What is Pentafecta? Pentafecta Explained in 2 minutes
Mike Goodpaster Last Verified
19/04/2026
A pentefecta is a pool bet associated with horse racing in the United States. The objective of the bet is to predict the horses that will finish in the first five places in a race. Bettors can back win, place and show bets and these are simple and straightforward.
The more complex bets are known as exotic bets and one of these is the pentefecta. The bet is also known as the Super Hi-5 because the aim behind the bet is backing the horses to finish in the first five places in a pool bet. The bet must predict the horses to finish in the correct order, which means the bet is rarely won. It can provide a jackpot return for a small stake so is very popular.
How is Pentafecta used in Sports Betting?
The pentefecta is a pool bet which means all the winning tickets share the pool. The track and pool managers take a cut and the rest of the stakes are divided amongst the winning bettors. If the bet is not run the pool is carried over to the next race which means it grows and the returns increase.
The minimum stake is $0.50 and the dividend is declared to a fixed amount and the returns are adjusted accordingly. The odds of predicting the first five places in correct order are huge so the pentafecta has the potential to produce a lottery-sized win. A $1 bet can potentially produce a win in six figures or over $100,000.
Even though the horse must be backed to finish in the correct order punters allowed to pick more than five horses and combine them in permutations but the cost of the bet will reflect the number of lines. If horses are boxed they can finish in any combination to produce a winning Pentafecta.
