Backyard Bookie

Keep in mind that it's not a Kentucky Derby party, this Saturday, until the hats and bets reach outrageous proportions. Fielding elaborate bets and calculating every payout, however, can get hazy after your fifth mint julep. So let downloadable ticket window Backyard Bookie handle the dirty work.

Backyard Bookie tracks every type of bet from win to trifecta to Pick 6. Install the software on your PC, connect to the Web and the program will run real-time odds for all three Triple Crown races right up to post time, calculating precise payouts for each winner. (So you don't have to invite that dweeb from accounting, after all.)

To deal with the hard-luck losers, Backyard Bookie helps you print betting tickets with the names of your friends, monitors who owes what and maintain's an electronic file with their contact info. (The creators are still beta testing "e-goon," an electronic enforcer that roughs-up delinquents' hard drives.) Best of all, Backyard Bookie lets you set a "house cut" -- fair retribution if one of your guests mistakes your Stetson for a salsa bowl.

Backyard Bookie website; Basic version costs $15; Windows only