What is a daily double in horse racing?
The daily double horse racing bet involves picking the winners of two consecutive races. For example, a daily double on horses 7-2 would only pay if #7 wins the first race and #2 wins the second race.
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Racetracks typically offer the daily double for the first two races each day, and many provide daily doubles for the day’s last two races as well. Some tracks also offer rolling daily doubles that let bettors place the wager on any two consecutive races throughout the day. In that case, the track may host a daily double for races 1 and 2, another daily double for races 2 and 3, and so on.
Most tracks enforce a $2 minimum wager on daily doubles, but some tracks offer smaller minimums of $0.50 or $1. Online daily double bets are subject to the same minimums as wagers placed in person because all wagers (online and in-person) go into the same betting pools.
The Daily Double Advantage
The daily double is almost a formal tradition in horse racing, but its popularity is based on more than simple habit. Bettors could place win bets on each of the first two races, but the daily double horse racing bet provides more value due to the way the track takeout works.
All individual horse racing bets are subject to track takeout, which is what the track holds back from every betting pool to pay for various expenses and generate a profit. The takeout rate varies by track and type of bet but generally ranges from 14% to 22% for most bets.
Placing two individual win bets subjects the bettor to the takeout twice, once for each bet. However, daily double wagers go into a single betting pool, which means bettors are subjected to the takeout just once. As a result, the daily double offers more value to the bettor.
Some tracks offer even lower takeout rates for the daily double because it is such a popular wager. For example, Sam Houston Race Park in Texas boasts one of the lowest daily double takeouts in the country at just 12%.
How to Place A Daily Double Horse Bet Online
Placing a horse racing daily double bet isn’t much different than for any other wager.
The first thing to do is check to see if the track offers daily doubles on the day’s races. Bettors can do so by logging in, selecting any upcoming race to view its program, and looking for the wagering menu near the top of the screen. If the track has daily doubles available for that race, bettors will see the “double” or “daily double” option listed alongside the win, place, show, and other types of wagers.
The biggest difference in placing a double bet horse racing wager is that you’ll have to view the runners on two different cards because you’re going to pick the winners of separate races. Fortunately, high quality betting sites make it easy and intuitive.
For example, the betting interface pictured below automatically adds a tab selector when users choose the daily double wager. Bettors can use the tabs (see the red arrow pointing to R1 and R2) to switch between the two races. In this case, all the bettor needs to do is select a horse in race one, then hit “R2” to make a selection in race two.
Bettors can also make multiple selections in each race to enhance their odds of winning, but each additional selection will increase the cost of the bet by one unit.
After you’ve made your selections, you can submit the wager and watch the races live to see if you’ve won.
Daily Double Wheels
Bettors can wheel their daily doubles the same as other exotic wagers for an increased chance of winning the bet.
Daily Double Full Wheels
If you have a read on which horse will win one race but not the other, you can select a specific horse for one leg and cover the field on the other.
For example, imagine you’re confident #4 will win the first race but have no idea which horse will win the second. You could place a daily double wheel picking #4 for the first race and ALL for the second. This bet would win if #4 wins the first race and any other horse wins the second.
The price for a daily double full wheel is determined by the number of selections in the race of the non-keyed horse. If you place a $2 daily double wheel and the second race has seven horses, the bet would cost $14 ($2 times seven horses).
Bettors can place full wheels going either direction. That is, if you’re sure of the winner in the second race but have no idea how the first race will go, you can key one horse for the second leg and choose ALL for the first leg.
Daily double full wheels are not as expensive as some exotic horse racing bets, but one thing to keep in mind is that if the favored horse in each race wins, the wager may not return enough to break even because many other people have bet on the same combinations.
It is better to place a straight daily double or part-wheel in many cases, even if it does reduce the odds of winning a bit.
Daily Double Part-Wheels
Bettors can also place part-wheels to reduce costs. To continue the above example, if you like #4 in the first race but only horses 2-6-7 in the second, you can place a daily double wheel of 4 over 2-6-7 to ensure a payout if #4 wins the first race and #2, #6, or #7 wins the second.
The number of selections in a part wheel determines the cost. Continuing the example, a $2 daily double with the above selections would cost $6 in total because it covers three possible outcomes:
- #4 wins the first race and #2 wins the second
- #4 wins the first race and #6 wins the second
- #4 wins the first race and #7 wins the second
Selecting Multiple Horses For Each Leg in Daily Double Bets
Another way to play the daily double is to select multiple horses for each leg of the wager.
This is essentially a form of box betting as seen in other types of exotic wagers. Making multiple selections for each race can get expensive because it covers every possible combination, but bettors can save money by excluding horses that offer less value.
For example, imagine you like #1 and #2 in the first race, and #3, #4, and #5 in the second. If you place a $2 daily double with these selections, the bet will cost you $12 because it covers six possible combinations:
- #1 wins the first race, #3 wins the second
- #1 wins the first race, #4 wins the second
- #1 wins the first race, #5 wins the second
- #2 wins the first race, #3 wins the second
- #2 wins the first race, #4 wins the second
- #2 wins the first race, #5 wins the second
An easy way to calculate the price of a daily double with multiple selections in each race is to multiply the number of horses in the first by the number of horses in the second, and then multiply the answer by the size of the base wager.
Running the above example through the formula would look like this:
2 horses in the first leg x 3 horses in the second = 6
6 x $2 base wager = $12
Daily Double Payouts
The payout potential of daily doubles is highly variable. If two favorites win their respective races, the daily double payout tend to be small relative to other exotic bets. At the other end of the spectrum, the daily double can return significant sums if bettors correctly predict longshot horses winning their races.
Overall, the daily double is not the wager to place if you’re looking for lottery-tier payouts. If massive payouts are what you seek, the Pick 6 and superfecta are the wagers to consider. The daily double is more of a mid-range type of wager in terms of payout. It won’t make you rich, but it is an easy wager to place and is a great way to extend your time at the track without risking a ton of money.
Daily Double Horse Racing Bet FAQ
Mike Murphy is the founder of BettingUSA.com and has over 10 years of experience in the legal gambling industry. A regular attendee of industry trade shows and conferences, Mike is a strong proponent in the idea of a well regulated online betting industry.