For more information on other horse racing terms, check out our glossary.

What is a Trixie bet?

A Trixie bet is a wager that consists of four bets across two bet variations. These are:

  • 1 treble
  • 3 doubles

How does a Trixie bet work?

A Trixie is traditionally used within horse racing betting, and requires you to make three selections.

Unlike a standard treble or an accumulator, which require all your selections to win, a Trixie adds a form of insurance, meaning you need just two winning picks in order to see a return. Land three winning picks and you’ll win even more.

Here’s an example of a Trixie bet:

Horse A To Win the 13:50

Horse B To Win the 14:30

Horse C To Win the 15:10

In this instance, if two of horses A, B and C win, you’ll be paid for a winning double.

If all three win, then you’ll be paid for three winning doubles and a winning treble.

Unlike the similar Patent bet, which also covers three selections, a Trixie bet does not include singles in your payout.

How much does a Trixie bet cost?

Like all system bets, each bet within a Trixie is treated separately, meaning each ‘line’ incurs its own cost.

For example, a £/€1 Trixie would cost you £/€4, as there are four bets within the Trixie – one treble and three doubles.

How does a Trixie bet work in horse racing?

While Trixie bets can be used across many different sports, they’re most commonly found in horse racing.

In horse racing, a Trixie works as seen in the example above. You simply select the three horses you want to win across three different races. Of this three, you need two selections to win to see a return. If all three are winners, you'll win even more. 

How does a Trixie bet work in football?

Although Trixie bets predominantly feature in the world of horse racing betting, they can also be made on football matches.

Similar to horse racing, just select the three markets you want to bet on across three separate matches, and you’ll be paid out if at least two of your selections are correct.

One big difference to horse racing though, is the flexibility in markets that you can choose. With football Trixie bets, you can choose anything from Win/Draw/Win, Both Teams to Score (BTTS), Over/Under Goals and Correct Score markets to many, many more.

How to calculate a Trixie bet

With a Trixie bet offering you four potential winning outcomes from a single bet, there are different ways for you to see a payout.

Let’s look at the following example of a £/€1 per line (£/€4 total) Trixie on these horses:

Horse A to win @ 5/1

Horse B to win @ 8/1

Horse C to win @ 12/1

In this instance, you need at least two horses to win to see a return.

If Horse A and Horse B win, then one double would come in, returning you £/€54.

If all three horses win then you’ll have three winning doubles and a winning treble, making the payout £/€951.

It’s always advisable to use an online Trixie calculator before placing your bet, to work out your potential returns.

You can also see this in your Betway betslip, prior to confirming any bet.

What is the difference between a Trixie bet and a Patent bet?

Both a Trixie bet and a Patent bet feature three selections, but there is one very important difference between them.

While a Trixie consists of four bets, a Patent consists of seven. This is made up of the same three doubles and one treble included in a Trixie, but also incorporates a further three singles.

Patent bets require an increased stake to cover the additional single lines, which has the added benefit of giving you the insurance of only needing one winner to trigger a return.

Can you place an each-way Trixie?

Yes, you can place an each-way Trixie. All you need to do is select the ‘E/W’ box next to Trixie on your betslip.

It’s worth noting that an each-way Trixie will double the number of bets you place from four to eight. This is to account for both the potential winning and the placing of your selections.

You also have the option to select individual horses to place, rather than all three.

To do this, you can select the ‘E/W’ box next to that specific horse. In this case, the number of bets that make up your Trixie will remain at four.

What happens to a Trixie with a non-runner?

If you place a horse racing Trixie but one selection doesn’t run, all four bets still stand.

One non-runner and one winner in a double would be paid out to the value of the single winner.

One non-runner and two winners in a treble would be paid out to the value of the double that the two winners return.

Visit Betway's horse racing betting page.