Basic Action: The superfecta bet is one of the toughest to cash in racing. The challenge of hitting a superfecta is correctly predicting the first four finishers in any race. There are no consolations if you pick only three out of the first four finishers; you’ll need to pick all four. On the bright side, most racetracks allow bettors to play superfectas at a base amount of 10 cents. So, you could either box four horses (meaning you’d win if they came in any order) for a mere $2.40 ($.10 multiplied by the 24 possible combinations of your four selected horses finishing first through fourth) or you can additional horses to your superfecta (5 horses = 120 possible combinations) for $12.00.
Advanced Action: If you’re going to play a superfecta for $.10 (or any lower denomination), you’ve got to be selective and reserve your plays for larger fields in which you think long shots have a good chance of finishing in the top few spots. If you think the favorites are strong in a smaller field, you might be better off playing a large exacta with your top two horses. The main pitfall with superfectas is playing too many combinations with a low base bet. However, there is a “key” that you can use when making your bets to limit the number of combinations you be and hence reduce the cost of your investment. We’ll explore the key next time on #TheAction.
