Quinella calculator: boxed quinella cost, flexi and payout

Quinella calculator

Combinations: -
Cost for 100%: -
Your flexi %: -
You would collect: -

Key facts

A quinella pays if your two runners finish 1st and 2nd in either order.
Combinations in a quinella box = n x (n - 1) / 2: 3 runners is 3 combinations, 4 is 6, 5 is 10.
A quinella costs half as much as the same exacta box, because the order does not matter.
Flexi works the same as trifectas: your outlay / full cost x 100 = your share of the dividend.

How to use the quinella calculator

Pick a boxed quinella and how many runners you want to box, or switch to standout and type your runner numbers. Enter your outlay. The calculator shows the combinations, the full cost at $1 each, your flexi percentage and what you collect for any dividend you enter.

What a quinella is

A quinella is a bet on the first two runners past the post, in any order. It is one of the simplest exotics on an Australian betting slip, and it is popular in short fields where a trifecta is hard to make pay.

Quinella combinations and cost

The number of combinations in a quinella box is n x (n - 1) / 2. Each pair counts once, because the order does not matter.

Runners boxed	Combinations	Cost at 100%	$10 outlay is
2	1	$1	1,000%
3	3	$3	333.33%
4	6	$6	166.67%
5	10	$10	100%
6	15	$15	66.67%
8	28	$28	35.71%

Standout quinellas

A standout quinella pairs one runner you are confident about with several others. Runner 3 with 5, 8 and 11 covers three pairs: 3-5, 3-8 and 3-11. It costs $3 at 100%, half the price of boxing all four runners, but it only wins if your standout runs first or second.

Pundit tip: in a quinella the dividend shrinks when the two popular runners fill the first two places. Boxing favourites often returns less than your outlay, even when you win.

Quinella, exacta, trifecta or first four?

Each exotic asks for more and pays more. A quinella needs two runners in any order, an exacta two in order, a trifecta three in order and a first four four in order. Use the boxed trifecta calculator and the first four calculator to compare costs, and read tote vs fixed odds to see how tote dividends are set. For winners across four races, the quaddie guide covers the cost and the pool. Quinellas run at the dogs and the trots too: see greyhound betting and harness racing betting. When two runners tie, dead heat rules decide how the payout is split.

Frequently asked questions

What is a quinella bet?

A quinella is a bet on the first two finishers in any order. If you pick runners 4 and 9 and they run first and second, either way round, you win the quinella dividend.

How much does a boxed quinella cost?

At $1 a combination, a 3 runner box costs $3, 4 runners $6, 5 runners $10 and 6 runners $15. With flexi betting you can spend less and collect a share of the dividend.

What is the difference between a quinella and an exacta?

A quinella pays on the first two in either order; an exacta needs them in exact order. That makes a quinella box half the price of the same exacta box, and it usually pays a smaller dividend.

How much does a quinella pay?

It depends on the pool and on how many people picked the same two runners, so the dividend is only known after the race. Multiply the $1 dividend by your flexi percentage to get your collect.

What does quinella mean in NRL?

Some bookmakers use the word for other bets that pick two outcomes in any order, such as two try scorers. Rules and prices are set by each bookmaker. This calculator is for racing quinellas on the tote.