The main different is cost: a $2 quinella wager costs $2 whereas a $2 box exacta wager costs $4.
If your two horses finish first or second, both will let you win. What differentiates a box exacta from a quinella, you might be asking. As a result, if you bet $2 on a quinella and chose the horses 1 and 6, you will win if they finish first and second, respectively, in any order. You win as long as your top two finishers are both of your horses. You can wager on two horses to finish first and second in any order with a quinella bet. You will therefore pay $4 for a $2 box exacta on horses 3 and 5. A straight exacta bet is twice as expensive as one that is boxed. You can also “box” your exacta bet, which means that any sequence in which your two horses finish in the top two places will still result in a win.
Because of the potential payout, expert horse handicappers like to place exacta bets. If you bet $2 on a $2 exacta on horses 3 and 5, for instance, you can only win if horses #3 and #5 finish first and second, accordingly. You bet on two horses to finish first and second in exactly that order. Exotic wagers allow you to place bets on many horses in a single wager, increasing your profit potential.
