Jackpot vs Pick 6

When comparing tote betting pools in South African horse racing, the jackpot and Pick 6 can seem to offer similar odds and drivers. However, their core mechanics differ, with carry-overs happening when no ticket matches the required combination of winners. Pick 6s group horse racing legs into a six-race sequence, not four, where the ticket price changes with the number of horses selected per leg. Pick 6s tend to cost more than jackpot tickets due to the additional legs.

How Combinations Make the Ticket Price Rise

Combinations multiply the way a ticket's cost grows. Selecting 3 horses in all 4 races for a 4-leg jackpot costs R81 while selecting 2 horses in 6 races for a 6-leg pick 6 bets costs R64. Hence 6-leg bets tend to start with more horse selections per leg, and cost more.

What Happens When a Runner is Scratched or a First-Timer Wins

No refund is made to a Pick 6 ticket except where a race meeting is cancelled or abandoned before the first or second leg. As with scratched contestants, the totalisator favourite stands in. If a horse that has not raced before wins a leg, the first horse to finish among those that have raced before also qualifies as a winner.

Why Carryovers Happen

If no one bets correctly for the jackpot or pick 6, carryovers happen. No refund is made in respect of any pool carried forward. Carryovers on South African and international race meetings are accumulated into Jackpot, Place Accumulator and Bipot stockpiles and added to selected pools at the discretion of the operators. This creates big payouts for winners when they do happen.

What the Difference Means for Punters

Jackpot and Pick 6 are popular tote bets on the TAB. The more involved Pick 6 contest can result in bigger payouts. For the Pick 6, 6 legs and a bigger required effort make the longer bet more complex to win, which also drives the ticket price up. Jackpots may roll over if no one wins, with limits set by the operators.

For the bettor, the two contests weigh up differently in their ticket price plan. To predict which tote pool's carryover will hit its jackpot award, always check the current jackpot prize or stockpile size, and factor in the returns when it does pay out versus the ticket costs.

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