On February 7, management at the Meadowlands Racetrack gave their wagering menu a big shakeup. While the early returns on the new 20-cent-base Pick-5 and additional 50-cent Pick-4 have been solid, the bet that’s provided the biggest jolt of energy has been the 20-cent Pick-6, which looks fresh off a considerable layoff.

“When you go back to the days when the Pick-6 was a staple at many tracks,” said Meadowlands Racetrack COO/GM Jason Settlemoir. “You have to remember that when the bet was flourishing, the multi-race options were the Daily Double and the Pick-3. What happened was, as those racetracks added Pick-4s and Pick-5s to their wagering menus, the Pick-6 got lost in the shuffle.”

The Pick-6 is now back and it’s experiencing a renaissance at the ‘Big M.’

When the Meadowlands last offered a Pick-6 in 2012, the opening-night pool of $3,302 created a one-day carryover of $1,975. The next night saw a pool of $2,610 and a two-day carryover of $3,534. Remarkably, one week later, the four-day carryover had only reached $8,435.

Three weeks ago, the first Pick-6 pool of this era was $17,985, or five times more than the initial 2012 pot. The next night, the pool expanded to $24,474 and one sharp player had the only winning ticket and walked away with $20,797. That’s quite a before ($5,912) and after ($42,549) when comparing the first two pools during the different eras.

On Saturday (Feb. 15), in only the fourth time the Pick-6 was offered, the bet failed to yield a ticket with all six winners, creating a carryover (the first in eight years) of $14,376 that served as the catalyst for a total pool of just over $91,000 after $76,682 in ‘new money’ was wagered the following Friday. Since the carryover money is ‘rake free,’ bettors were actually wagering into a rare ‘player’s advantage.’ Instead of a takeout, the bettor’s edge was three per cent.

“When the Meadowlands decided to bring back the Pick-6, it had to be a better version that would allow people to participate without waiting weeks for the carryover to build up,” said Settlemoir. “We wanted to go with the traditional no-jackpot format. The 2020 version would lower the minimum to 20 cents and lowered the takeout to 15 per cent. It didn’t take very long to realize that the new version of the Meadowlands’ Pick-6 was a hit.”

The popularity of the Pick-6 is continuing to build momentum. The most recent pool was its biggest yet, as $29,150 was pushed through the windows on February 22.

“So far, the revamped version of the Pick-6 has exceeded all expectations,” said Settlemoir. “And the new wagering menu has definitely brought new eyes to the Meadowlands product. The 20-cent Pick-5 ($75,544 on Feb. 22) and Late 50-cent Pick-4 ($75,592 on Feb. 21) also established season highs last weekend.”

Other wagering highlights from last weekend include:

• All-source total handles of $2.68 million on both Friday and Saturday
• Average handle per race for the 26-race weekend of $206,806
• An Early Pick-4 pool of $89,159 on Saturday

PICK-6 CLARIFICATION: Payouts for the Pick-6 are done in this fashion:

• When there are ticket(s) with six winners, all the money in the pool (minus the 15 per cent takeout) is returned to those winners
• When there are no tickets with six winners, 25 per cent of the pool is paid out to those with five winners (a ‘consolation’). Then, 75 per cent is carried over to the next time the wager is offered

WHHC QUALIFIER: On Saturday (March 7), the Big M will host its March World Harness Handicapping Championship Qualifier. The top two finishers will qualify for the WHHC Final. It’s only $200 to play ($100 to enter; $100 bankroll). For complete information, head to playmeadowlands.com.

REMINDER: The Meadowlands races every Friday and Saturday with a first-race post time of 6:55 p.m. The live ‘Racing from the Meadowlands’ simulcast show gets underway at 6:22 p.m. Joining Dave Brower this weekend on set will be Tioga and Vernon Downs’ TV personality Brett Risi.

The wagering menu includes the 20-cent Pick-5 (Race 1), which has a guaranteed pool of $25,000; 20-cent Pick-6 (Race 4); 50-cent Early Pick-4 (Race 6), which has a $50,000 guarantee; and 50-cent Late Pick-4 (Race 10). All four wagers offer a low 15 per cent takeout.

Free program pages for the Early Pick-4 and Late 20-cent Jackpot Super High-Five are available at ustrotting.com and playmeadowlands.com.

(With files from the Meadowlands Racetrack)