A quinella is a bet that the two runners you pick finish first and second in a race, in either order. Because order does not count, one combination covers both orders of your pair, and the tote pays a dividend per $1 on the winning pair after the result. The tote rules Racing and Wagering Western Australia adopted (WA Government Gazette No. 149, 3 August 2010) define it as two selections filling first and second "irrespective of order".
Those rules run the pool only with at least 3 runners. The cost builds when you take more than two: a box of 4 covers every pair among them, 6 combinations, which is $6 at $1 a combination or $3 at 50%. The horse racing betting hub lists it with the other exotics.
Quinella, exacta and duet side by side
All three are two-runner exotics, and they differ in what the pair has to do. Under the 2010 tote rules:
| Feature | Quinella | Exacta | Duet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your two runners must | Fill first and second, either order | Fill first and second, in your order | Both finish in the first three, either order |
| Combinations for one pair | 1 | 1 per order, 2 for both | 1 |
| Box of n runners | n x (n - 1) / 2 | n x (n - 1) | n x (n - 1) / 2 |
| Box of 4 runners | 6 | 12 | 6 |
| Runners the pool needs | 3 or more | 2 or more | 8 or more at final scratchings |
| Dividends declared, barring a dead heat | One | One | Three |
The quinella sits between the other two: wider than the exacta, because either order wins, and narrower than the duet, because third place does not count. A duet bet on the same pair still collects if they finish first and third, or second and third, from its own pool split three ways. The exacta wins only in the order you name, which is why it should pay more than the quinella on the same pair when that order lands.
What a boxed quinella costs
A box takes every pair from the runners you list:
box combinations = n x (n - 1) / 2
Box Runners 3, 6, 9 and 12 and the ticket holds 4 x 3 / 2 = 6 pairs: 3 and 6, 3 and 9, 3 and 12, 6 and 9, 6 and 12, and 9 and 12. At $1 a pair that is $6, a 100% ticket. Stake $3 instead and each pair carries 50c:
flexi % = outlay / combinations x 100 = $3 / 6 x 100 = 50%
| Runners boxed | Pairs | Cost at $1 | Flexi on a $5 outlay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | $1 | 500% |
| 3 | 3 | $3 | 166.7% |
| 4 | 6 | $6 | 83.3% |
| 5 | 10 | $10 | 50% |
| 6 | 15 | $15 | 33.3% |
| 7 | 21 | $21 | 23.8% |
A flexi above 100% means more than $1 on each pair, so $5 on a single pair collects five times the dividend. Each runner you add costs more than the one before: the fifth adds 4 pairs and the sixth adds 5.
Whether you can stake a quinella at flexi is the operator's call. Racing NSW's reference manual (last updated March 2025) lists quinellas among the bets flexi is available on. The 2010 gazetted rules make four pools flexi by name (trifecta, first four, quaddie and Big 6) and let the operator add others; the operator also sets the smallest outlay. The flexi calculator counts the pairs and the percentage for any box or standout.
Standouts and a runner with the field
A standout pairs one runner with each of the others you name, and never pairs those others with each other. With m runners alongside the standout:
standout combinations = m
Taking a runner "with the field" pairs it with every other runner. The 2010 rules define a field selection as all the runners in the event when the bet is placed, so in a 12-runner race, Runner 5 with the field is 11 combinations. With illustrative tickets in that race:
| Ticket | Combinations | Cost at $1 | Lands when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runner 5 with Runners 2, 7 and 10 | 3 | $3 | 5 and one of 2, 7 or 10 fill the first two |
| Box of Runners 2, 5, 7 and 10 | 6 | $6 | Any two of the four fill the first two |
| Runner 5 with the field | 11 | $11 | 5 finishes first or second, whatever runs with it |
The field ticket lands whenever Runner 5 runs first or second, but it collects one dividend, and what that pays depends on what fills the other spot. If the favourite runs with it, the dividend can come in under the $11 the ticket cost; if an outsider does, it can be many times that. A standout suits a firm view on one runner and none on the rest, and a box suits a group you cannot separate.
How the dividend and flexi returns are paid
On the tote, the quinella bets on a race go into a quinella pool. After the operator's commission comes out, the rest is split among the units on the winning pair, declared as a dividend per $1, stake included, after the result. Before the jump you can see approximates, which keep moving until betting closes, as tote approximates explains.
A flexi ticket collects its percentage of the dividend:
flexi return = dividend x flexi %
For the box of Runners 3, 6, 9 and 12, with illustrative dividends:
| Winning pair's dividend | $6 ticket at 100% | $3 ticket at 50% |
|---|---|---|
| $4.80, two well-backed runners | $4.80, a $1.20 loss | $4.80 x 0.50 = $2.40, a $0.60 loss |
| $18.60 | $18.60, a $12.60 profit | $18.60 x 0.50 = $9.30, a $6.30 profit |
| $62.40, an outsider in the first two | $62.40, a $56.40 profit | $62.40 x 0.50 = $31.20, a $28.20 profit |
The first row is the catch: the box landed and lost money. A landed box pays back what it cost only if the dividend reaches the number of pairs it holds, $6.00 here, at any flexi percentage. Flexi betting covers the rounding and minimums.
A dead heat can share the pool. Under the 2010 rules, a dead heat for first pays the whole pool to the pair made up of the two dead-heaters (rule 12.3(a)), so no other pair shares it. A dead heat for second splits the pool into equal parts, one for each backed pair of the winner with a dead-heater (rule 12.3(e)). Racing NSW's Rules of Betting halve the face value of an on-course quinella ticket when one of the pair wins and the other dead-heats for second (BR 16).
When an exacta is the better buy
An exacta names the order, so one exacta combination covers half the results a quinella covers on the same pair. Two things can make it the better buy:
- A real view on the order. One exacta combination costs the same unit as the quinella and should pay more when your order lands, but it returns nothing when the pair finishes the other way round.
- Exacta dividends generous enough to cover both orders. Two orders cost two units, so an exacta box comes out ahead only when the exacta dividend that lands is more than twice the quinella's.
With illustrative approximates of $14.20 for the quinella on Runners 6 and 12, an exacta box needs more than 2 x $14.20 = $28.40 in the order that lands. At $22.60 for 6 then 12 and $35.80 for 12 then 6, the box comes out ahead only if Runner 12 wins. Exacta betting works the comparison in full, including how sure of the order you need to be.
Risk: Betting involves risk. Approximates move until betting closes, so the order that looked better can be declared at less, and an exacta on one order returns nothing when the other order comes in. See responsible gambling for limits and support.
Scratched runners in a quinella
On the tote a scratching refunds the part of the ticket it touches, and the rest keeps running. Under the 2010 gazetted rules a bet on a scratched selection is refunded (rule 9.1), and in a field bet the part covering scratched runners is refunded (rule 9.4(a)). There is no substitute here: that rule belongs to the running and daily doubles, the quaddie and the Big 6.
Example: Illustrative. Runner 9 is scratched from the $3 box of Runners 3, 6, 9 and 12. The three pairs that include it come back at 50c each, $1.50, and the other three (3 and 6, 3 and 12, 6 and 12) run on as a $1.50 ticket, still at 50%.
If scratchings leave fewer than 3 runners after final scratchings, the race counts as abandoned for this pool and the bets come back (rules 10.2 and 10.3).
A quinella a bookmaker prices at fixed odds settles under that bookmaker's terms. The common rule types are:
- refund the whole bet
- refund only the pairs that include the scratched runner, and settle the rest
- take a deduction off winning bets made before the scratching
- follow the tote's refund, where the bet pays a tote dividend
NSW on-course bookmakers work to Racing NSW's Rules of Betting, where a scratching can reach much further than on the tote. If the scratched horse was odds-on when withdrawn, BR 14 voids all quinella bets on the race, pairs without it included. If it was even money or longer, only the quinellas naming it are refunded, and a winning quinella made before the scratching is paid less a deduction set by the BR 15 scale. Check your bookmaker's terms; exotic scratching rules sets out the tote's rules across every exotic.
Mistakes with box and standout tickets
- Boxing more runners than the outlay can carry. $5 across a 6-runner box is 15 pairs at 33.3%, so a landed dividend of an illustrative $12.00 returns $12.00 x 5 / 15 = $4.00, a loss on a winning ticket.
- Boxing the two runners the market likes most with the rest. Their pair is the one most expected to land, and it tends to pay the least, like the $4.80 row above.
- Expecting third to count. Only the first two count here; the duet pays on any two of the first three, and only in fields of 8 or more.
- Taking the quinella when you are sure enough of the order. The exacta in your order should pay more for the same unit. It beats the quinella on average once your chance of that order, given the pair fills the first two, is above the quinella dividend divided by the exacta dividend.
- Assuming a bookmaker's version settles like the tote's. Under BR 14 an odds-on scratching voids an on-course quinella even when neither of your two runners was scratched, while the tote leaves a pair without the scratched runner running.
Risk: Betting involves risk. An exacta in your order returns nothing when the pair finishes the other way round, and a ticket that avoids these mistakes still loses whenever its runners miss the first two. See responsible gambling for limits and support.
Weighing the runners before you pick a pair
A quinella dividend is only declared after the result, and its approximate keeps moving until betting closes. What you can compare is how the market rates each runner. The Terminal shows prices from 40+ bookmakers across racing and sports, each bookmaker in its own column; the best available price on each runner is picked out, and Betfair back and lay sit at the side.
A free account opens a limited view of the Terminal with live odds. B337 compares prices; it does not rate runners or choose pairs. Betfair is a trade mark of its owner, and B337 is not affiliated with it.
Risk: Betting involves risk. A quinella loses whenever either runner misses the first two, and a box that lands on a short-priced pair can pay back less than it cost. See responsible gambling for limits and support.