How to Understand Race Horse Handicapping

Race horse handicapping is a practice used to determine the amount of money gamblers receive when they make a winning bet on one of the horses in a race. Handicapping determines the odds a specific horse has of winning. The horse with the best chance to win, known as the favorite, offers a smaller payout to win; the horse with the least chance to win, known as the longshot, offers a larger payout.

Instructions

    • 1

      Obtain a list of the horses in a specific race and the handicapping odds placed on those horses. Racing information is available at your local racetrack or on a website such as the Daily Racing Form, which tracks racing data.

    • 2

      Select two horses from the list. For the best understanding of handicapping, select the horse with the best odds of winning, the favorite, and the horse least likely to win, the longshot.

    • 3

      Examine the odds of your popular favorite. If the odds are 4:1, it means that you receive $4 back for every dollar you bet if the horse wins. If the odds are 2:1, you win $2 back for every dollar you bet. If the odds are 1:2, you receive $1 back for every $2 dollars bet on a horse, assuming the horse wins. Popular horses have good odds, however, you may not receive much money back on the bet due to the large number of people betting that the horse will win.

    • 4

      Examine the odds of your longshot horse. Odds such as 10:1 mean you get $10 back for every $1 you bet on that horse. Odds vary by the number of bettors and the success and performances of the horses in the race.