Daily Double Bets and Rolling Doubles For Horse Racing

By Bill Peterson

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The daily double was one of the first exotic or gadget bets and is still very popular today. It used to only be found in the first two races on the program, but now some tracks offer what they call a "rolling double," meaning that the double may be played in more races throughout the card.
The double is about the simplest exotic bet. You pick the winner in the first race, the first half of the double, and then you pick the winner in the second race, or second half. You must have the winner in both halves to collect.

An alternative to playing a daily double is a parlay bet. When you parlay a bet you simply take all your winnings from the first race and place them on a horse in the next race.
Either a double or a parlay can add up quickly. If you wager $2 to win on a horse in the first race and it wins and you collect $12 which you then wager on another horse in a following race, you may multiply your $2 investment many times. For instance, if your choice in the second race of your parlay bet wins and pays $10 to win, you actually collect $60. Not bad for an initial wager of $2. Of course, the downside is that you have to pick two winners in a row.