Betting & Horse Racing terms USA

So you want to wager on horses do you? Do you have a strategy going in or is it just something different to try out for the first time? The second question here is an important one to answer because the way you wager on horses will greatly depend on whether or not you are specifically going to the track to win money. Either way, you'll want to learn about a few options that may come across your reading while you're there.

Daily Double:
If you're like a couple horses in back-to-back races, you can wager on something called the Daily Double. While you can't pick and choose which races because they are already done for you (most often the 1st and 2nd races), a win will likely get you a decent payday for your small bet.

Parlay:
When you wager on horses, it's a little different to use the term parlay then in other sports. In horse racing, parlay means you are taking your winnings from one race and using it to bet on the next race. It's a very common word, but isn't a specific bet at the track except when turning in a winning ticket.

Quinella:
Now here's a term that many individuals believe is the same as an exacta. However, the difference is you can place a bet on two horses in the same race to finish 1st and 2nd, yet it doesn't matter what order they finish. Except for the fact of being one-two.

Field Horse:
These are very popular to people who wager on horses. Why? Well, let's say you see a race in your program that has a horse numbered 1 and another at 1A. This means if you wager on it to win, then you have two chances for your bet to win the race instead of wagering on one horse. Meaning if the race finishes 1A-4-8 then you're a winner. Just like if it finished 1-4-8.

Odds-On Favorite:
We've written other articles that talked a little bit about the odds, but many people don't understand what "odds-on" means. Lucky for you, we're about to tell you. The next time you see a horse with odds like "6-5 on" it really means 5-6. That might still be confusing, but on a definition stand point, it means that the favorite is odds of less than 1-1 or even money.

More to Learn:
Hopefully, the next time you wager on horses these little tidbits of information can help you understand everything a little bit better.