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Quinella Bet in Horse Racing – Understanding the Basics

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March 8, 2023 · 6 minutes

quinella bet

If you have been involved in horse betting in any capacity, you have probably heard the term “quinella bet.” In case you are wondering what is quinella bet, we are here to explain.

The quinella bet is considered an exotic type of bet and it allows bettors to pick and place a bet on two horses that they think will finish in the first two places.

Keep reading this article to find out more, including the minimum quinella bet, the max winnings, and how to place a quinella bet.

What Is a Quinella Bet

The term quinella is used in horse racing to describe a bet type that allows you to place a bet on two horses that you think will finish the race in the top two places.

Although a quinella is similar to an exacta box bet, there is one big difference, and that is the price of these bets.

what is quinella bet

Placing a quinella bet with four horses will cost you $6 while placing an exacta box bet with the same number of horses will cost you $12.

This is because a four-horse quinella contains six possible combinations, while an exacta box bet with the same number of selections covers twelve possible combinations.

Here is an example of the winning combinations for a 2, 6 quinella bet:

  • 1st place 2, 2nd place 6
  • 1st place 6, 2nd place 2

As you can see, the order in which the horses finish is not relevant as long as both horses finish in the top two spots.

Although it seems that hitting a quinella bet can be pretty easy, it's not as easy as it seems. For this reason, you might want to learn about other similar bet types such as the boxed quinella bet and the banker quinella bet.

What Is a Boxed Quinella Bet in Horse Racing?

One of the more popular variations of the quinella is the boxed quinella. This bet allows bettors to add as many horses as they want to their wager.

For a boxed quinella bet to be a winning one, two of the selected horses must finish the race in the top two spots. Just like with the quinella bet, the exact order in which those two horses finish the race is not important.

Since the boxed quinella bet allows you to add as many horses as you want, the price for this bet is also higher than for the regular quinella, and you should pay close attention when placing a bet.

For each horse that you add, the price of your bet will increase depending on how much you wish to stake per one combination.

So, if you decide to go for a full return on a six-horse quinella box bet, the minimum amount of money that you need to stake will be $6.

What Is a Banker Quinella Bet in Horse Racing?

Another popular variation of the quinella bet in horse racing is the banker quinella. This bet type allows you to place a quinella bet on as many horses but also requires you to choose one horse (banker) that will finish in the top two places.

For this bet to win, the banker horse must finish in the top two places along with one of the other horses you added to your bet.

So, if you select horses 4, 6, and 9 with horse number 6 being the banker, your banker quinella bet will be a winning one in the following scenarios:

  • 1st place horse 4, 2nd place horse 6
  • 1st place horse 6, 2nd place horse 4
  • 1st place horse 9, 2nd place horse 6
  • 1st place horse 6, 2nd place horse 9

This bet will cost you $2, since you don’t have to pay for your banker horse, only for the other horses you added to the selection.

What Is the Minimum Stake for a Quinella Bet?

The minimum stake for a quinella bet is usually $1. However, the price will depend on the bookmaker you are using and if you are going for a full-paying quinella bet which has a minimum of $1 per combination or not.

quinella horse bet

What Is the Maximum Win for a Quinella Bet?

The maximum that you can win with a quinella bet will depend on several factors including:

  • The price for your horses
  • Your stake
  • The bookmaker you are betting on

With this said, online betting sites will sometimes have limits on maximum payouts, so it is better to check the term and conditions before you start wagering.

Furthermore, if you are using a pari-mutuel system to place your bets, your maximum winnings for the quinella bet will depend on the size of the pool and the number of winning tickets since all winning tickets are paid from the pool.

How to Place a Quinella Bet

Depending on how experienced you are with betting on horses, placing a quinella bet can be a little tricky. To make things easier, here are the steps you need to take to successfully place a quinella bet online:

  1. Visit your online bookmaker and log into your betting account
  2. In the menu select the option “Horse racing”
  3. Select the race that you want to bet on
  4. Select as many horses as you want to bet on
  5. In the bet slip select the quinella variation based on the number of horses you selected
  6. Click the “Place bet” option

Remember, always check your selections, betting odds, and stake to confirm that you are indeed placing the bet you wanted.

Top Horse Betting Tips for Beginners

Now that you have learned everything there is to know about the quinella bet, it is time to look at some of the top horse betting tips that you can use to increase your bottom line.

Controlling Your Emotions

Controlling their emotions is where most horse bettors lose their battle with the bookmakers. Thus, it is very important to keep your emotions in check if you want to be a winning punter.

The reason for this is that emotions prevent us from being objective and thinking straight, and this is exactly what we need to make the best possible decisions at any given moment.

quinella horse racing

If you start betting on your favorite horse or if you are betting to recover the losses you had in the race before, you are probably not thinking straight.

It is human to get angry or be stressed out when betting. However, the important thing is to cool off and avoid making bets until you get your head straight.

This may take a couple of hours or even days depending on how experienced you are, but it is necessary.

Controlling Your Money

The first rule that you want to implement when it comes to money and gambling is to never bet with the money you can’t afford to lose.

Since the emotions and the euphoria can overtake the best of us, the simplest way to control your gambling finances is to create a separate bankroll.

This bankroll should be kept away from the money you use for everyday expenses and it should be divided into units or percentages that you will use to track your bets.

You should determine how much your average stake will be based on the size of your bankroll and then proceed to strictly follow this amount with your bets.

Increasing or decreasing your stake should be only done based on your bankroll and never based on your emotions. This will allow you to build a great foundation for your online betting game.

Final Thoughts On The Quinella Bet

The quinella bet is one of the best bet types for beginners as it allows bettors to decrease the variance.

Furthermore, additional variations of this bet are suitable for bettors which want to increase their potential winnings significantly without increasing their stake too much.

Whichever of the two you are, we are sure that the quinella bet will be one of your go-to bets in horse betting.

Article by
Ivan played poker professionally for over five years but finally decided to merge his passion for writing with poker and became one of the leading writers in this industry. You can connect with Ivan via his LinkedIn profile and follow him on Twitter.

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