While the straight exacta is straightforward and easy to understand, the box is more flexible and allows bettors to win better. An exacta bet allows sports bettors to select more horses that they think will win or place.
One scenario is when a bettor places a $2 box on the number 2 and 4 horses in a box and ending up with 2-4, with number 2 winning and number 4 placing, and 4-2, with number 4 winning and number 2 placing, bets to cover the possibility of the two horses placing. Should the number 4 horse win and the number 2 place, the bettor will still win. If the bettor placed $2 on the 2-4 horses, they’d have to bet $4 for the additional bet on the 4-2 horses. Another scenario is adding the number 3 horse to the bet and ending up with the following bets:
The exacta box isn’t limited to only two horses, and the bettors can select as many horses as they want. However, doing so will increase the bet size. The following are the total costs of exacta box bets when adding a horse:
- 3 horses = $12
- 4 horses = $42
- 5 horses = $120
- 6 horses = $240
Adding more horses may increase the chances of winning a bet, but the bet can end up having a higher cost than the winnings. When betting on eight horses, the bettor can earn $30 after spending about $680. Not all bettors can afford to bet so much only to win so little, and this even takes away the excitement from the whole betting experience.