Yonkers: Players benefit from lower takeout, higher minimums

Going with the flow can be a positive, but that hardly makes it the best route. Take for instance the newly minted Pick 6 wager at Yonkers Raceway in 2021. Rather than follow the trend of lower minimums, the track has aimed higher in hopes of producing pools that are meaningful for all players.

The Pick 6 wager, which requires bettors to correctly select the winners of six consecutive races, has seen a renaissance over the last year. Multiple tracks have reinstated the bet with minimums ranging from .10 to .50, but at Yonkers the decision was made to increase the difficulty level on the wager by keeping the lowest acceptable wagering level at $1.

While raising the minimum decreases the ability of some players to spread deep on their tickets, it also increases the possibility of a carryover and maximizes the return to players. After a slow start where the wager was hit on the first eight nights of 2021, the Pick 6 went unsolved for six consecutive cards to produce a sizable carryover for bettors to attack.

The carryovers not only produce value for bettors should they select the winning combination, since the pool is seeded with a large portion of the wagering from each previously un-hit Pick 6, but also reward bettors for success more than the lower minimum wagers since they are harder to solve. The result is fewer winning tickets, which leads to higher payouts.

"It would have been easy to just put the bet in for 50 cents and go," said Director of Racing Alex Dadoyan. "But we wanted to test drive the $1 minimum and see if there is any appetite for it in the simulcast market. At that base price, it's not going to be for everyone. But that's ok, there are plenty of lower denomination wagers on our card and elsewhere. Managing bankroll is the key for all horse players and to properly cover this sequence most nights, it will require some tough decisions."

The Pick 6 is not the only wager at Yonkers with a $1 minimum that offers higher returns to bettors. Both Pick 4s and all Pick 3s offer the single-dollar base amount.

Another benefit for bettors in 2021 at Yonkers is a reduced takeout of just 20% on the Pick 4, 50-cent Pick 5 and Pick 6 wagers. The 20% mark is the lowest allowed by the New York State law for those wagers.

"Hopefully we can get more support from the players which can lead to further takeout reductions in the future," said Dadoyan.

Support for the reduced takeout wagers has been strong at Yonkers in 2021. The average pool for the early Pick 4 sits at $11,643, up 25% from the last five cards of 2020. The late Pick 4 has climbed 41% to $9,163 and the average Pick 5 pool sits at $8,015 this year.

The Pick 4 is offered twice nightly in races 1 and 7. The Pick 6 kicks off in race 3 and the .50 Pick 5 starts in race 5.

Yonkers Raceway continues to race Monday through Friday with a first-race post time of 7:15 P.M.

--press release (Yonkers Raceway Media)--