First Four Betting Guide

A first four is a bet on the first four horses past the post in the correct order. It is harder to land than a trifecta (you need to get four in order) but dividends can be very large when you do. First fours are offered on most Australian thoroughbred races and are popular with punters chasing big payouts.

A straight first four is one combination: first, second, third, and fourth in that order. A box first four means you select four or more horses and they can finish in any order in the top four. A four-horse box has 24 combinations (4×3×2×1) so costs 24 times the unit stake. Because the cost rises quickly, many punters use a flexi first four: you take a percentage of a full combination (e.g. 10% or 25%) so you pay less but receive that percentage of the dividend when it wins.

First four dividends depend on the pool and the result. When favourites fill the top four, the dividend is often modest; when outsiders fill the placings, it can be huge. Use form, speed maps, and race shape to narrow the likely top four, then decide between straight (highest risk and reward), box (covers all orders), or flexi (lower cost, share of dividend). Our dividend calculator helps you work out costs and our results pages show first four dividends after each race.