Get to know flexi betting!
Ever wondered, what is flexi betting? We can help. There’s a series of articles on OpenOdds that explain this sort of betting option and the pros and cons of using it. That should help get you up and running. The first thing to note is that there are several different types of flexi betting which we’ll discuss in more detail in those separate piece. This is a mini-hub in our glossary for all things flexi betting, though, so you can educate yourself about the topic at large all in one go.
First things first, what is flexi betting? It is where you add selections to sorts of multiple wagers in horse racing. These can be split across different races, like a quaddie or big 6; or be in the same event like an quinella, box trifecta, or first four bets. That’s already a lot of information to take in, and it’s clear there are several types of flexi betting to consider.
Whatever the specific types of bet, the principle with flexi betting is the same. You can add more selections to the wager in question to increase your chances of winning. However, while you’ve got more of the bases covered in a horse race or races, putting additional picks on the betslip means some are guaranteed to lose.
That in turn means you have to stake more and write off selections that don’t win, reducing your final profits if you’re lucky enough to win. As your returns are all based on the odds taken, you could end up trying a flexi bet and actually losing money, so our advice is to always calculate things carefully before putting one of the below wagers on! Now you know what is flexi betting in general terms, here are some specific examples:
Quinella
A quinella, also known as a box exacta, is where you pick more than two horses to finish first and second in the same race in any order. This is different from a traditional exacta (also known as a straight forecast in the UK) where you just put up two selections for first and second in a specific order. As you can have three, four, etc. choices, a quinella is also different from a reverse exacta (or forecast), because that’s just the standard two selections in any order. Learn more about this wager in our specific glossary article.
Box trifecta
Types of flexi betting are also available on trifectas. The box trifecta (or tricast in the UK) allows you to add more than three selections when trying to find the first, second and third horses home in the same race. As above with a quinella, this differs from a straight trifecta which is just three selections to fill those places in a specified order, and the reverse trifecta which is any order. You see how choosing four or even selections in a competitive race could pay off, though as noted above you will be choosing some picks that are guaranteed to lose. Learn more about a box trifecta in our glossary piece on trifecta betting in general.
First four
Not content with calling the first three past the post in a single race? Then why not try betting on the first four? An even greater level of difficult is attached to this but, yep, you’ve guessed it, you can build a flexi bet that gives you scope to include more than four selections. That can give you a whole host of permutations covered as the four plus choices are taken to finish in order. As you’ve guess by now, only one outcome can be a winner, so much of your unit stake must be written off. Find more details on first four betting in our separate glossary article.
Quaddie
Flexi betting can get even more complex via a quaddie or quadrella. Certain bookmakers will run competitions and offer big prizes for punters who can pick out the winners of four selected races on the same card or across two or more meetings. The flexi part comes in when you are allowed to add more than one selection per race. Be warned though, the bookies will not make this easy for you. There’s an even higher level of difficulty attached to this type of wager. For more advice, and a further explanation of a flexi quaddie, visit our individual glossary article on this bet.
Big 6
That just leaves a big 6 really. If the choice of finding the races of four winners on or across the cards doesn’t pose enough of a challenge for you, then why not try this? You have to pick the horses that will win six specified races by the bookmakers. Again, they’re not going to do you any favours by picking easy-looking events to include. As with a quaddie, you’re allowed by some firms to make more than one choice per race. This will increase your unit stake, but also the chances of winning. In turn, your winnings should you be lucky to find all big 6 winners will be reduced by your losses on additional picks that didn’t win. This is as tough as flexi betting gets. Read all about the big 6 on our dedicated glossary page!
