The Horse Betting Glossary of Terms

Written by Roger Mayflower
Thursday, 17 March 2011 10:19

Horse betting seems to have its very own lingo that can sometimes be a little confusing. This glossary of horse betting terms covers the terms that you’ll encounter the most so that you can really get in the game when it comes to horse betting.

ACROSS-THE-BOARD: Betting that the horse will win, place and show. The better wins in three ways if the horse comes in first, two ways if it comes in second and one way should the horse come in third.

ALLOWANCE: A race in which the racing secretary drafts specific conditions.

BOXED BET: A bet on all possible winning combinations in a multi-horse wager.

DAILY DOUBLE: A bet in which you pick the winner of two consecutive races, placing the bet before the start of the first race.

DEAD HEAT: A tie finish between two or more horses.

EXACTA: A bet in which you pick the first two horses to finish a race in the exact order that they finish.

LOCK: Another term for a “sure thing”.

PLACE BET: When the horse you bet on places either first or second.

PICK THREE: Picking the winners of three consecutive races.

PICK FOUR: Picking the winners of the last four consecutive.

PICK SIX: Picking the winners of six consecutive races.

QUINELLA: A bet in which there is a payoff for picking the first two finishers of a race regardless of which one comes in first/second.

SHOW BET: The term “show” refers to a third place finish while a “show bet” is betting on a horse to come in third or better.

STRAIGHT: A bet to win.

SUPERFECTA: Picking the first four finishers in their exact order.

TRIFECTA: Picking the first three finishers in their exact order. Also known as a “Triple”.

WIN: The horse that finishes first.

WIN BET: Betting on a horse to come in first.