Lone Star Park Betting Guide

How horse racing betting works

Racing in Texas is pari-mutuel: everyone's money for one kind of bet goes into one pool. The track takes its share (the takeout), and the rest is split among the winning tickets. You are betting against the other players, not against the track. That is why the odds keep changing until betting closes.

This site takes no bets and does not link to any betting app. This page only explains how it works.

The simple bets

• WIN: your horse must finish 1st.
• PLACE: your horse must finish 1st or 2nd. Pays less than WIN.
• SHOW: your horse must finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd. Pays the least, hits the most.
• Across the board: WIN, PLACE and SHOW on the same horse (three bets, so three times the cost).

The bigger bets (exotics)

• Exacta: pick the 1st and 2nd horses in the exact order. A box covers both orders and costs twice as much.
• Quinella: pick the top two in either order.
• Trifecta: pick 1st, 2nd and 3rd in order. A 3-horse box covers all 6 orders.
• Superfecta: pick the top four in order.
• Daily Double, Pick 3, Pick 4: pick the winners of 2, 3 or 4 races in a row.

The Lone Star Park betting menu (which bets are offered on each race, and the smallest bet allowed) is printed in the racing program. Check it before you bet. Costs for every box: horse betting cheat sheet.

Odds and payouts

Odds of 5-2 mean the horse pays about $5 profit for every $2 bet. So a $2 WIN ticket at 5-2 pays back about $7.00 (your $2 plus $5). At 1-1 (even money) a $2 ticket pays about $4.00. At 10-1 it pays about $22.00. The final payout is set when betting closes, and it is rounded down a little (called breakage).

The morning line in the program is the track's guess at the odds, made before any money is bet. The odds on the board during the day are the real betting.

What takeout is

Takeout is the share of each betting pool the track keeps before paying the winners. It covers the purses, the track and taxes. In Texas the takeout limits are set by state law and rules; the exotic bets usually have a higher takeout than WIN, PLACE and SHOW. At most U.S. tracks, WIN, PLACE and SHOW takeout is somewhere around 15 to 20 percent and exotics are higher. For Lone Star's exact numbers, check the track's program or the Texas Racing Commission.

Why it matters: to come out ahead over time, a player has to beat the crowd by more than the takeout. That is hard, and most players don't.

How to read the program

• Program number: the number on the saddle cloth and on your ticket. Two horses with the same trainer or owner can be coupled as 1 and 1A: one bet covers both.
• Post position: which gate stall the horse starts from. Usually the same as the program number, but not always.
• Morning line: the track's guess at the final odds.
• Jockey, trainer and weight: who rides, who trains, and the weight the horse carries.
• Medication and equipment: L means the horse runs on Lasix (a bleeding medication); B means blinkers.
• Class: maiden (has never won), claiming (any horse can be bought for the listed price), allowance and stakes (the best horses).
• Past performances: each line is one past race. Full walk-through: how to read a racing form.

Bet small, bet smart

Set a budget for the day and stick to it. Never bet money you need. No system wins every time. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. 21+.

Want help picking?

Brian's Lucky Picks gives WIN, PLACE and SHOW picks and the one play for every Lone Star race, and shows every final pick on the record, win or lose. See the record. Picks are opinions, not guarantees.

Questions