Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – There are many
reasons harness fans play the races at The Meadowlands, the industry’s handle
leader.
Top-quality racing, the best drivers
in the world, big fields and big pools are the biggest reasons why. But another
factor that does not go unnoticed or unappreciated are the wagers that offer
big pools and big payoffs for a small investment.
Low-takeout 20-cent bets have been
paying off in a big way at the big track next to MetLife Stadium.
“The Meadowlands has always tried to
be one of the gambling trendsetters in the horse racing business,” said track
Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “The 2021-2022
wagering menu offers players of every size bankroll a chance to make a score.”
When one looks at what the payoffs
have been during the first six weeks of racing in 2022, they might start
playing these bets exclusively.
Thus far this year, here are the
startling numbers when the subject is Big M bets that have a minimum base bet
of 20 cents or less:
Wager
Avg.
Payout Winning Odds
20-cent Pick-7
$5,002
25,010-to-1
20-cent Pick-6
$3,530
17,650-to-1
20-cent
Pick-5
$2,095
10,475-to-1
10-cent
Hi-5
$2,558
25,580-to-1
“Here at The Meadowlands, we offer
these wagers with a low takeout of 15 percent, which puts more money back into
the pocket of the horseplayer,” said Settlemoir. “That makes The Big M the
destination of many vertical and horizontal players that are searching for
action and value every weekend.”
One does not necessarily need to bet
a lot to win a lot. How about the 20-cent Survivor Pick-7, which is offered
nightly on races three through nine? A bettor could call out a ticket using
1x2x2x2x3x4x1 and spend only $19.20. Spending just a little more increases
one’s chances. Another ticket might read 2x2x2x2x3x3x1. The cost? $28.80.
Using a “single” in the final leg
allows one to get more coverage early in the bet, since there are nights when
there are no tickets that have all seven winners. One such night was Jan. 15,
when the winning ticket needed only the first six winners to cash in for
$7,584. That winning player did not need to have the 8-1 shot that scored in
the “payoff leg”. The first six winner’s odds in the sequence were a
far-from-far-fetched 9-2, 7-5, 9-2, 1-1, 2-1 and 5-2.
That’s the beauty of these multi-leg
wagers.
Players with small bankrolls who want
to hit like high-rollers no doubt dig the 20-cent Pick-6 (offered on races
eight through 13), where players can get plenty of value playing tickets like
these:
·
2x2x2x2x2x2 = $12.80
·
1x1x2x3x4x5 = $24.00
·
1x1x2x2x2xALL = $16.00
The Pick-6 paid out handsomely Feb.
19 night despite a pair of winning favorites and zero longshots. The sequence
of winner’s odds was 4-1, 2-1, *9-5, 5-2, 5-2 and *8-5, and those with winning
tickets walked away with $3,199.
The 20-cent Pick-5 – offered on races
one through five – has been an especially popular play of late, as total action
was $79,620 on Feb. 18 and $74,064 the next night.
For those who like their multi-leg
results chalk-less, hopefully, they cashed on Feb. 18, when no winning
favorites clicked and the Pick-5 returned $5,225.
The Saturday prior to that, you
didn’t need to be a longshot lover to live the high life. Three favorites, a 4-1
and a 9-1 shot combined to create a payout of $4,259.
Some of the tickets cashed that night
might have been called out this way:
·
2x2x2x2x2 = $6.40
·
1x2x2x2x2 = $3.20
·
1x2x3x3x3 = $10.80
·
1x2x3x4x5 = $24.00
·
2x3x4x4x5 = $96.00
Need to get out? Then the 10-cent
Hi-5/Pentafecta is for you, as it is offered on the final race every night.
With a minimum bet of one thin dime,
players can spread their tickets wide to try and go for the gold.
Many try for the Hi-5 by playing
partial wheels, which can be played for small change if you key a horse(s) to
finish in a particular position:
·
1w2,3,4,5w2,3,4,5w2,3,4,5w2,3,4,5
= $2.40
·
1w2,3,4,5,6w2,3,4,5,6w2,3,4,5,6w2,3,4,5,6
= $12.00
·
For those who like a box
– 1,2,3,4,5 = $12.00
How about a “Players’ Ticket”, where
you start with three in the win position and add one horse for each subsequent
leg:
·
1,2,3w1,2,3,4w1,2,3,4,5w1,2,3,4,5,6w1,2,3,4,5,6,7
= $24.30
Enthusiasts who invested that $24.30
and hit on Feb. 19 were no doubt all smiles. Despite 8-5 favorite Hes Gone
Badder going wire-to-wire, the second and third choices were nowhere to be
found in the top five, creating a payoff of $1,152.
LIVE RACING SCHEDULE: Racing at The Big M is conducted on a
Friday-Saturday basis and has a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m.
The track’s live “Racing from The
Meadowlands” pre-game show kicks off nightly at 5:47 p.m.
FREE PROGRAMS: Free past performances for every race
of every Meadowlands program are available 48 hours before a given card. To
access the no-cost official program pages, go to playmeadowlands.com.
GET ON TWITTER: Everything Meadowlands is available
by going on Twitter. You can check in with the Big M team for early changes,
racing information and staff selections by going to @themeadowlands or
#playbigm.
On race nights, stay in touch with
Jessica Otten (@JessicaOtten1), Dave Brower (@eedoogie), Dave Little
(@DaveLittleBigM), Ken Warkentin (@kenvoiceover), Shades (@ShadesOnRacing) and
Edison Hatter (@Edison_1999_).
WHO DOES BROWER LIKE? For expert selections and analysis of
every Big M card, check out track oddsmaker Dave Brower’s race reviews.
For Brower’s input, which is
generally available 48 hours before every card, go to playmeadowlands.com, then click on the “handicapping”
tab and go to “race reviews”.
CHECK OUT “THE BOOK”: For those who like to bet on sports,
there is only one place to be: The FanDuel Sportsbook, the No. 1 facility of
its type in the world. Meadowlands’ fans don’t have to go far to get there.
It’s located inside the grandstand at the mile oval.
Thursday (Feb. 24) night, the
new-look Brooklyn Nets travel to Boston to take on the Celtics in a 7:30 p.m.
tipoff. The Nets are a 9-point underdog who are +330 on the money line. The
under/over is 214½.
For those who like prop bets, the
Celtics two-pronged scoring attack of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will be on
display. If you think either or both will score at least 35 points, you can
make a score. Tatum is +400 while Brown is +700.
Hours for the book are Monday through
Thursday from 10 a.m.-1 a.m.; Friday 10 a.m.-2 a.m.; Saturday 7 a.m.-2 a.m. and
Sunday 8 a.m.-12 a.m.
MARCH MANIA IS COMING: When the NCAA Men’s College
Basketball Tournament begins on March 15, hoops fans can come to the FanDuel
Sportsbook and watch and wager on the games.
The championship game will take place
on April 4.
