photo by sharona790

While gambling is a risky proposition that shouldn’t be undertaken lightly, especially if you suspect yourself of having an addictive personality, placing a bet or two for fun can be a way of ramping up the excitement of watching a horse race. It's something to try once at least. If you've never bet on horses, the vast array of options and terms may seem daunting. But there are a few simple bets that you can try that will have you cheering as your favorite horse rounds the final turn.

The easiest horse racing bet is a Win bet. This requires placing a bet for a specific horse to come in first place in a race. If you like the horse but aren’t sure it will win the race, there are two other options for you to play. Betting that the horse will finish the race in either first or second is called a Place bet. If you’re less confident than that you might try a Show bet, which is wagering that the horse will come in first, second, or third.

A Quinella bet is when you guess which horses will be the first and second place finishers of a race. The order that the top two horses finish in doesn't matter in the Quinella. Expanding on this is the Trifecta, which is the betting of the first, second, and third place finishers of a race. A Superfecta involves four horses.

For all of these bets, how much you win depends on the difficulty of the bet, which is reflected in the odds. The odds will change during the pre-race, so keep an eye on them. When the odds are right for you, you can bet online or at the track. Stating your bet is as simple as saying, “$10 to win on (number of the horse as it appears in the program).” Then cross your fingers and pray.