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Prerequisites

Before you start playing, you’ll need:

Solana Wallet

A Solana-compatible wallet (Phantom, Solflare, etc.)

SOL Tokens

Some SOL for entries and transaction fees
1

Connect Your Wallet

Visit horse.fun and click “Connect Wallet”Select your Solana wallet from the list and approve the connection.
The protocol only requests permission to view your wallet address and approve transactions. It never has direct access to your private keys.
2

Fund Your Wallet

Make sure you have SOL in your wallet for playing:
  • Minimum entry: 0.01 SOL
  • Recommended starting amount: 5-10 SOL
  • Don’t forget to keep some SOL for transaction fees (~0.000005 SOL per transaction)
You can purchase SOL on major exchanges like Coinbase, Binance, or Kraken, then transfer to your Solana wallet.
3

Wait for a New Race

Races run every 2.5 minutes with two phases:
  • Entry Phase: 120 seconds (green indicator)
  • Race in Progress: 30 seconds (race animation)
You can only submit entries during the entry phase.
4

Choose Your Track

Each race uses one of four track types, selected randomly:
TrackProfileRisk Level
Doubloon DownsStrong favoritesLow risk
Stampede CanyonBalanced competitionMedium risk
Synthwave StripChaos - anyone winsHigh risk
Crown MeadowsDark horsesMedium-high risk
The current track is displayed at the top of the entry interface.
5

Analyze Horse Probabilities

Each horse shows its winning probability for the current race.
Horse #1: 24% (strong favorite)
Horse #2: 18%
Horse #3: 13%
...
Horse #9: 5% (longshot)
Higher probability doesn’t always mean better value! In pari-mutuel pools, if many people back a favorite, the payout per winning entry decreases.
6

Submit Your Entry

Select a horse and set your entry amount:
  1. Click on a horse to select it
  2. Type the amount of SOL you want to commit
  3. Review the estimated payout range
  4. Click “Enter Race” and approve the transaction in your wallet
You can back multiple horses in the same race! Simply submit separate entries on different horses.
7

Watch the Race

Once the entry phase ends:
  1. The protocol requests randomness from Switchboard VRF
  2. The race animation begins (30 seconds)
  3. Winners are determined and displayed
  4. Winners can claim their payouts
8

Collect Your Winnings

If your horse finishes in the top 3 positions, you can claim:
  • 1st place: Share of 60% prize pool
  • 2nd place: Share of 20% prize pool
  • 3rd place: Share of 10% prize pool
Plus you earn HORSE tokens proportional to your entry volume!
9

Check for Jackpots

After each race, check if you won a jackpot:
  • Blazing Hoof (normal): 1/125 chance — triggers ~4-5 times daily
  • King’s Run (super): 1/12500 chance — triggers ~every 21.7 days
Jackpot winnings are distributed only to players who backed the winning horse (1st place).

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Your First Entry Strategy

Start with Doubloon Downs or Stampede Canyon tracks, back horses with higher probabilities (top 3-4 horses), and enter small amounts to learn the system.
Example first entry:
  • Track: Doubloon Downs or Stampede Canyon
  • Horse: Top 3 probability
  • Amount: 0.5-1 SOL
  • Expected outcome: Lower risk, moderate returns

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Balanced Approach

Spread your entries across multiple horses to increase your chances of winning something while maintaining potential for higher returns.
Example strategy:
  • Enter 0.3 SOL on a favorite (high probability)
  • Enter 0.2 SOL on a mid-tier horse
  • Enter 0.1 SOL on an underdog
This gives you multiple chances to win while managing risk.

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Aggressive Approach (Advanced)

Higher risk, higher reward. Only recommended after understanding the pari-mutuel system and entry patterns.
Strategy:
  • Focus on Synthwave Strip track (chaos)
  • Back underdogs with lower probabilities
  • Analyze pool distribution to find value entries
Why this works:
  • If most entries go to favorites, underdogs offer far larger payouts
  • Pari-mutuel payout ratios adjust based on entry volume
  • Smart players can exploit imbalanced pools

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Understanding Payouts

Your actual payout depends on:
  1. Your entry amount: How much SOL you committed
  2. Total pool for your horse: How much everyone entered on that horse
  3. Your horse’s finishing position: 1st, 2nd, or 3rd
  4. Prize pool allocation: 60% / 20% / 10% for positions

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Payout Formula

Your payout = (Your entry / Total entries on horse) * Prize pool for position

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Example

Race Setup:
  • Total entry volume: 10,000 SOL
  • 1st place prize pool: 60% of total = 6,000 SOL
Your Entry:
  • You enter 100 SOL on Horse #3
  • Total entries on Horse #3: 800 SOL
  • Horse #3 wins!
Your Payout: 
(100 / 800) * 6,000 = 750 SOL
Net gain = 750 - 100 = 650 SOL

Learn More About Payouts

Detailed payout calculations and examples

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HORSE Tokens

Every race, you earn HORSE tokens based on your entry volume. Emission is volume-linked and capped per race: 
Race emission E = min(c * total volume, cap)   // bootstrap: c = 0.5, cap = 25
Your HORSE tokens = E * (Your total entry / Total race volume)

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Example (bootstrap, c = 0.5)

If you enter 10 SOL in a race with 20 SOL total volume: 
E = 0.5 × 20 = 10 HORSE
HORSE earned = 10 × (10 / 20) = 5 HORSE
Below the cap, this is simply c × your entry — during bootstrap, 0.5 HORSE per SOL committed.

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Why HORSE Tokens Matter

Staked HORSE multiplies your share of jackpot prizes! When you win a jackpot, your share scales with entry × (1 + λ × staked HORSE) — the entry is the ticket, the stake is the multiplier.
The more you play and stake, the larger your jackpot shares become.

Token Economy

Complete guide to HORSE token emission, burning, and utility

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Tips for Success

The payout depends on pool distribution, not just horse probabilities. A horse with 10% probability but only 2% of total entries can offer better value than a 20% probability horse with 30% of entries.Pro tip: Check the “Pool Distribution” view to see where other players are entering.
On Doubloon Downs track, the favorite (24% probability) often attracts 40-50% of total entries, making the payout ratio unfavorable. Sometimes backing the 2nd or 3rd favorite offers better expected value.
With high entropy and no clear favorite, Synthwave Strip track rewards skilled players who can identify value based on pool distribution rather than raw probabilities.
Consistent play builds your token balance; staking it increases your jackpot share when you eventually win. Long-term players have a significant advantage in jackpot distribution.
Choose an entry size you’re comfortable with. Committing 1-5% of your balance per race sustains long-term play across many races.
If you prefer favorites, wait for Doubloon Downs. If you like chaos and value entries, wait for Synthwave Strip. You don’t have to enter every race!

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Common Questions

Yes! You can submit separate entries on as many horses as you want in the same race. This is a valid strategy to increase your chances of winning.
You receive payouts from all three prize pools! Your total winnings would be the sum of your 1st place payout + 2nd place payout + 3rd place payout.
Every race uses Switchboard VRF for verifiable randomness. The random seed, its cryptographic proof, and all resulting calculations are stored on-chain and can be independently verified.
Winnings are available to claim immediately after the race resolves. You need to claim them through the interface - they are not automatically transferred.
This is extremely unlikely but theoretically possible. In such cases, the prize for that position is routed to the HORSE buyback — the protocol never keeps undistributed player funds; the value accrues back to token holders.

More Questions?

Check out the complete FAQ

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Next Steps

Understand Track Types

Learn the strategic differences between Doubloon Downs, Stampede Canyon, Synthwave Strip, and Crown Meadows tracks

Master Pari-Mutuel Pools

Deep dive into pool dynamics and optimal entry strategies

Jackpot System

Understand how jackpots accumulate and distribute

Token Economics

Learn how HORSE tokens work and why they matter

Ready to play?

Launch the app and submit your first entry now!