Wager Mage
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How much does a $2 bet win at the Kentucky Derby?

The minimum amount you can wager varies from bet to bet, generally ranging from 10 cents to $2. But you can also bet more than the minimum amount, with larger payoffs as the prize. A $2 win bet on a 5-1 winner will return $12 for a profit of $10, but a $20 wager on the same horse will return $120 for a profit of $100.

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Is 12 1 odds good?

Are 12/1 Odds Good? 12/1 odds are great because for every £1 winning bet you will return £12 profit. The 12-1 odds reflect the chances of your...

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What percentage of parlays win?
What percentage of parlays win?

If you have two wagers that are each +100 — bet $100 to win $100 — then the parlay has roughly a 25 percent chance of winning. If those wagers are...

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How to bet the Kentucky Derby.

Over $150 million is won by bettors wagering on the Kentucky Derby each year. Learn how to bet on the Kentucky Derby here; with tips fro our experts, important information on contenders, and of course the best place to bet on the Kentucky Derby in our official partners and sister site, TwinSpires.com!

Betting Calculator

Select your bet type, total bet value and horses you wish to bet in the Kentucky Derby utilizing official morning line odds.

Expert Picks

Discover who the experts think you should bet in the Kentucky Derby.

Consensus Top Picks for Your Tickets

Party Games: Betting With Friends

$10 Free Bet For You & Your Guests

Be the perfect host by offering your guests a $10 Free Bet on TwinSpires, the Official Betting Site of the Kentucky Derby. Every time one of your guests signs up with your invitation code and places their first bet, you will receive a $10 FREE Bet and so will your guest! Register NOW!

Betting for All Levels

If you're into numbers and attempting to decipher whose speed, pace and class figures indicate a winner...these guides will set you up for success!

An Introduction to Betting

Want to have a personal rooting interest in the outcome of the Kentucky Derby? Then place a wager and cheer home your favorite horse! Betting the Kentucky Derby isn’t difficult.

These four simple steps will get you started:

1) Examine the odds

What does it mean when a horse offers odds of 3-1, or 9-1, or 24-1? The odds simply indicate the perceived chance of that particular horse reaching the winner’s circle. A horse listed at 9-1 is expected to lose nine times and win once from 10 attempts (10 being the sum of nine and one), which equates to a 10% chance of victory. A horses offering odds of 3-2 is expected to lose three times and win twice from five attempts, which represents a 40% chance of victory. The odds also determine the payoffs for win bets. A 6-1 winner will return $6 of profit for every $1 wagered.

2) Pick a horse

Novices might choose a horse based on its name, color, or program number—any approach is acceptable if you’re betting small stakes just for fun. But for serious bettors, the “past performances” (entry sheets detailing the racing records of each horse) provide a wealth of data for analysis. Speed figures, jockey and trainer statistics, pedigrees, and more can be used to identify the most likely winner. This is where the odds come into play. If you conclude a horse has a 25% (3-1) chance of winning, but the horse is offering odds of 4-1, you’ve found a good bet. You wouldn’t want to bet the same runner at odds of 2-1, because the risk wouldn’t be worth the reward.

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3) Select a bet

Skilled bettors can choose from a wide variety of wagering options, including the exacta (picking the top two finishers in order) and trifecta (picking the top three finishers in order). These challenging bets can yield lucrative payoffs, but they’re also are harder to hit. Novice bettors are more likely to find success with traditional win, place, and show wagers. A win bet pays off if your horses reach’s the winner’s circle, so if you’re confident in your selection, this is the route to take. A place bet pays off if your runner finishes first or second, and you can cash a show bet if your horse cracks the top three.

4) Choose the amount

The minimum amount you can wager varies from bet to bet, generally ranging from 10 cents to $2. But you can also bet more than the minimum amount, with larger payoffs as the prize. A $2 win bet on a 5-1 winner will return $12 for a profit of $10, but a $20 wager on the same horse will return $120 for a profit of $100. At the same time, losses can accumulate quickly when betting large amounts, so play in your comfort zone and save bigger bets for races where you have strong opinions.

5 trends to consider for finding the Kentucky Derby winner

The annual challenge of narrowing down your search down in predicting the Kentucky Derby winner is among the most difficult assignments presented to a handicapper. A 20-horse field, combined with horses traveling from across the country and abroad alike, makes the task especially difficult. I have pegged a handful of tips that history suggests will aid in the process of finding the correct Derby horse.

Are 4 to 1 odds good?
Are 4 to 1 odds good?

Are 4/1 Odds Good? 4/1 odds are great because for every £1 winning bet you will return £4 profit. The 4-1 odds reflect the chances of your...

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Can you bet on the same game twice?
Can you bet on the same game twice?

Yes, you can place the same wager twice as a single bet but not as a multiple bet.

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What does 1 4 odds mean?
What does 1 4 odds mean?

If you see fractional odds the other way round – such as 1/4 – this is called odds-on and means the horse in question is a hot favourite to win the...

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