Win and Place – the simplest way to bet on horse racing

Betting for the win or the place is the simplest way to bet on horse racing. When you bet for the win, your horse must be the first to cross the finish line. Betting a horse for the place on the other hand, the horse can finish in first, second or third position. This sounds good in theory, however if your horse wins and you only bet it for the place, you will receive only the place dividend. Place dividends are usually a small percentage (a quarter) of the win dividend.

The place bet sounds like a safer bet. The horse needs only to finish in the first 3 to cross the line. However, the price of this lower risk bet is that the dividends are much smaller. Nonetheless, there are valid reasons for betting for the place and strategies that help you make long-term profits.

The easiest betting option

I personally love Win and Place betting. Sometimes I don’t need all sorts of exotic bets to maximise profits. It’s clean, uncomplicated and equally as thrilling. As an example, my confidence in Ole Kirk winning the Caulfield Guineas was strong, yet I had no idea as to who would fill the placings.  I studied long and hard but there were too many chances in this amazing race. I decided to wager my entire stake for that race on Ole Kirk for the win. There was no reason to be concerned as Ole Kirk stunned the field with an amazing victory.

Often I’ve used place betting to advantage, usually when I fancy a longshot. For example, I once bet Travimyfriend ($151) for a place. It finished third and for a $1 investment, paid a handsome $41. You can see it’s simple, uncomplicated betting. You could also try each-way betting to formalise both win and place betting.

Free bets available for Win and Place

Win and place betting allows you to take advantage of some of the free bet offers available at Unibet. For example, when you sign up using this link, you receive 4x free bets! The free bets come in the form of what they call “matched bets”. You receive an extra bet (equal to your stake up to $25) after you place a bet for the win. This is great to have a throw at some horses at longer odds, when you may not have had the courage previously. There’s nothing better than betting with the bookie’s money! This is available only if you sign up through this link. If you join in any other way, you get the regular post-registration offers (which is still the best around). You could also try this foolproof methods to turn free bets into cash.

How to place a Win and Place bet

If you’re at the track it’s very easy. Just walk up to the bookmaker showing the best odds, and say “$20 on Winx for the win please”. He’ll write (or print) your ticket and you’re all set. Make sure you say “for the place only” if you want to bet your selection for the place. He’ll usually give you a small fraction of the odds (1/4 or 1/5 the win odds). Cheer loudly during the race and if you’re lucky enough to win, just find your bookmaker again and get in the payout queue.

Betting online is much easier, if you’re not into the personal interaction with a bookmaker on course. To bet online, simply sign up to our preferred online bookmaker and make a deposit. Then you’re ready to start betting win and place. As an added bonus, with our bookmaker, you receive a bonus bet that matches your deposit ($50 or more). You have a couple of weeks to use it so don’t forget.  

Top Fluc gives the best odds

Another great feature of Unibet is they have the ”Top Fluc” product. Top Fluc is a product from the marketing and promotions team. It’s not on all races or given to all accounts. As the name suggests, you get the best odds quoted amongst a selection of different bookmakers. No need to go searching multiple accounts for the best odds. Top Fluc are the best odds available in Australia. However, in order to be given the opportunity, you need to satisfy their in-house eligibility criteria. If you don’t have this feature don’t worry. Unibet usually has the best odds in Australia anyway!

Who to bet for the Win and place

If you’re not an expert in horse racing, it’s best to follow our free racing tips and best bets to give you a so-called “leg up”. We’ve had many amazing days including the 2020 Caulfield Guineas Day in which we selected 6 winners including the last 3 at Caulfield. The win on Mr Quickie at $26 was a great thrill and the perfect kitty filler for any Win and Place punter. We also recommend you to check out our guide to finding the Melbourne Cup winner. It will help you identify which horse to bet for win and place in The Cup.

When seeking expert advice, remember that tipsters are everywhere on the internet. Be wary as most are either amateurs or lack in certain areas. We published a definitive guide as to what makes a good horse racing tipster.

Other things to bear in mind

There are some things to bear in mind in win and place betting. The major point is that the field must be more than 7 runners to pay out on third place. That is, if you’ve bet a horse for the place, and there are only 7 runners, you won’t get a dividend if it finishes third. Keep that in mind in small fields. Also, if for some reason your horse is withdrawn at the barrier, worry not. Your money is refunded. This is only fair as it’s not like an all-in bet where all money is lost if the horse doesn’t make the final field.

Enjoy win and place betting. It allows you to focus your attention on the one horse, which makes betting simple, fun and hopefully profitable!

Tags: betting, betting advice, betting odds, featured, online betting

Category: Punting Advice