How to Score In Win-Place-Show Contests

Win, Place and Show.

When a horseplayer uses the trio together for a wager its widely known as betting "across the board."

It's far less known to horse racing tournament players.

Though they obviously know the meaning, they may be less certain on how to infuse the combination into their game strategy.

Win-Place payouts are the norm for $2 bullet formats which are commonly used on DerbyWars and even the National Handicapping Championship (NHC).

Adding Show to the equation, which DerbyWars has done in most of its big cash game qualifiers, can change a lot.

Even though the Show payout is capped at $10, it is creating major differences in tournaments, especially when it comes down to the final race.

Tournament players have grown accustomed to knowing which horses can beat them with a Win-Place payout tally ($32 and $18 caps respectively) when the final selections are posted.

Adding Show prices to the mix can be a bit more confusing.

So confusing that a few of DerbyWars players refused to comment on the addition of Show prices because they simply haven't experienced enough of it.

With that being said, I implored some of my friends to talk on the matter.

Or to be more accurate, text on the matter.

"I think WPS gives longshot players a better chance to get more money for third and overcome a person who plays favorites," said Robert Felty (ladydawgs).

"I really don't see any reason to play a favorite in a WPS (format)."

Joe Koury (JoeK) echoed Felty's thoughts by adding, "Most people seem inclined to play safe, but I think it probably favors bombers since they pay 3-to-4 times what the favorite pays to Show."

Though Show wagering opens another door for longshot players, it can also be detrimental as short-priced horses can add a few dollars on to their tallies.

For example, if an 8-race tournament format is dominated by chalk, an extra cushion can add up and make the difference late. One longshot can change all of that, but where a mid-range horse can typically help, can possibly push a player to go a little longer.

On the flip side, a short-price play late in a contest now has an extra $3 sometimes. Even when chalks are defeated, they hold a higher probability according to the odds of snagging third and providing some payout.

"It could make playing short late a more viable option," Koury said.

While it's still an unknown element to some strategies, players continue to be confronted with it in qualifiers for the $20K and $100K games.

Time will tell whether Win-Place-Show eventually replaces the typical Win-Place format in the big cash games.

Hopefully everyone enjoys the "Show" as much as possible until then.

--- By Dustin Haluska

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