Win, Place & Show
Win, Place & Show Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Each player is given an Official Racing Program, a betting slip and $50,000 in the following denominations:
4 - $10,000 bills 4 - $1,000 bills 1 - $5,000 bill 2 - $500 bills
The remaining money and betting slips become known as the Racing Association and are kept in the storage tray. Foul Claim Cards are placed at one end of the infield and the Stable Cards at the other. The two players sitting at each end of the track are designated the Racing Stewards and one receives the dice. Racing Stewards may also participate in the game as regular players.
Reading the Program
Race Information
- A. Number of Horse
- B. Type of Race
- C. Purse
- D. Distance
- E. Purse Distribution
Information about the Horses
- Post Position — large number on Program corresponds to number on horse (starting position)
- Running Strength — each number indicates basic number of squares horse may advance on a move
- Bonus Number — this number on dice adds three squares to Running Strength of that horse
- Name of Horse
- Type of Jockey — Veteran or Apprentice
- Odds — determines bet payoffs on winning horses
- Name of Stable
- Speed — ability of horse to win if race is finished before last Running Strength number is used
- Class — ability of horse to win if race uses all Running Strength numbers
Duties of the Stewards
- See that all horses are in the proper starting gate and post position.
- Regulate the time allotted for betting.
- Call for each race to begin.
- Roll dice.
- Check counts and number of moves for accuracy.
- Declare the order of finish.
- Check Foul Claims and declare race official.
- Pay purses and successful bets from Racing Association.
Play
Each player attempts to gain wealth during the game by purchasing good horses in the Auction before each race, collecting the purses they win and by making successful bets on his own horse or any other horse in the race.
The Race
The Running Strength numbers indicate the basic number of squares a horse may advance on a given move. These numbers are arranged to give each horse certain racing characteristics. For example, a horse with a Running Strength of 11.11.9.9.2.1 sets the pace but tires at the end. A horse with a 7.7.9.9.8.8 Running Strength runs at a steady pace while the horse with a 7.7.7.8.9.11 Running Strength has a steady pace throughout the race but has a powerful finish.
When a horse's Bonus Number is the same as the total rolled on the dice, he may move an additional 3 squares. Some Bonus Numbers are more favorable than others. (Seven is rolled most often; 2 and 12 are rolled least.)
There must be at least 4 horses entered in every race. A horse must begin the race from the Post Position indicated in the Program even if there are less than 6 horses in the race. When all horses are in the proper starting position, the Stewards call for the race to begin and roll the dice. During the race, one Steward rolls the dice and announces the number on the white die and the Bonus Number for each move while the other Steward announces the number of the move.
The total on the dice indicates which horse, if any, gets the three square bonus. If the owner of the horse whose Bonus Number was rolled forgets to take his bonus on that move, he loses it.
The number on the white die is added to the Running Strength and also indicates which horse moves first. The other horses move consecutively. Thus, if a 4 appears on the white die, the number 4 horse moves first followed in order by 5, 6, 1, 2, and 3. If the horse who is to start is not entered in the race, the next horse in succession moves first.
A horse gets his "count" (number of squares to move forward) from three sources: his Running Strength, the number on the white die and his Bonus Number. The Running Strength Numbers indicate the number of squares a horse may advance on his own running characteristics. Each player calculates his horse's count and announces it when it is time for his horse to move. Player nearest the horses should move them all during a given move. It is up to the owner to make all decisions regarding lane or space selection.
How to Calculate the Count
If the Steward rolls a 4 on the white die and 3 on the green die during the first move of the first race, the number 4 horse would advance first. His owner adds the 4 on the white die to the first move Running Strength of 9 for a total of 13 squares. Number 4's Bonus Number 7 was rolled so an additional 3 squares are added to his count. Number 4 is moved 16 squares on this move. The owner of the number 5 horse adds 4 (white die) to his horse's Running Strength of 10 and announces that his horse moves 14 squares. The other horses move similarly in turn.
When each horse has moved, the Steward again rolls the dice to determine which horse moves first, which number is added to the Running Strength and which horse has the bonus.
A horse must always move forward either straight or diagonally. No horse may move into or pass through a square directly in front of another horse. If a horse is unable to move forward, he is "blocked" and loses the remainder of his count. To pass a horse in his lane a horse must change lanes unless he occupies a passing square at the beginning of his move. A passing square is a square marked with a black line through the center. Any horse occupying a passing square at the beginning of his move may squeeze past another horse in his lane without changing lanes. He must, however, change lanes to pass a second horse in that lane.
Example: Horse No. 1 occupies a passing square at the beginning of his move — he may squeeze by the first horse (No. 5) in his lane but must change lanes to pass the second horse (No. 3).
The number of lanes a horse is allowed to change during one move is determined by the type of jockey he has. A Veteran jockey may change up to two lanes in one direction and may return to his original lane on the same move. An Apprentice jockey may change only one lane on a move and may not on that move return to his original lane.
Example: A Veteran jockey (Horse No. 6) may change up to two lanes in one direction and return to his original lane; he may not use spaces directly in front of another horse ("X"). An Apprentice jockey (Horse No. 1) may change one lane and may not return to his original lane; he will be blocked by No. 4 if he uses the inside lane.
An Apprentice jockey is given an "Apprentice Allowance" of two squares. The owner of a horse carrying an Apprentice may use this allowance on any one move during the race. If the owner fails to apply the Allowance, he loses it.
A horse who has selected a lane on the turn may not change that lane until he has left the turn. A horse may at any time stop on a passing square up to three squares short of his full count.
Order of Finish
The winning horse is the horse which occupies the square farthest beyond the finish line on any given move. If a horse (or horses) finishes on a given move before the four winning positions are determined, they are removed from the board, and the race is continued. In case of a tie, Veteran jockeys always beat Apprentice jockeys. If two or more Veteran jockeys (or two or more Apprentice jockeys) are tied, the last horse to arrive at the space nips the other by a nose.
Foul Claims
A player who has bet heavily on a horse other than his own may wish to prevent his horse from winning. Under these circumstances it is possible for him to "pull up" his horse. There are several methods by which he may do this. He may deliberately select an outside or unfavorable lane on the turns or he may go wide in the stretches so that his horse will be forced to take an unfavorable lane on the turns. He may also forget or refuse to take his Apprentice Allowance or bonus, or may stop up to three squares short of his full count to occupy a passing square. (On all other occasions an owner must take his full count unless he is legally blocked.) This ability to "pull up" his horse will allow a player to protect his bet on another horse.
The player who has bet on the horse whose owner has "pulled up" his horse is also protected. If he suspects the owner is deliberately "pulling up" the horse, he may lodge a claim of foul against him.
A player may only lodge a claim against the owner of a horse he has bet on. To lodge a foul claim a player must have a valid reason. These are:
- Not taking a bonus or Apprentice Allowance.
- Stopping three squares short to occupy a passing square. (However, stopping one or two squares short to occupy a passing square is not a valid reason.)
- Deliberately selecting an unfavorable lane at the turns or in the stretches approaching the turns. (However, if any horse occupies the favorable lane on a turn when the suspected horse makes his choice of lane or if the owner of the suspected horse can show that going wide in the stretches was the most favorable move for his horse, the claim is invalid.)
When a player lodges a foul claim, he announces the reason and, if it is valid, takes a Foul Claim Card for the suspected horse. If two or more players claim foul on one horse simultaneously, the Stewards must judge who will be first to give a reason. If the first has a valid reason, he takes the Claim Card and the second claimant loses out on the foul claim. If the first reason is invalid, the second claimant may give his reason. Once a valid foul claim is lodged, no player may claim another foul against that horse on succeeding moves. Foul Claims are settled after the race is over. A Foul Claim may not be made after another horse has moved.
The question of whether an owner of the suspected horse may have made an honest mistake or deliberately "pulled up" his horse is settled after the race before the purses are awarded. If the owner of the suspected horse has bet on any other horse to finish ahead of his horse, the foul claim is upheld. If he bet on his horse to finish ahead of all others, the claim is turned down.
When the foul claim is upheld, the claimant will have his unsuccessful bets on this horse returned by the Racing Association. The guilty owner must share ALL successful bets won by him in the race with the claimant. If the amount won is a multiple of $1,000, the owner must give half of the amount to the claimant. If the amount is not a multiple of $1,000 (such as $9,500) the claimant is given the $500 plus half of the remaining money won ($9,000).
If the foul claim is not upheld, the claimant must pay the owner of the suspected horse $2,000.
The Auction
Before each race each player must buy a horse. If there are less than 6 players, a player may purchase more than one horse. He then owns an "entry" and may collect purses on either or both horses.
All Stable Cards are shuffled and placed face down on the table. The first card is turned over and the horse from that stable is up for sale. Bidding begins with the player to the right of the finish line and proceeds counterclockwise around the table. Bids must be in multiples of $500 with a $500 minimum. Each player either bids or "passes" on a given horse. When a player passes twice in a row on a given horse, he forfeits his right to bid further on that horse. If no one bids on a horse, that Stable Card is set aside.
If, during bidding all players pass, the player who bid last on that horse becomes the highest bidder and pays the amount bid to the Racing Association. He then receives the Stable Card for this horse. (All Stable Cards are returned for auction before the start of the next race.) Next Stable Card is turned up and players bid on this horse.
When 6 play, the Stable Cards which have not been sold are shuffled and dealt randomly to the players who do not own a horse. These players must pay $500 for their horse. When less than 6 play, the remaining Stable Cards are put up for auction again. No player may bid on a second horse until every other player owns one horse. No player may own more than 2 horses.
In choosing which horse he wishes to buy the player should consider the Post Position and the type of jockey along with Running Strength, Bonus Number, Speed and Class.
Speed and Class Ratings are calculated on the Running Strength of the horse. The Speed Rating indicates the horse's ability to win if the race is finished before the last Running Strength number is used. The Class Rating indicates the ability to win if the race uses all Running Strength numbers.
Betting
A player may bet on any horse he chooses but may not bet on more than three horses (one to win, one to place and one to show) in any one race. For any position there is a minimum bet of $1,000 and a maximum of $5,000. All bets must be in multiples of $1,000. If the betting slip is incorrectly filled in, the bet is lost. Players must take care to fill in their bets in the correct number race.
A player may bet on one horse to win, place and show. This is known as a combination bet; if the horse wins, the player collects the win, place and show payoffs. If he comes in second, the player collects the place and show payoffs.
After filling in his betting slip, each player places it face down in the infield, announces the total amount of his bet and pays this amount to the Racing Stewards who place the money in the Racing Association.
When only four horses are running, eliminate all show bets. All payoffs are computed by the Racing Stewards and paid by the Racing Association.
Daily Double
The Daily Double consists of picking the winners of the first and second race and placing a single bet on the selected horses. Both horses must win for the bet to be paid off. A player may purchase as many Daily Double combinations as he wishes. The minimum bet is $1,000 per combination with a maximum of $5,000 per combination. All bets must be made in multiples of $1,000. The payoffs for the Daily Double are made in accordance with the Daily Double Payoff Chart.
To make a Daily Double bet the player writes "Daily Double" on the back of his betting slip along with the numbers of the horses selected and the amount bet. The first number indicates the horse selected to win the first race and the second indicates the winner of the second race. The player who wishes to bet on more than one combination for the Daily Double may find it easier to "baseball" or "wheel" his horses.
A "baseball" bet may be made if the player uses more than two horses. If he prefers the numbers 3, 4 and 6, he may "baseball" them. If any combination of these numbers (3-4, 3-6, 4-3, 4-6, 6-3 or 6-4) wins, the player collects. Since the player who placed a "baseball" bet on 3, 4 and 6 has actually bet on 6 combinations, a minimum bet on these numbers would be $6,000 (6 combinations at $1,000 each). If one of the combinations wins the player would collect for a $1,000 bet (amount on one combination). To make a "baseball" bet, player writes "baseball" followed by the numbers he selects and total amount bet.
A "wheel" consists of tying up one horse which you feel is outstanding with all the horses in the other race. A player who bets "number 4 wheel" thinks that number 4 will win the first race but has no favorite in the second. Thus he actually bet on combination 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, 4-5 and 4-6. A minimum bet on a "wheel" would be $6,000 (6 combinations at $1,000 each).
The player wishing to make a "wheel" bet writes "wheel" before (no favorite in the first race) or after (no favorite in the second race) the number of the horse he feels to be outstanding and records the total amount of the bet. As in the "baseball" bet, the "wheel" pays off according to the amount bet on a single combination (not the total amount bet).
Ending the Game
At game's end the player with the most money is the winner.
Party Version
When more than six wish to play, the Auction, the purses and the foul claim rule are eliminated. Players who know the game best are chosen to make all decisions for all horses. These players must try to win with all horses.
Each player is given $20,000 and a betting slip. The betting rules for the regular version apply. At game's end player with the most money is declared the winner.