Closest you have come to the big score...

[Grits]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

You're absolutely right. Place betting is a mistake. You use the price horse in exactas, and while you may not always cash, when you do it much more than makes up for any lost winnings from place bets.

There should be a bumper sticker that says " Real Horseplayers don't bet to Place ".

They don't bet to place, and they surely don't bet to show. (The elderly blue hair ladies at the track bet to show.)

The bet, in this instance, as quoted I believe was $50w/p on one's longshot. Let's say, you bet your longshot in a straight exacta to run second behind the chalk. $100.00 straight exacta bet, not changing the amount of money wagered. This is difficult for many, but one has a really nice exacta many times. In the case of your $50 place money coming in, its paltry next to the exacta, and one doesn't have to hit many of these to make up for their longshot running second.