Pick 3 Bets
In order to win a Pick 3 bet you are required to select
the winning horse in three consecutive races. Most tracks
only offer one or two pick 3 opportunities per day. Some
tracks offer a rolling pick 3 in which every race is part of
a pick 3 bet, which means that some races are included in
three pick 3 bets. The third race for example, would be the
third race of the first pick 3, the second race of the
second pick 3, and the first race of the third pick 3. I
don't mean to make this seem complicated, it is really very
simple. The simplest pick 3 bet is the $2 straight pick 3.
If for example, you picked the #2 horse to win the first
race, the #4 horse to win the second race, and the #6 horse
to win the third race, you would tell the clerk ($2 pick 3 -
2, 4, 6).
Pick 3 Part Wheel
The pick 3 part wheel bet is one of my favorite plays at the
track. It allows you to single your favorite horses in some
races and combining them with several good paying horses in
other races in an attempt to hit a good paying win ticket. There
is generally good value in the pick 3 bet, and frequently they
will pay considerably more than the comparable amount of money
bet in a 3 race parlay.
To increase the probability of winning a pick 3 you may want
to play multiple combinations by selecting more than one horse
in one or more of the three races. The easiest way to
communicate this bet to the clerk is to use the pick 3 part
wheel bet. If you think the #3 horse will win the first race of
the pick 3 and either the (#1, #5 or #7) horse will win the
second race, and the (#2, #5, #8, #10, or #12) horse will win
the third race, you would tell the clerk ($2 Pick 3 Part Wheel 3
with 1, 5, 7 with 2, 5, 8, 10, 12). The cost of this bet would
be (1 x 3 x 5 x $2) = $30 for your $2 bet. You can bet any
amount from $1 on up. Remember, that if you bet a $1 bet, you
only collect 1/2 of the payoff amount since most bets are quoted
for a $2 bet. |
