Grand Slam Bet
 

I have found the Grand Slam bet at the NYRA tracks to be a hidden gem and a healthy alternative to addictively playing Pick 4's and some pick 5's.With this being an off day I thought it would be an excellent time to drop this note and throw out my ideas.

For those they may be unaware of exactly what the Grand Slam bet is I will briefly explain. It is a multi race wager that ends with the feature every day, typically the race before the nightcap. It begins 3 races prior to create a 4 race sequence. In the 1st three legs your horse only need to hit the board, while in the feature you must select the winner. You can play it like any sequence, singling or using a few runners if you want, with the cost calculated out the same way you would play a pick 3, 4, 5 etc. You can have multiple horses within a single race move through the 1st 3 legs if you are so fortunate.

I spent typically between $250-$300 per card playing pick 4's and 5's. I started toying around with the Grand Slam bet during the Belmont meet, playing it for $20 and going 1x1x1x2 with the occasional use of 2 in one of the 1st 3 legs. I'm talking about a $40 or $80 play. I found myself alive to more $1000+ hits than in months worth of pick 4's. Hitting 4 figure pick 4's for $60 is not common but yet with this bet I found myself alive to them a lot. I didn't cash any of them in the final leg but I knew that none of them were bombs and, in fact, twice I had favorites. This got me thinking...

What if during the Saratoga meet I allotted my entire $250-$300 for this play and hammered it. Not to red board but I've been alive 3 times this meet to 5 figure scores cashing in once. I have never been alive to that in a pick 4 and only a handful of times in pick 5's. For the same bankroll.

I didn't hit yesterday but was alive to a 7-1 and a 2-1. I played an $80 Grand Slam.

5) 6
6) 10
7) 1
8) 6 7

$160

5) 5 horse field I had 2nd choice who ran 2nd. King Kranz was off the board at 9/5.

6) No clear favorite. I had 2nd choice at 7/2 who won. A longshot hit the board.

7) Played a 6-1 that would be charging late, the type that "hit the board" in a race with no clear favorite. This horse should have won, ended up 2nd, but that's cool. I believe the other board hitters were both 4-1.

I have done nothing remarkable here.

8) I'm alive to the 6, 7-1, for $8600
I'm alive to the 7, 2-1, for $4000

I lose.

fantini, I have been intrigued by the Grand Slam because of a player's ability to hit it multiple times on a single ticket. If two of your picks in the first leg both finish in the top three, then three of your picks in the second leg do the same, and then only one hits the board in the third leg, but you have the winner in the final leg, you have hit the GS a total of 6 times. That can lead to a very nice return on your investment.

The downside is that on some occasions the payoff on the GS is somewhat small, so for it to be profitable you almost have to hit it multiple times.

My ideal GS play is when I have a very strong opinion in the final leg, so that I can spread in the early three legs and then single the final leg, hoping for multiple hits on a winning play in the leg where my opinion is strongest.

The important thing in any sequence is getting yourself "live" in the payout leg. Keep getting "live" and you will hit your share. The Grand Slam is a MUCH easier bet to end up "live". Yesterdays example is a solid one and there have been hits for less and losses for more on similar type examples. I don't think I would pursue this bet on a Thursday at Aqueduct but when the fields are a touch deeper this is a nice play in my opinion.

It may be that there is a lot of novice type chalky $2 action that feeds into the pools. While the payoffs at 1st glance do not seem to astound (a will pay of $45 on a $1 bet doesn't exactly get the heart racing.) The truth is that its 45-1! These sequences do not need to be played like a pick 4. Bigger amounts going 1x1x1x2 or something like that, keeping in your general budget, and the payoffs become juicy.

I would strongly encourage trying this bet any day, but especially on one when your opinion in the feature is strong and/or you don't like a favorite in the prior 3.

I agree with hitting it multiple times but I prefer to live and die with less horses and a higher increment, that way if it comes up chalky you can still walk with a couple hundred. And...it feels good to be wrong and still move forward!

Not that anyone cares but I will be posting my actual Grand Slam play on a daily basis and hoping that others get involved in what feels like a fantastic bet on a daily basis, especially at Saratoga.

Just thought I'd share my opinion with everyone here knowing that I would get feedback from terrific players. It feels like such an "old person" bet, or a "rookie" kind of bet, but the value it seems to be creating regularly is noteworthy.

Is this something that is available on all the betting platforms or just certain ones?

Popular bet at the OTB and now that you've explained it I think
I'll give it a whirl. I didn't know you had to win the last leg!
Will be a good bet Travers Day
Thanks for sharing

I've played through Xpressbet, Twin Spires, and on track. My guess is that it is available everywhere.

I think it's important to point out to all the home gamer's that Place or show wagering must be available in any of the first three legs of the wager for a horse to qualify as a winning selection finishing second or third. For example, a horse that finishes third in a race with no show wagering is not a winning selection.

An added bonus is that all 4 of the races in the grand slam sequence are televised on a daily basis.

Now if it would just stop raining!!!

Not an option for me on TVG platform... Go Getem Ed.

I play $1.00 Grand Slams if I feel the favorite in the last race is vulnerable or its a very chaotic race. I play single/single/single/ALL. Oct 8th,2017 I played the favorite in 5th,10-1 shot in 6th(fav. finished 4th),favorite in 7th,and all in 8th(just 6 horses w/big favorite Grand Jete-finished 3rd) .War Flag @10-1 won the 8th@Belmont. For my $6.00 investment I received $2008.00 back. I had to check my account, but the payoff was correct. Not a every day wager but when you feel it will be profitable a very fun bet.

Jim you can bet grand slam on TVG

How do you do it? I am on Web and it is not an option for me in Race 6 today?

Yes Race 6 today. It's coming up as an option just above pick 3. I never played it but it is showing up

Not for me...

That's strange. I don't know how to post photo but I am able to make the bet on my phone.