When laying a simple straight bet on a horse to win, place, or show, every race book in the country and online handles the wager the same way, so bettors need to state it in the proper order. The race book first needs to know the venue, followed by the specific race, the amount being wagered, the number assigned to the horse, and the type of bet. If you want to bet five dollars on the number five horse to win the third race at Hollywood Park in California, you would tell the ticket writer: Hollywood Park, third race, five dollars on horse number five to win.
The ticket writer will write up the bet, take your money, and return any change due. While still at the window, quickly check the ticket to make sure the bet is correct, then wait for the race to begin. When laying an exacta or trifecta bet, the wager is stated in much the same way, except the horse numbers must be given in the predicted order of finish, unless doing a box exacta or trifecta, in which case order does not matter. A five dollar exacta on the same race, picking horse number seven to finish second behind horse number five, would be stated as: Hollywood Park, third race, five dollars on horses five and seven, exacta.