Superfecta Wagering Strategies

Superfecta is largely considered the most lucrative of all horse racing betting opportunities, and at the same time, the hardest wager to collect on. You’ll have to correctly predict the first four horses to finish the race, in exact order, to release this massive purse. It is generally the type of wager only veteran handicappers place with any degree of confidence, but if you are looking for a very large payout and are feeling lucky why not give it a try at an online betting site such as Bovada.lv.

• Superfecta Winning System
• Superfecta Wagering Strategies
• Exacta Wagering Strategies
• Superfecta Betting Strategies
• Key Superfecta Wheel Bet Combination

In some countries, the name Superfecta refers to a wager on more than four horses, as high as five or six. Since the name doesn’t exactly relate to a number, as in the case of a “Trifecta” (first 3 horses), some horse racing tracks have begun using terms like “First Four” or “Quartet” in place of, or in combination with, Superfecta.

But exotic betting goes beyond that by allowing you to include multiple horses in your bets. Some of these bets (exacta, trifecta, superfecta) take place within the confines of a single race. And others (Daily Double, Pick 3, Pick 4) will take place over several races, usually on the same program at a. Horse Race Superfectas. The Superfecta wager has gained in popularity among horseplayers in the last decade, thanks to the opportunity to make a large windfall with a moderate investment. In the past several years, the Superfecta betting pools have also grown with the introduction of the 10-cent Superfecta which are available at most racetracks. The 10-cent Superfecta makes it possible for.

What is Superfecta Horse Racing Betting?

A Superfecta is a complex horse racing bet where the bettor is required to pick not just the win, Place and Show horses, but the fourth place finisher as well. Picking the first four animals to finish a horse race, in exact order, is no easy task.

Above is an example of the “superfecta” menu at Bovada.lv where you can bet on any horse to either win, place or show. You will also get $250 free at Bovada for the Kentucky Derby.

In order to collect on the bet, every horse chosen must finish in the chosen order. If you select them to finish in order as 5-4-6-2, and instead they finish 5-4-2-6, your wager is lost. But should they come in 5-4-6-2 as predicted, the payout can be astronomical!

You are also given the option to “box” your selections, which will put in a series of bets for every possible order of the 4 horses you’ve selected. With a superfecta this will cost $24 if you choose $1 bets (as their are 24 possible outcomes). More on this can be found below.

Types of Superfecta Horse Racing Betting

There are three ways to place a Superfecta bet in horse racing betting:

Straight Superfecta
Superfecta Box
Superfecta Wheel

The minimum bet size in horse racing is generally $2, though most Superfecta bets are reduced to a $1 minimum. For this reason, we’ll be using a $1 wager in the following examples.

Straight Superfecta Horse Racing Betting

The Straight Superfecta is the most simplistic of all Superfecta bets. The bettor chooses four horses, selecting the exact order they will finish – first, second, third and fourth. The bet slip would read something like this: $1 Superfecta 5-4-6-2.

It would be a $1 bet that the #5 horse would Win, the #4 horse Place (second), the #6 horse Show (third) and the #2 horse finish fourth.

Superfecta Box Horse Racing Betting

The Superfecta Box is a similar bet, but includes all possible combinations of the chosen horses to finish in any given order. A $1 Superfecta Box would cost the bettor $24, as there are 24 possible ways to combine the finishing order of four horses.

For example, $1 Superfecta Box (5-4-6-2) is a $24 bet ($1 each) on the following 24 possible outcomes:

5-4-6-2; 5-4-2-6; 5-2-4-6; 5-2-6-4; 5-6-4-2; 5-6-2-4
4-2-5-6; 4-2-6-5; 4-5-2-6; 4-5-6-2; 4-6-5-2; 4-6-2-5
2-4-5-6; 2-4-6-5; 2-5-4-6; 2-5-6-4; 2-6-4-5; 2-6-5-4
6-2-4-5; 6-2-5-4; 6-4-2-5; 6-4-5-2; 6-5-2-4; 6-5-4-2

Bettors can also choose to add more than 4 horses to a Superfecta Box, but the price rises with each possible combination.

5 horses = $60
6 horses = $120
7 horses = $210
8 horses = $336

Superfecta Wheel Horse Racing Betting

The Superfecta Wheel is used when you are certain which horse will win, but aren’t so convinced on the exact order of the next three horses. Instead of paying full price for the Superfecta Box, you would choose the winning horse, followed by three more horses to finish in the next three positions. (See our Horse Racing Wheel Betting Article)

Let’s say you want the #5 horse to win, with 4-6-2 finishing in second, third and fourth. The bet slip would read“$1 Superfecta Wheel 5 with 4-6-2 with 4-6-2 with 4-6-2 = $6”. There are six possible combinations, therefore 6-$1 bets made.

Superfecta Horse Racing Betting Payouts

Superfecta Winning System

There is no set payout in pari-mutuel horse racing betting. The payoff for a Superfecta will always be determined by the overall purse, and how much of that money was placed on the winning Superfecta, as opposed to any other bets placed. The tote board at the horse racing track won’t display the probably payout either since there are simply too many combinations in Superfecta horse racing betting to display them all.

Ready to test your luck with a Superfecta bet? Click here for $250 free at Bovada for the Kentucky Derby

High and Low – A Superfecta Wagering Strategy

One of the tricks to successful wagering is making the right wagers in the right situations … and recognizing the situation when it appears. After handicapping a race, a number of scenarios can unfold. When you’re new to horse racing, it seems like these scenarios are countless. But, after doing it awhile, you start to see patterns emerge.

One pattern I’ve discovered is what I call the “High and Low” scenario. Highis a identifying a horse that you feel confident is a serious win threat, but isn’t an optimal Win play. Maybe his odds are too short, or you already have him covered in a Double, Pick-3, or Pick-4 wager. Lowis marking a horse that you feel doesn’t have much chance of winning, but has a legitimate shot of finishing in the “lower rungs” of an exotic wager (like a Superfecta). Lower rungs for a Superfecta would be 3^rd or 4^th place. An added attraction to this play is when your Low horse is long in odds and/or the rest of the field is a wide-open affair (the combination of the two is ideal).

The vast majority of people play Superfectas one of two ways. Either they box a limited number of horses (4-6) or they employ a Part-Wheel strategy similar to one we described in a prior article. Click here to review that article. That works well in situations where you feel you have a good handle on the relative chances of each horse … enabling you to throwout horses that are hopeless (even for lower rung positions) and key on horses that have the best chance of finishing 1^st and 2^nd.

But, what about the times when you can’t find horses to throw out? And all you’ve got is one “High” horse who you feel is likely to win, and one “Low” horse for underneath positions. It might be time to try a High and Low wager. And surprisingly, with 10-cent Superfectas, these wagers can be very affordable.

Let’s say we’re going to key our High horse (#1) in 1^st and our Low horse (#4) in 4^th. We would place a wager as follows:

10-Cent Superfecta, Part Wheel: 1 with {All} with {All} with 4.

So, how much will this wager cost? It depends on the size of the field. So, let’s make F=field size (oh-oh, sounds like Algebra). Here is the formula.

Total Combinations = 1 x (F-2) x (F-3) x 1.

The 1^st and 4^th positions represent a single of the #1 horse and the #4 horse in their respective slots. The 2^nd position represents the rest of the field (less the two singles). The 3^rd position is the field, less the two singles, less the horse that finishes 2^nd.

Ok, enough with the formulas, let’s look at a table showing what the wager costs for field sizes from 6 to 14 horses.

Superfecta Wagering Strategies

Exacta Wagering Strategies

As you can see, this can be a very affordable wager. Affordable enough that you can take a shot with multiple plays. Let’s say you have a 10-horse field and you’d like to cover your “low” horse in the 3^rd and 4^th positions. This would be two separate Part-Wheel plays for $5.60 each.

10-Cent Superfecta, Part Wheel: 1 with {All} with {All} with 4 = $5.60

Superfecta Betting Strategies

10-Cent Superfecta, Part Wheel: 1 with {All} with 4 with {All} = $5.60

Now, remember what we said at the top; making the right wager for the right situation. If your High horse is 6-5 and your Low horse is 2-1 … and you feel that only half the field has a chance of finishing in the money, then High and Low is not the right wager.

However, speaking from experience, when the right situation presents itself, the High and Low wager can be very rewarding. Some of my wagering brethren think I’m crazy pigeonholing single horses into slots, but when I come up with one of those winning tickets they just shake their heads in amazement.

In the future we will be providing some actual examples of where High and Low plays were (or should have been) used. That might spark some ideas of your own for using this type of wager.

Key Superfecta Wheel Bet Combination

By Neal Benoit