How to Bet on Horses and Win

The honest truth first

Most horse players lose money over time, because the track keeps a share of every betting pool before paying winners. To win over time, you have to beat the other players by more than that share. It can be done, but not every day, and never with a promise. No system wins every time.

How to bet on horses for beginners

• Set a budget. Decide before you get to the track. When it's gone, you're done for the day.
• Start simple. WIN, PLACE and SHOW are the easiest bets to understand. See the cheat sheet for costs.
• Bet fewer races. Bet only the races where you have a real opinion. "Pass" is a fine bet.
• Look for value. A horse at 4-1 with a 1-in-3 chance is a good bet. A horse at 1-1 with a 1-in-3 chance is a bad one.
• Keep a record. Every bet, win or lose. It is the only honest scoreboard.

Where the money goes: takeout

All the money bet on one kind of bet goes into a pool. The track keeps its share (the takeout) and the rest is paid to winning tickets. Exotic bets like trifectas usually have a bigger takeout than WIN, PLACE and SHOW. Lone Star Park's racing program shows the betting menu for each race. Read more in the Lone Star Park betting guide.

How to bet horses online

Rules for betting online are different from state to state, so check Texas law before you use any website or app that takes bets. Brian's Lucky Picks does not take bets and does not link to any betting website or app.

Is there a how-to-bet-on-horses-and-win app?

Brian's Lucky Picks is a picks app for Lone Star Park races: WIN, PLACE and SHOW picks, the one play for each race, a countdown and alerts. It is not a betting app; no bets are taken. Every final pick is on the record, win or lose: see the results.

Bet small, bet smart

Never bet money you need. 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Questions