A trifecta bet is a type of horse racing wager where the bettor must pick the top three finishers in exact order. It is considered one of the most difficult wagers to win in horse racing due to the complexity of picking the top three finishers in the correct order, however, it can also be one of the most rewarding wagers due to the high payouts.
Calculating the Number of Trifecta Combinations with 4 Horses
When betting on a trifecta, the bettor must pick the first, second, and third place finishers in the correct order. This is done by predicting the top three finishers in the race. With four horses entered in the race, there are a total of six possible trifecta combinations.
The six trifecta combinations are:
- Horse 1 in first, Horse 2 in second, and Horse 3 in third
- Horse 1 in first, Horse 3 in second, and Horse 2 in third
- Horse 2 in first, Horse 1 in second, and Horse 3 in third
- Horse 2 in first, Horse 3 in second, and Horse 1 in third
- Horse 3 in first, Horse 1 in second, and Horse 2 in third
- Horse 3 in first, Horse 2 in second, and Horse 1 in third
Trifecta Box Betting
Trifecta box betting is a type of trifecta bet where the bettor does not have to predict the exact order of the top three finishers. Instead, the bettor must select all of the horses that can potentially finish in the top three. With four horses entered in the race, there are a total of four possible trifecta box combinations. This type of bet also allows for multiple combinations to be wagered at once, increasing the chances of winning.
The four trifecta box combinations are:
- Horse 1, Horse 2, and Horse 3
- Horse 1, Horse 3, and Horse 2
- Horse 2, Horse 1, and Horse 3
- Horse 2, Horse 3, and Horse 1
Trifecta Wheel Betting
Trifecta wheel betting is a type of trifecta bet where the bettor must select one horse to finish first, and then they must select any combination of horses to finish in any order in the second and third spots. With four horses entered in the race, there are a total of twelve possible trifecta wheel combinations.
The twelve trifecta wheel combinations are:
- Horse 1 in first, Horse 2 and Horse 3 in second and third
- Horse 1 in first, Horse 3 and Horse 2 in second and third
- Horse 2 in first, Horse 1 and Horse 3 in second and third
- Horse 2 in first, Horse 3 and Horse 1 in second and third
- Horse 3 in first, Horse 1 and Horse 2 in second and third
- Horse 3 in first, Horse 2 and Horse 1 in second and third
- Horse 1, Horse 2 and Horse 3 in any order in second and third
- Horse 1, Horse 3 and Horse 2 in any order in second and third
- Horse 2, Horse 1 and Horse 3 in any order in second and third
- Horse 2, Horse 3 and Horse 1 in any order in second and third
- Horse 3, Horse 1 and Horse 2 in any order in second and third
- Horse 3, Horse 2 and Horse 1 in any order in second and third
What is a Trifecta Superfecta?
A trifecta superfecta is a type of bet where the bettor must select the top four finishers in exact order. This is considered one of the most difficult wagers to win due to the complexity of picking the top four finishers in the correct order. With four horses entered in the race, there are a total of twenty-four possible trifecta superfecta combinations.
The twenty-four trifecta superfecta combinations are:
- Horse 1 in first, Horse 2 in second, Horse 3 in third, and Horse 4 in fourth
- Horse 1 in first, Horse 2 in second, Horse 4 in third, and Horse 3 in fourth
- Horse 1 in first, Horse 3 in second, Horse 2 in third, and Horse 4 in fourth
- Horse 1 in first, Horse 3 in second, Horse 4 in third, and Horse 2 in fourth
- Horse 1 in first, Horse 4 in second, Horse 2 in third, and Horse 3 in fourth
- Horse 1 in first, Horse 4 in second, Horse 3 in third, and Horse 2 in fourth
- Horse 2 in first, Horse 1 in second, Horse 3 in third, and Horse 4 in fourth
- Horse 2 in first, Horse 1 in second, Horse 4 in third, and Horse 3 in fourth
- Horse 2 in first, Horse 3 in second, Horse 1 in third, and Horse 4 in fourth
- Horse 2 in first, Horse 3 in second, Horse 4 in third, and Horse 1 in fourth
- Horse 2 in first, Horse 4 in second, Horse 1 in third, and Horse 3 in fourth
- Horse 2 in first, Horse 4 in second, Horse 3 in third, and Horse 1 in fourth
- Horse 3 in first, Horse 1 in second, Horse 2 in third, and Horse 4 in fourth
- Horse 3 in first, Horse 1 in second, Horse 4 in third, and Horse 2 in fourth
- Horse 3 in first, Horse 2 in second, Horse 1 in third, and Horse 4 in fourth
- Horse 3 in first, Horse 2 in second, Horse 4 in third, and Horse 1 in fourth
- Horse 3 in first, Horse 4 in second, Horse 1 in third, and Horse 2 in fourth
- Horse 3 in first, Horse 4 in second, Horse 2 in third, and Horse 1 in fourth
- Horse 4 in first, Horse 1 in second, Horse 2 in third, and Horse 3 in fourth
- Horse 4 in first, Horse 1 in second, Horse 3 in third, and Horse 2 in fourth
- Horse 4 in first, Horse 2 in second, Horse 1 in third, and Horse 3 in fourth
- Horse 4 in first, Horse 2 in second, Horse 3 in third, and Horse 1 in fourth
- Horse 4 in first, Horse 3 in second, Horse 1 in third, and Horse 2 in fourth
- Horse 4 in first, Horse 3 in second, Horse 2 in third, and Horse 1 in fourth
How to Calculate the Payout of a Trifecta Bet
The payout of a trifecta bet is determined by the total wagers placed on the race and the total number of combinations wagered. The bettor’s share of the total wagers is determined by the number of combinations they wagered compared to the total number of combinations wagered by all of the bettors.
Example:
Let’s say there are a total of 100 wagers placed on a race with four horses. Of those 100 wagers, 40 were placed on the trifecta bet and 10 were placed on each of the six possible trifecta combinations. The payout for the winning combination will be 40% of the total wagers placed on the race, or 40% of 100 wagers, or 40 wagers.
Conclusion
Trifecta bets are a type of horse racing wager where the bettor must pick the top three finishers in exact order. With four horses entered in the race, there are a total of six possible trifecta combinations, four possible trifecta box combinations, twelve possible trifecta wheel combinations, and twenty-four possible trifecta superfecta combinations. The payout for the winning combination is determined by the number of combinations wagered compared to the total number of combinations wagered by all of the bettors.