A combination tricast or trifecta bet allows you to cover any possible finishing order for your three chosen horses or greyhounds. Punters can cover more outcomes with this choice, albeit at a higher stake. Learn how multi-runners stake works, its pros and cons, when to use it and whether a combination tricast calculator is a valuable tool for bettors.
Combination Tricast Meaning
What is combination tricast? It comes from a straight tricast, a bet where you predict the exact finishing order of three runners. In the trifecta, you don’t need to worry about the finishing order — as long as your three chosen horses or greyhounds are in the top three, you win. If you take runners A, B and C, you are wagering on all six possible combinations: ABC, ACB, BAC, BCA, CAB, and CBA.
This type of bet is available in every greyhound race with six or more runners. In horse racing, only handicap races with a minimum of eight runners are permissible. Trifecta works well in events with evenly matched competitors, where the precise order is hard to predict.
Your chances of winning increase by accounting for multiple outcomes but at the cost of the total stake. If you wager just £10 on a straight tricast, your total cost for a combination tricast bet will be £60 (£10 go on each of 6 betting units).
The bigger bankroll is the leading risk for this type of stake. Plus, you must correctly predict the top 3, which may also be challenging.
How Does a Combination Tricast Bet Work?
Let’s take a practical example to understand how a combination tricast works. The three chosen horses, A, B, and C, form six bets. If your stake is £10 per combination, the total cost will be £60 (£10 × 6 combinations). You will win If any of these permutations match the race results. The payout depends on the odds of the winning combination. Let’s say the odds are:
- ABC: 20/1
- ACB: 25/1
- BAC: 18/1
- BCA: 30/1
- CAB: 22/1
- CBA: 28/1
If the final combination is BCA, the winnings will be calculated at odds of 30/1. You will receive:
- £10 × 30 = £300 (net winnings)
- Plus, £10 stake = £310 total return.
But if there is a runner D in the finishing top 3, you lose all your stakes.
The number of combinations and the total cost will grow exponentially in the combination tricast four selections or more.
What’s the Difference Between Combination Forecast and Tricast
The main difference between combination forecast and tricast bets is the number of runners and the level of complexity:
| Feature | Combination Forecast | Combination Tricast |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Runners | Two runners | Three runners |
| Goal | Predict two runners to finish in the top two positions in any order | Predict three runners in the top three positions, any order |
| Combinations | 2 combinations (AB, BA) | Six combinations (ABC, ACB, BAC, BCA, CAB, CBA) |
| Total cost | Lower | Higher |
| Complexity | Easier to predict, fewer outcomes to consider | More complex |
| Potential Winnings | Lower payouts | Higher payouts |
Combo Forecast is simpler and low-stakes. Tricast gives higher returns but is more expensive and complex. It depends on how sure you are of the result and how much risk you can take.
Combination Tricast Calculator
The tool called the combination tricast calculator allows you to input selected runners and adjust several settings. They calculate the total cost of your wagers by multiplying the number of combinations by your stake per unit.
The core function of these calculators is determining total costs, which is already shown in the bookmaker’s bet slip. Even though some claim to, they don’t calculate potential returns based on starting price odds. Plus, final adjustments may occur due to factors like dead heats (when two horses reach the finish line at the exact same time) or late changes to odds.
This means that a combination tricast bet calculator is helpful for budgeting but not for planning payouts.
To calculate potential returns, just take a screenshot of the bookmaker’s page showing odds and input it into an AI tool like ChatGPT. As we did in the example below, you’ll get the returns calculations for all combinations in less than a minute.
