Win Place Show, huh? So you want to partake in some pari-mutuel wagering? Don’t worry, that’s a fancy term that means “betting among ourselves”. When you place a wager on a horse race you are not betting against the “house” as you would be if you were wagering at a casino in Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Instead, you are betting your horse against every other bettor. Let the best man win!
What is a Win Place Show Bet?
Win Place Show bets are commonly called straight wagers and are the most traditional in horse racing. They are lower risk bets compared to exotic wagers like Exactas and Trifectas. These wagers are a good place for the novice horseplayer to jump in. Let’s look at the different wagering requirements.
The Three Different Win Place Show Bets
The Basics Win bet – A bet on a horse to finish first. Place bet – A bet on a horse to finish first or second. Show bet – A bet on a horse to finish in the money; third or better. RPR - Racing Post Rating (compiled by our private form handicapper), adjusted for that day’s weights. W1 - Horse having first run since wind surgery W2 - Horse having second run since wind surgery. 1-9 - position the horse finished. All-weather (Flat) and point-to-point (jumps) are in bold. What does 'place' mean in horse racing? To 'place' means to come in at the top of the race. Place can be the top 3 or top 4 horses in the race, depending on how many horses start. The more horses in the race, the more qualifying spots for place. In North America, particularly in North American horse racing, a Place Bet has a slightly different meaning. Here they have the choice of placing a bet to win, place or show. In this instance the Place Bet strictly means that your selection must come either first or second for your Place Bet to pay out. C&D or CD next to a horse denotes the horse has already won over that distance at that course. If the C D is separated it means the horse has won at that course and over that distance but not over that distance at that course, meaning the horses win(s) at that course came over a different distance.
Win: If you wager $2 to Win on your horse, you collect only if your horse finished first.
Place: If you wager $2 to Place, your horse must finish first or second for you to collect. But remember, you don’t get the Win payoff, just the Place payoff, which is generally smaller than the win payoff.
Show: If you wager $2 to Show, your horse must finish first, second, or third. But remember, you only collect the Show payoff.
Many experts consider playing a horse to Win to be the best bet in horse racing. Before placing a Win bet a horseplayer can see the odds on the tote board and then determine if those odds represent good wagering value.
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Win Place Show Strategy
A term you may hear tossed around at the track is an “Across the Board” wager. Here you are wagering on a horse to Win Place Show on one ticket. If your horse wins, you receive Win Place Show payoffs. If your horse finishes second, you receive Place and Show payoffs; and if your horse is third, you receive the Show payoff only.
These wagers would be considered “low risk” betting, at least compared to the rest of the wagering menu. There also is a lower “takeout” on these wagers. The takeout is the cut the track takes to pay purses and expenses. The “take” on Win Place Show wagers is generally around 17% depending on the jurisdiction. The takeout on Exactas and Trifectas can range from 19% to as much as 30% at some tracks.
Win Place Show Payout Examples
Here are a couple of examples of Win payoffs based on the odds you might see on the tote board:
2/1 pays $6.00
7/2 pays $9.00
9/2 pays $11.00
10/1 pays $22.00
(Based on a $2 win bet).
What Does / Mean In Horse Racing
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