.50 Cent Trifectas has killed the bet
 

in the past, a 1$ or $2 got costly to wheel and key several horses . There was choices and secisions to be made with bankroll, on how many horses to put in vs the price.

Now even the guy scrounging for tickets off the floor can play a .50 tri key with 10 horses


I'm looking at these payoffs for nice priced horses on top, and they are horrible for the .50.

Go back to $1 for tri

Old guy alert here. I remember when the 9th race was the “triple” race. There were people that strictly tried to hit it. Was like today’s pic 5 or 6. Two bucks only . And the money was worth way more. It was a big bet with way bigger rewards if you hit the right number.

Totally agree. Didn’t they lower it for tax reasons that no longer apply ?

I don’t know about taxes . I think it’s just for more bets. I’ve never been good at triples, never. I always play exactas. But I have two friends that love triples. They both hit huge ones back then. I’m talking more than I ever see them pay now. One guy still does them and he hits on a ticket with all/chalk, logical/others. But they’re no where like the old ones. Some of the Saratoga 9th races used to be game changers back in the day. It was the exotic number. The bet got over shadowed by Pics. The fields aren’t as big and they offer it all the time...... for 50 cent. Watered down

Not all tracks offer the 50 cent Trifecta.
Thistledown still has a $1 minimum.

So wouldn't this mean tris are "more generous" for favorites or lower priced horses because people are spreading more?

Logically that should certainly be the case. The other seemingly logical point is that if the pools in the higher denomination trifectas were skewed toward massive overlays with the higher odds horses then the whales would have been feasting in these pools sucking out all of the value.

I think the initial reasons were due to perceived elasticity in pricing, which was proven true and resulted in greater handle compared to the higher minimum.



For example, I recall the first few tracks to reduce the superfecta minimum to $0.10 noted overall handle went up, proving it was a good move. I believe the same was true when the trifecta minimum dropped to $0.50.

There are still high payouts for tri play, even at .50. But not for your prime power faves which so many play.
You wanna win big you have to play horses that will pay big.

$.50 trifectas put more money in the pools. Yes, the payoffs are lighter because of the number of entrants, but you are winning more often, or at least you should be.

You should never complain about a lower cost investment. Ever.

Unless you are one of the best handicappers in the world, $.50 trifectas are much better for your ROI.

Field size and a good opinion can do wonders to the payouts.


Even with smart-money and teams and whales,
the payouts for these vertical-exotics (.50TRI, .10SU, .10HI-5)
still are very much 'pyramid shaped'.


Another way to say the same thing; The winner and the exacta have a lot of weight into the payout.






:coffee:
123
12345
12345678
So, if you plan on playing 123 on top, and/or keying the :1:, you had better be a 'surgeon' or a 'sniper'. The bigger payouts start with the 1(the fav, and also a public 'single' on top and a public 'key'), out of at least the exacta (if not the whole thing), and then a mid-price-longshot within the exacta, and/or a very long shot (9th, 10th choice for this example if 10 horse field) Third.

backdoor 'reverse pyramid' keys
 

couple of 'backdoor' Trifecta Keys
1st race

• didn't like the FAV#9, and didn't use
• liked the sluggish 3rd choice #2 exactly third
• good opinions on mid-priced contenders

2nd race

• liked the FAV#8, and used exactly 3rd.
• good opinions on mid-priced contenders

Anyway, charts:

https://i.ibb.co/3r069pL/trifecta.png

:pound::pound::pound::pound:

:pound::pound:Love .50Tri's

I love the $0.50 tris. And worse, I play 'em *straight*, 1 number each spot.

Why not, nothing like walking away with $800 after spending 0.50 when you're live at your local track. Too fun.

Cheap. Elegant. Good combo to me.

Playing deadeye is great if you can pull it off.
I use the box option. Works out best for me.