General Trifecta Question

[ilzho]

Hello:

Just a general question for those that play a trifecta.

Do you need a certain number of horses in a race before you will play a trifecta.

Example, someone told me they will only play a trifecta if there are 9 or more running in a race?

I assume a bigger field could yield a bigger pool/payout, depending on the odds, etc.

Thoughts?

[Overlay]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/18606/new-york-lowers-trifecta-field-size-minimum-on-some-races

I believe that the minimum field size can be as low as five (as illustrated by the (somewhat dated) article at the link), but that it would be individually determined by each separate racing jurisdiction, with no uniform racing-wide required minimum figure.

[ilzho]

my followup is, when most people bet the trifecta, do they bet when there are only 5 or more when there are 9+ horses in a field?

[Overlay]

I misinterpreted your original question. I see now that you were asking about the normal wagering practices of PA members, rather than the minimum field size for a trifecta race. (I'll leave the answer to your original question to others.) (Sorry about the misunderstanding on my part. :blush: )

[ilzho]

No it's ok, I wasn't clear enough....

[PICSIX]

7 horse box when the favorite figures to finish off the board :cool:

[Poindexter]

Personally, I do no limit myself. There are times in a 5 horse field that a trifecta possibly can be useful. But in general, you are going to get more value on these types of exotic bets when there are more horses in the field. I haven't studied trifecta payouts, but I am starting to study pick 4 payouts at Santa Anita, and from my initial research field size does equate to value. For instance when you have 35 or more horses in a pick 4 you will get a lot more value(relative to a parlay) than you will if there are say less than 32 horses. So based off of that I think your 9 or more running in a race is a good blueprint for when it is best to play the trifecta(perhaps 10 or more would be optimal).

[Hoofless_Wonder]

Personally, I do no limit myself. There are times in a 5 horse field that a trifecta possibly can be useful. But in general, you are going to get more value on these types of exotic bets when there are more horses in the field. I haven't studied trifecta payouts, but I am starting to study pick 4 payouts at Santa Anita, and from my initial research field size does equate to value. For instance when you have 35 or more horses in a pick 4 you will get a lot more value(relative to a parlay) than you will if there are say less than 32 horses. So based off of that I think your 9 or more running in a race is a good blueprint for when it is best to play the trifecta(perhaps 10 or more would be optimal).

Is comparing the horizontal wager to a vertical wager apples to oranges? How do you determine "value" in a vertical wager?

I would agree the parlay calculation works to some extent, but larger field sizes also equate to being more difficult to hit. In a race where you toss the chalk, does a $100 tri in a five horse field (24 combos) have more or less value than a $2100 tri in a ten horse field (504 combos)?