What Is A Quinella & Exacta Bet?

What Is A Quinella Bet?

A quinella bet requires two selected horses to finish 1st and 2nd in any order in a race. This means you’ll get a payout whether your picks run 1st and 2nd or 2nd and 1st.

The finishing sequence doesn’t matter as long as both place in the top two spots.

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How to Place a Quinella Bet

When placing a quinella bet, you need to select any two horses in a boxed combination. Most bookmakers require you to outlay $1 per combination.

For example, a $2 quinella on horses 4 and 7 means you’ll have horses 4-7 and 7-4 covered for a cost of $2. The quinella is the only exotic bet that allows the boxing of just two horses.

How is a Quinella Payout Calculated?

The quinella dividend is calculated by the total quinella pool divided by the number of winning quinella bets. Let’s say the quinella pool in a race was $20,000, and 50 winning quinella tickets were sold.

The dividend would be $20,000 / 50 = $400 for a $1 bet. The more bets placed, the bigger the pool grows. Fewer winning tickets mean a higher payout.

Why Consider Quinella Betting?

Quinellas provide better odds than betting horses individually to place. You’re reducing 8-10 contenders down to just 2 selections. They are also easier to hit than other multis like trifectas as you just need two horses in the placings. Quinellas offers a balanced exotic option with solid returns. For example, the 2022 Melbourne Cup quinella paid $316.30.

Quinella vs. Exacta – what’s the difference?

The main difference between a quinella and an exacta bet is:

Quinella:

• Requires 2 horses to finish 1st and 2nd in any order.
• Payout is the same whether selections run 1st and 2nd or 2nd and 1st.

Exacta:

• Requires 2 horses to finish 1st and 2nd in EXACT order.
• Bets are on specific finish combinations like 1st and 2nd.
• Pays more than a quinella on average.

Now that you’re up to speed with what a quinella is, head on over to our homepage to check our recommendations for the top betting sites in Australia, Australian bookmakers, and best betting apps.

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