Horse Racing Calculator and Convertor

Written by: Brian Zipse
Updated October 17, 2023
12 min read

Bet Calculator

# Outcome Odds Place Odds Rule 4
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The best and most comprehensive horse racing calculator available on the web. Plug in your bets here and use it to track your winnings before and after the big race!

Horse Bet Calculator: Find Out What You Will Win

The horse racing odds calculator is ideal for calculating how much you would potentially win for all different types of horse racing wagers. That way, you’ll know the exact amount you would win with each bet prior to placing any bets, whether at the racetrack or on your favorite ADW. Check here before you place bets on horses if you want to win bets and have better win odds!

Just plug in the type of bet you are making, the odds, and how much you are wagering and our odds calculator will do the rest. Whether you are new to wagering on horse racing or a seasoned pro, this easy-to-use tool will give you the information you need to become a better bettor, pick your races, and win more money!

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How to Use the Horseracing Calculator

The horse odds calculator indicates how much you will win based on the odds and amount wagered. You will see that it includes a myriad of ways to wager, so no matter how you want to bet on the horses, it will give you accurate payouts on even the most complicated of wagers.

From a simple Single wager to a much more intricate play, like a Goliath, the odds calculator will give you all the data you need to make the most educated wagers. Sportsbetting with horse racing sportsbooks is easier when you know the total cost and payoffs of your bets. Also, keep an eye out for promo codes offered by horse racing-specific sportsbooks like Twinspires Sportsbook and TVG Sportsbook.

If you are relatively new to wagering on horse racing, it’s not only a good idea to learn as much information as you can about the horses but also to truly understand how to bet. Start simple, and work your way up. You may want to limit how much you wager early on, but you can enter any amount into the odds calculator that you want, as long as your bankroll can handle it.

Whatever your level of experience, educating yourself on the different types of bets, odds, and payouts is an important step toward making informed decisions on your wagering. Taking advantage of our new odds calculator will help you understand how different combinations of bets can help you win big when wagering on the horses.

By plugging in the bets you are considering, or even have already made, into the odds calculator, it will then do all the calculations for you and generate the potential returns of your wager.

A Single wager is the simplest way to play, but as you become better, it might not be the best way to maximize your profits. Every wagering opportunity is different, and understanding the best value in different situations is something you will need to learn to be as successful as possible.

Understanding Betting Odds in Horse Racing

The wagering public sets the betting odds in horse racing. The odds (to win) represent the likelihood of each horse coming in first place in that particular race. The more money that is bet on a horse, the lower his odds become. The odds you see are the way prices and payouts are shown at a horse track. Numbers displayed as 5/1 or 3/5 tell you how much you win and what you pay. The first number tells us how much you could win, the second number is the amount you bet to earn those winnings. So, if the odds are listed as 5/1, you’ll win $5 for every $1 you wager.

The payouts or results of a race are posted shortly after the race is run and declared official. The top three finishers will be displayed at the top. The winner will have a payout for win, place, and show. The second-place finisher will have a payout for place and show. And finally, the third-place horse will have just a show payout. Win, place, and show payouts are displayed for a standard $2 wager.

Risk vs. Profit

A common way for those newer to betting on horse races is to start out with simple bets such as win, place, or show. If you place a wager on a 2/1 favorite in a given race and he wins, he will pay approximately $6.00 to win, $3.60 to place, and $2.80 to show for a $2 wager in each. The payout is almost always smaller to show than place, and place to win, because the risk of losing is not as great.

On the other hand, the more complicated the bet, the higher the risk and the greater the potential profit which can be made. That same horse that was 2/1 above could still be a part of big payouts. For example, if the three horses that finish in second, third, and fourth in that same race are all longshots, the Superfecta payout would likely be substantial.

Most Common U.S. Bets

Win - You are making a single bet on a horse to finish first. If the horse wins, you collect what you wagered plus your winnings. If the horse finishes second or worse, then you have lost your win bet.

Place - You are making a single bet on a horse to finish first or second. If the horse wins or runs second, you collect what you wagered plus your winnings. If the horse finishes third or worse, then you have lost your place bet.

Show - You are making a single bet on a horse to finish in the top three. If the horse wins or runs second or third, you collect what you wagered plus your winnings. If the horse finishes fourth or worse, then you have lost your show bet.

Across the Board - This is another common bet in the U.S. racing, which is a quick way to say that you want to bet a horse to win, place, and show. If the horse wins, you collect all three bets. If the horse finishes 2nd, then you collect the place and show bets. If the horse finishes third, then you will only collect the show bet. A $2 Across the Board wager would cost $6.

Daily Double - This is a parlay bet involving two consecutive races. While it is often the first two races on a card and the last two races on a card, it has become more common throughout most race cards. To win, you must select the winner of both races. Because of the added risk, a winning $2 Daily Double wager would pay more than a $2 Win bet in each race.

Exacta - In this wager, you must successfully pick the first two finishing horses in the exact order of their finish in a single race. A popular way to make this bet is called an Exacta Box, where you would collect if your horses finish first or second in either order. In a standard two-horse Exacta Box, a $2 wager would cost $4 because you have the horses in either order.

Trifecta - In this wager, you must successfully pick the first three finishing horses in the exact order of their finish in a single race. A popular way to make this bet is called a Trifecta Box, where you would collect if your horses finish first, second, and third in any order. In a standard three-horse Trifecta Box, a $2 wager would cost $12 because you have the three horses in any order.

Superfecta - This wager takes things up a notch. Here, you must successfully pick the first four finishing horses in the exact order of their finish in a single race. A popular, but more expensive way to make this bet is called a Superfecta Box, where you would collect if your horses finish first, second, third, and fourth in any order. In a standard four-horse Superfecta Box, a $2 wager would cost $48 because you have the four horses in any order.

Super High Five - This is an extremely difficult wager to win, because you must successfully select the top five finishers in a single race in exact order. A Super High Five Box is less common to wager because of the cost. For example, a $2 box with five horses would cost $240. The payoff for hitting a Super High Five is generally substantial.

Pick 3 - Taking it one step further than the Daily Double, Pick 3 is successfully cashed by selecting the winner in three consecutive races. A $2 Pick 3 using (1) horse in one race, (2) horses in another race, and (5) horses in the other race would cost $20.

Pick 4 - Picking the winner in four consecutive races to cash in on this wager is not easy, and because of this, the payouts can begin to get quite large.

Pick 5 - The more races that are needed to successfully cash, the higher the reward. This bet is not easy, as you must select the winner in five consecutive races. Using multiple horses in some of the races is often the way to go, but the more horses used, the more expensive the bet becomes.

Pick 6 - A very popular wager in the United States, this bet is cashed by picking the winner in six consecutive races. Sometimes available to wager for as low as a 10-cent base, many bettors will use multiple horses in several of the legs, but be careful, the combinations (or number of bets) can multiply quickly. Obviously, this is a high-risk, high-reward wager.

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9 November, 2022 | Richard Janvrin
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AUTHOR

Brian Zipse

283 Articles

Taken to the races at a very young age, Brian has been a passionate fan of horse racing his entire life. Professionally, his work has been published on several leading industry sites. Brian served as the Editor of Horse Racing Nation from 2010-2017, where he still writes a regular column and hosts the popular weekly webcast HorseCenter.

Email: [email protected]

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