Racing & Pari-Mutuel
Exacta vs trifecta vs superfecta
These three parimutuel wagers ask you to name the first two, three or four horses past the post, in the precise order they finish.
Key points
- All three are parimutuel wagers: payouts come from a pool shared among winners, not fixed odds.4
- A straight exacta, trifecta or superfecta wins only if your selections finish in the exact order you chose.2
- The more runners you must predict, the harder the bet: superfecta is the most difficult and typically offers the largest potential payout.
Where this term is used
Related terms
Racing
Trifecta
A bet requiring the first three finishers in exact order.
Racing
Exacta
A bet requiring the first two finishers in exact order.
Racing
Superfecta
A bet requiring the first four finishers in exact order.
Racing
Superfecta payout
How superfecta dividends are calculated from the betting pool.
Racing
Trifecta betting
Strategies and rules for placing trifecta wagers.
Racing
Funny horse racing terms
Funny horse racing terms are the colourful
Sources
- Superfecta en.wikipedia.org Defines superfecta and confirms the number of finishers required.
- Parimutuel betting en.wikipedia.org Defines exacta and explains parimutuel betting mechanics.
- Betting on horse racing en.wikipedia.org Defines trifecta and confirms the number of finishers required.
- Tote betting - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Explains that tote/pool betting determines payouts for these wagers.
Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.