacta Box 3-5, you’re wagering that the finishing positions of horse #3 and horse #5 will be first and second. Again, your picks can finish in either position.

Trifecta—Betting on a Trifecta means that the betting horses you wagered on finish in first, second, and third position—in the exact order you predicted.


Trifecta Box—This works similar to the Exacta Box. You’re betting on horses to finish first, second, and third, but it doesn’t make a difference what order the horses place.

Superfecta—A lot of serious punters who bet on horse racing will boast about hitting a Superfecta, and for good reason. It means that they were able to hit the top four placing horses in the exact order that they finished. Much like the Exacta and the Trifecta, online horse wagering offers the Superfecta Box.

If you’re new to betting on horses or online horse wagering, these terms should give you a good starting point. If you need even more insight, hit the betting types page of our racebook for a more thorough explanation. In no time at all, you’ll be off to the races with all the knowledge you need to bet on horses and make a killing doing it. Join Here to bet on Horses.