What Is the Pick 6 Bet in Horse Racing?

As an extension of the Daily Double in horsing racing, the highest bet you can place with consecutive multiple race cards at the track is the Pick 6. The Daily Double is picking two horse races in a row (most likely the first and second race). The Pick 6 is selecting the winning horse over six consecutive races (most likely the first six and/or last six races of the card).

The Pick 6 bet at popular horse tracks extends to the seven-figure range in total dollars. This bet is a continuation of the Pick 3, Pick 4 and the Pick 5 where you pick the winners in six consecutive races all in the same card at the daily horse track. The Pick 6 bet often is a carryover to race cards at more than one day at the particular horse track.

Online Racebooks

You can play the Pick 6 bet at the live horse track. You can also play the Pick 6 at off-track venues and online at betting sites that feature horse racing.

The goal is picking the right horse in six consecutive races. Many horse tracks will give you a consolation prize of cash for picking five races out of six on the race card. As far as picking multiple races, the Pick 6 bet is the most challenging and rewarding wager you can place in horse racing.

Types of Pick 6 Bets

Most US-based horse tracks have a minimum bet of $2 on the standard Pick 6 bet. The bet is $2 x six races = $12. The off-track wager and online wager remains the same with the $2 minimum bet.

The Pick 6 wager is independent of all the money pools collected by the live horse track. The same money pool is determined for the off-track and online Pick 6 bets at the particular track.

What Is a Trifecta?

Since the Pick 6 bet is hard to do, there is a carryover for the next day of racing. As the days pass without winners at the particular horse track, the Pick 6 bets grow bigger all the time.

Sometimes, the Pick 6 bet can reach six or seven figures until it is won. Some horse tracks set 75% of the money pool for the Pick 6 total wager and set 25% for the consolation prize (five of six winners).

The Rainbow Pick 6 bet is a variant of the standard Pick 6 wager. The Rainbow Pick 6 can be offered at a minimum bet of $0.10 or $0.20 a horse and it allows bettors to play more combinations in a single race at a much lower rate. The Rainbow Pick 6 only pays the total prize pool and the bet carryover until it is won.

What Is a Show Bet?

Strategy of Pick 6 Bets

Whether you play a standard Pick 6 bet or a Rainbow 6 bet, adding more combinations will run up the total wager. One simple bet is picking one horse to win in all six races. You can add two or three combined horses in one race, but it all adds up.

One combination is three horses in the first race and two horses in the second race. You pick one horse in the third, fourth, fifth and final sixth race for a total of nine entries. The total wager is $18 (9 x $2). You can combine multiple horses in all six races, but the bottom line is the number of picks x $2 in your total wager.

The main strategy of playing a Pick 6 bet is having an organized approach to winning your wager. The simple task is to pick out one horse to win the all six races, but professional horse racing handicappers use algorithms and strategy to factor in odds and probability. Having an organized approach is the first step in winning your six consecutive races.

Read our pick 4 betting guide next.