Straight Trifecta
This trifecta bet is the most straightforward type of trifecta wager. Bettors must bet on the three horses they believe will finish first, second, and third after the race. They must also correctly identify the finishing order to win their bets. For example, a bettor wins his straight trifecta bet 5-7-3 if horse #5 takes first place while horse #7 and horse #3 finish second place and third place.
Boxed Trifecta
In this trifecta bet, bettors still need to bet on three horses but do not have to guess the exact order. As long as the chosen runners take the top three spots, the bettor wins. For example, the bettor can win his 7-5-4 boxed trifecta bet regardless of the selected three runners finishing order.
Boxing trifecta is not limited to three horses, and bettors can add more horses if they want. Yet, bettors will also pay more to cover all the possible combinations. Using the same example above, the bettor needs to pay $6 because horses 7, 5, and 4 can finish the race in these six combinations:
- 7-5-4
- 7-4-5
- 5-7-4
- 5-4-7
- 4-5-7
- 4-7-5