Whether you consider yourself a newcomer to horse race betting or a veteran with years of experience, everyone should have a basic understanding when it comes to placing a trifecta.

Even though trifecta betting is not the easiest wager type in the world, it remains an extremely popular choice among horse racing enthusiasts as it can potentially lead to enormously profits. In fact, it’s considered one of the best horsing bet types if you’re interested in winning big without risking too much of your own hard-earned money.

The Trifecta or Tricast is a wager laid in horse racing meant to pick the first, second, and third in the exact order they’ve finished the race. The Trifecta is one of the most popular exotic wager available in horse racing and so the use of a trifecta calculator, which is a horse racing calculator, is very common among punters. Trifecta betting in horse racing is when you select three horses from a single racing event and predict which of the three horses will finish in first, second, and third position. Please keep in mind, however, that your prediction needs to correct in both horse selection and the order in which they finish the race.

A trifecta bet will usually cost you a mere $2, and the potential returns you can make on such a small bet can be extraordinary.

For instance, during the Kentucky Derby in 2005, Giacomo had a 72/1 chance of winning. After he shocked the world with his victory, the trifecta payout was a whopping $133,134.80. It’s nearly impossible to find anything else that will pay this well from such a small bet amount.

Obviously, the payouts are not always this impressive when it comes to trifecta betting. The average payout of a trifecta is usually around $7,000 during the Kentucky Derby. However, that amount drops significantly once you start looking at other races from around the world.

It’s still worth mentioning, however, that you will only spend $2 on a trifecta bet.

So, even if your winnings are only a couple of hundred dollars, you will still make a sizable profit. For that reason, trifecta betting is not only popular with serious handicappers, but with casual bettors as well.

So, for an in-depth look at trifecta betting, read on. After explaining what trifecta betting is, we will walk you through how trifecta betting works and what the differences are between trifecta and boxed trifecta.

We will also help you to calculate trifecta bets and payouts and explain the differences between trifecta, superfecta, and exacta. Keep reading for some frequently asked questions surrounding this popular form of horse race betting, too.

What is a Trifecta?

A trifecta in horse racing is basically an exotic bet where you’ll be required to predict the first three horses to finish the race. You will also need to predict the finishers in the correct order before you will qualify for a payout.

If you are unable to correctly predict the first three finishers in the race, or you simply get the order wrong, you won’t win anything from your bet. As you can see, this is not a simplistic bet to make, which is why the payouts for this bet type can be astonishing.

The typical bet amount for a trifecta is around $2. However, you will find several horse racing events which will allow bets at a reduced cost. For instance, there’s a handful of horse racing events that will offer a $1 trifecta, or even a $0.50 trifecta. However, do remember that the potential payouts will also be reduced once the initial bet amount is reduced.

Now that you have a better understanding of what a trifecta is, let’s expand your knowledge even further by taking a look at the different types of trifecta bets.

Types of Trifecta Bets

You will essentially come across five different types of trifecta betting opportunities in horse race betting. This includes straight trifecta, boxed trifecta, trifecta key, trifecta boxed key and trifecta wheel. Let’s take a closer look at each of these trifecta betting types and explain them in more detail.

Straight Trifecta

This is the most simplistic type of trifecta bet. All you need to do is select three different horses and decide in which order they will finish the race. This can only be first place, second place or third place.

Example: Let’s say you select horse #4 to win the race, horse #6 to place second and horse #2 to place third. This means your betting slip will look similar to this: $2 Trifecta (4-6-2).

Boxed Trifecta

The boxed trifecta gives you more flexibility when compared to a straight trifecta. You will still need to select three or more horses to finish a race. However, you don’t have to predict the exact order in which they will finish, as long as the selected horses finish in the top three positions.

A boxed trifecta will cost you more than a straight trifecta, as you will need to pay for every combination. Even though the minimum bet for a boxed trifecta is only $1, you will need to pay a minimum of $6 if you select three horses.

Example: Let’s say you select horse #8, #6, and #3 to finish in any order with a boxed trifecta bet. You will need to pay $6 as the three horses can finish in six different combinations.

The more horses you select, the more combinations will be formed and the more you will need to pay.

For instance, a 7-horse trifecta box will come with 210 different combinations, which means you will need to pay $210 to cover your minimum bet.

Trifecta Key

This trifecta bet will require the ‘key’ horse to finish in first position, while the remaining horses you selected can finish in any combination to cover second and third place.

Example: Let’s say you select horse #8 as the key followed by horse #3, #5, and #4. At a minimum bet of $1, you will need to pay $6 to cover your bet. Your Key horse will need to finish in first place, while two of your other selected horses will be required to finish in second and third place before you can consider yourself a winner.

Trifecta Bet Horse Racing In Hawaii

Trifecta Boxed Key

This trifecta bet will include all possible combinations where your key horse will be combined with all non-key horses in a single box bet.

Example: Let’s say you place a $1 Trifecta Boxed Key bet and you make your Key horse #8 along with horse #2 and #6. This means your total bet amount would be $6, as it will create a total of 6 combinations.

Trifecta Wheel

This trifecta betting type can either be a full trifecta wheel, or a part trifecta wheel. The easiest trifecta wheel will be the full trifecta wheel where you will need to select a single horse to finish the race in a specific position, while backing all possible combinations with all the other horses in the field.

Example: Let’s say you select horse #3 to win the race. However, you are struggling to predict which of the remaining horses will be able to finish in second or third position.

When this occurs, you simply place a full trifecta wheel bet that will look like this: 3-All-All.

This will basically cover all combinations with horse #3 in first position.

How Does Trifecta Betting Work in Horse Racing

Trifecta betting in horse racing is when you select three horses from a single racing event and predict which of the three horses will finish in first, second, and third position.

Please keep in mind, however, that your prediction needs to correct in both horse selection and the order in which they finish the race.

If your three selected horses finish in first, second and third (in the order you predicted), you will win. If one of your selected horses is not in the top three, or one of your selected horses doesn’t finish in the position your predicted, you will lose your bet.

What is the Difference between Trifecta and Boxed Trifecta

With a trifecta bet, you merely need to select three horses from a single event and ensure they finish in the top three positions in the exact order you predicted.

However, with boxed trifecta, there is no need to predict in what order the three horses will finish. You merely need to select three horses that you think will finish in the top three positions.

Boxed trifecta does give you more freedom and flexibility, but it will cost you more as you need to cover more combinations as opposed to only covering one combination with a standard trifecta bet.

How to Calculate Trifecta Bets and Payouts

Trifectas form part of the pari-mutuel betting system. This basically means the payouts for trifectas are not calculated using odds, but are instead shared among players in a betting pool.

For each horse racing event, a new betting pool is created, and all the bets from trifecta tickets will be accumulated in the betting pool. The betting pool will then be shared with all winners at the end of the horse racing event.

Let’s take a look at a simple example to show you how this works:

• 100,000 trifecta tickets are sold for a horse racing event at $2 per ticket.
• The betting pool is worth $200,000 ($2 x 100,000 tickets)
• 100 bettors manage to correctly predict the top three finishers in the exact order.
• Each of the 100 tickets provides a payout of $2,000 ($200,000 ÷ 100)

Obviously, the breakdown of the above-mentioned trifecta bet will not be this straightforward in reality. Online betting sites will obviously take their cut and you will notice that not all trifecta tickets will come with a standard price of $2. But the above example does give you an indication of how trifecta bets are calculated and how the payouts are distributed towards winners.

Trifecta vs. Superfecta vs. Exacta

The main difference between an exacta, trifecta and superfecta is the amount of horses you’ll be required to bet on during a single horse racing event.

With an exacta, you will need to select two horses to finish in first and second position, in that exact order as well. With a trifecta, you will need to include three horses in your selection to finish in first, second, and third position, in that exact order.

A superfecta bet is considered the most difficult, as you will need to include four horses in your selection to finish in the top 4 positions, in the exact order as well.

Origins of the Trifecta Bet

The trifecta bet type was first introduced during the early 1970s and was derived from the bet type perfecta. A perfecta bet type, also known as an exacta, requires you to select two horses to finish in first and second place, in the exact order you predict.

The term trifecta was introduced for bettors who wanted to select three horses to place in the top three positions, hence the term ‘tri’, which means three. The trifecta bet type was first used in the United States during 1971 at Arlington Park. In 1977, it was introduced in Australia at the New South Wales Tab, and in 1983 it was introduced in New Zealand.

Horse racing offers a plethora of different bets from which to choose, ranging from your simple win wager to the white whale of racing, the Pick 6. The foundation of the betting menu is Win, Place, and Show (also known as WPS), which are straightforward and have been around for more than a century, but in recent years more complicated bets, known as “exotics,” have come to dominate the wagering landscape. There are two main types of exotic bets: vertical and horizontal. Vertical refers to bets that are placed on a single race (e.g. Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta), while horizontal are those in which you’re betting consecutive races (e.g. Daily Double, Pick 3, Pick 4). The following is a list and explanation of all the different kinds of bets you might expect to find at the track.

Win:

This one is pretty much self-explanatory. A win bet means you are betting on a horse to win the race. It is possible to bet multiple horses to win (though of course only one can actually win, unless there’s a dead-heat) and there is typically a $2 minimum bet. This is the bread and butter of any serious or casual bettor.

Place:

In order to cash a place bet, your horse must finish in either first or second. The payout will be the same regardless of where they finish (so long as it’s in the top two), and like a win bet there is typically a $2 minimum.

Show:

A show bet pays dividends if the horse you wager on finishes in one of the top three positions. Same as a place bet, whether the horse finishes in first, second, or third makes no impact on the payout. If your horse is anywhere in the top three, you win.

Across the Board

This is the term given to betting Win, Place, and Show on a single horse. You’re essentially placing three separate bets, so a $2 across the board bet will cost $6 total, but it is a more concise way of inputting the bet.

Exacta:

The simplest of the vertical exotics, an exacta requires the bettor to select which horses will finish first AND second in a given race in the correct order. For instance, if I believe Horse A will finish first and Horse B will finish second, I would bet an exacta with A in the first slot and B in the second. If Horse A wins the race and Horse B finishes second, you win, however if Horse B comes in first and Horse A in second, you lose because the order matters. To avoid this problem, many bettors choose to “box” two or more horses in an exacta, which allows you to win if the horses you select finish in any order in the top two. Boxing horses just means you are playing every possible exacta combination of the horses you choose, so a $2 exacta box of Horses A and B would cost $4 total, because you are actually placing two separate bets: a $2 exacta with A in first and B in second, and a $2 exacta with B in first and A in second. It is also possible to get creative and use multiple horses in each slot. Perhaps you think Horse A will win but that any of Horses B, C, and D could come in second. In that case you would want to place a $2 exacta with Horse A in the first slot and Horses B, C, and D in the second slot, which would cost a total of $6, as you are actually placing three separate bets.

Trifecta:

Trifecta Bet Horse Racing Wagering

A trifecta is the same as an exacta, except now you must correctly predict the first three finishers in order in a given race. Boxing is also common practice for trifectas, but accounting for the extra spot adds a layer of complexity that often requires bettors to use multiple horses in each slot. Trying to hit a trifecta “cold,” or in other words using just three horses in the exact order you think they’ll finish, should only be attempted if you’re feeling lucky (or confident).

Superfecta:

A superfecta is the same as an exacta or trifecta except that it requires the bettor to correctly predict the first four finishers in order in a given race. Given the abundance of possible combinations, many tracks offer a base wager of just 10 cents for the superfecta.

HI-5:

A Hi-5 demands the bettor correctly predict the first five finishers of a given race in order. It is the most complex bet of the vertical exotics and not for the faint of heart.

Daily Double:

The daily double is the simplest form of the horizontal exotic wagers. Rather than betting a single race, the daily double requires the bettor to select the winner of two consecutive races. The bet must be placed prior to the start of the first race, or “leg,” of the wager, and multiple horses can be used in each race. For instance, if you like two horses (A and B) in Race 1 and just one horse in Race 2 (Horse C), you would place a $2 daily double using A and B in the first leg and C in the second leg. This would cost a total of $4, as you are actually placing two separate wagers (A/C and B/C). Formerly a rare offering at racetracks, daily doubles can now be placed on nearly every race, except the last race on a card.

Pick-3:

The pick 3 is similar to the daily double, except that you must pick the winner of three consecutive races. Like the double, the bet must be placed prior to the start of the first race of the sequence and multiple horses can be utilized in each leg. Many tracks offer “rolling” pick 3’s, which means that the wager is offered starting in every race except the last two on the card.

Pick-4:

Following the same pattern as the double and pick 3, in the pick 4 a bettor must select the winner of four consecutive races. These bets are often offered twice a day at a track, once earlier on the card and once later.

Pick-5:

The pick 5 requires bettors to correctly predict the winner of five consecutive races. It is one of the most popular bets in racing due to its nearly universal low takeout (the track’s cut of the pool) and affordable base (just 50 cents). It also provides bettors the opportunity to wager a small amount for a potentially large payout.

Pick-6:

Trifecta Bet Horse Racing Betting

The most complex of the horizontal exotics, the pick 6 requires bettors to pick the winner of six consecutive races. The bet is the most elusive of all wagers not just because it’s extremely difficult to pick the winner of six races in a row, but also because in many jurisdictions the base bet is $2, making it very expensive to use multiple horses in each leg. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of “jackpot” pick 6’s. These wagers provide a lower base (usually 20 cents), but differ from regular pick 6 wagers in that the entire pool is only paid out if there is a single winner, otherwise it “carries over” into the next day. This means that if you and another person were to both correctly pick all six winners, neither of you would win (though there is typically a consolation payout).There is also a Rainbow-6 Bet that is a special version of the Pick-6.