Wager Mage
Photo by Yuliia Tretynychenko Pexels Logo Photo: Yuliia Tretynychenko

What does a 9 5 horse pay?

Payoffs for $2 Win Bets ODDS PAYS ODDS 1-5 $2.40 8-5 2-5 $2.80 9-5 1-2 $3.00 2-1 3-5 $3.20 5-2 5 more rows •

Who has fastest hands in boxing?
Who has fastest hands in boxing?

The 5 Quickest Hands In Boxing History 1) Roy Jones Jr. BOXCN. 610 subscribers. Roy Jones Jr Amazing Speed FASTEST EVER!! ... 2) Mike Tyson....

Read More »
What does BAE stand for?
What does BAE stand for?

"Bae," Urban Dictionary says, is an acronym that stands for "before anyone else," or a shortened version of baby or babe, another word for sweetie,...

Read More »

It's surprising at how many people make bets on horse races without the slightest understanding of the tote board. While all of those numbers on the board may seem imposing, the odds and payoffs are actually pretty easy to learn. And by doing so, you will be able to make and calculate better bets. The easiest information on the board is the win odds quoted on each horse. They don't tell you what the horse will pay, but the amount of profit you will get and the amount you have to bet to get it. For example, 6-5 means you will get $6 in profit for every $5 you wager, while 20-1 means you get $20 in profit for every $1 you wager. In the latter example, a bet of $2 means you would get $42 back for a winning wager. Payoffs use the actual odds and are rounded down to the nearest nickel or dime, depending on the rules at that track. This rounding is called breakage.

Calculating the Win Odds on a Horse

If you want to calculate the exact win odds on a horse, you will need to use a couple of other figures from the tote board:

Total win pool

Amount bet on that horse

The total pool is all the money bet on all the horses to win, but it is not the amount that will actually be paid out to the holders of winning tickets. Before the track pays off the winners, they deduct the "take," which is generally between 14 and 20 percent and is different in every state. This money goes to pay state and local taxes, payment for the horsemen, expenses at the track, and the track's profit. To calculate the exact odds on your horse, just subtract the take from the total pool, then subtract the amount bet on your horse to give you the amount of cash to be paid out. Divide that figure by the amount bet on your horse to get the exact odds. This figure will always be rounded off to the nearest dime (usually) or nickel, as mentioned previously, before the payoffs are calculated. Here is a simple example of win odds calculation:

Total pool: $900

Amount bet on horse No. 1: $300

Take amount: 15 percent

$900 minus 15 percent equals $765

$765 minus $300 equals $465

$465 divided by $300 equals $1.55

Round this amount off to $1.50 for breakage and you get odds of 1.5-1 or 3-2, as it would normally be written, which yields a payoff of $5 on a wager of $2.

Payoffs for $2 Win Bets

Since most tracks have a $2 minimum bet, below is a handy chart to look up the payoff for a $2 bet at various odds. Remember, your actual payoff may differ from this chart, as the odds on the tote board are rounded off, so 2-1 odds on the tote board may actually be 1.9-1 or 2.2-1.

What does the T stand for in Yoshis name?
What does the T stand for in Yoshis name?

T stands for "That's not my Yoshi!" Aug 6, 2014

Read More »
Why always double on 11?
Why always double on 11?

That's because there's a good chance that if you're showing an eleven, then one more card could hit blackjack – or get close to it. Or at the very...

Read More »

What is the largest lottery payout ever?
What is the largest lottery payout ever?

The largest ever lottery prize in history, the $2.04bn Powerball jackpot, has been won. The US lottery's official website on Tuesday showed a...

Read More »
Why does round robin pay more than a parlay?
Why does round robin pay more than a parlay?

A round robin differs from a parlay because you can still cash even if all the teams in your round robin don't cover - you'll just return less...

Read More »
What do rugby players eat after a game?
What do rugby players eat after a game?

You also need to continue to consume fluids to rehydrate. Your plate should be made up of at least one-half to two-thirds carbohydrates, such as...

Read More »
Should you ever split a 20 in blackjack?
Should you ever split a 20 in blackjack?

Average players should never split and should always stand on 20. Card counters will sometimes split in ten-rich decks. Smart tournament players...

Read More »