Last Updated on 3 years ago by Andrew
There are many many types of bet to suit all tastes. So many in fact that it can all look very confusing to the beginner. This section will show the novice how to work out their potential winnings for various bets and odds.
WIN
Choose one horse to win a race. If the horse wins the race, you win. The amount you win depends on the odds.
PLACE BET
You bet on a horse that you think will be well placed – the exact position that you require depends on the number of horses that run in the race. The odds that you will receive will usually be one-third or a quarter of the odds offered for picking a winner.
| Number of Runners | ‘placed’ position |
| Between 5 and 7 | First or second |
| 8 or more | First, second or third |
| 16 or more – handicapped race | First, second, third or fourth |
EACH WAY
An each way bet is actually 2 separate bets. Half the stake is a win bet and half the stake is a place bet. The place part of the bet wins if the horse is ‘placed.
FORECASTS
A forecast consists of predicting the 1st and 2nd horses in a race (a straight forecast) or even the 1st, 2nd and 3rd horses in a race (a tricast).
MULTIPLE BETS
A multiple bet consists of predicting the result of more than one race. For example, a ‘double’ is a bet on the result of 2 races while a ‘treble’ is a bet on the result of 3 races. You only win if you predict all of the races correctly. There are many types of combination multiple bets – these require you to make selections in many races with lots of bets as doubles, trebles etc involving combinations of the selections.
An accumulator is a multiple kind of ‘let-it-ride’ bet. Make simultaneous selections on two or more races with the intent of passing the winnings of the first win on the bet of the following race selected, and so on. All the selections made must win for you to win the accumulator.
Returns on multiples is workd out by the first horse odds + stake, multiplied by the odds of the second winner.
For example, £5 WIN DOUBLE
WON 2/1 WON 3/1
1st WIN – £5 X 2/1 = £10 + £5 stake = £15
2nd WIN – £15 X 3/1 = £45 + £15 stake = £60 total return.
You continue with this format for all other multiples.
The following table describes various muktiple bet combinations.
| Patent | 3 horses covered in 7 bets3 Singles
3 Doubles 1 Accumulator 1 Winner will produce a return. |
| Round Robin | 3 Horses covered in 10 bets3 Doubles
1 Treble 6 Up and Down bets 1 Winner at 5/1 will return your stake |
| Yankee | 4 horses covered in 11 bets (22 EW)6 Doubles,
4 Trebles 1 Four timer (accumulator) Requires at least two winners (placed for ew bets) for a return. |
| Lucky 15 | This is similar to a Yankee but with the addition of 4 singles making a total of 15 bets (30 EW)4 Singles
6 Doubles 4 Trebles 1 Four timer (accumulator) A single winner will produce a return. |
| Flag | This is similar to a Round Robin, but the extra horse brings the total number of bets to 236 Doubles
4 Trebles 1 Accumulator 12 Up and Down Bets A single winner will produce a return. |
| Super Yankee | A 5 horse version of the Yankee, using 26 bets.10 Doubles
10 Trebles 5 Four Timers 1 Accumulator As no singles are covered, two horses must win for a return. |
| Lucky 31 | As a Super Yankee but with 5 singles added to make 31 bets.5 Singles
10 Doubles 10 Trebles 5 Four Timers 1 Accumulator A single winner will produce a return. |
| Relay`s 5 | A slimmed down version of the Each Way Super Yankee. The Doubles and Trebles are covered as win only to reduce the total bets from 52 to 32.10 Win Doubles
10 Win Trebles 5 Each Way Four Timers 1 Each Way Accumulators Two winners or 4 placed will produce a return. |
| Heinz | 57 bets covering doubles and upwards.15 Doubles
20 Trebles 15 Four Timers 6 Five Timers 1 Accumulator Two winners will roduce a return. |
| Lucky 63 | A Heinz plus 6 singles, making 63 bets in total.6 Singles
15 Doubles 20 Trebles 15 Four Timers 6 Five Timers 1 Accumulator |
| Relay`s 6 | As a Heinz, but with reduced Each Way cover and amended stakes15 x 10p Win Doubles
20 x 10p Win Trebles 15 x 2p EW 4 Timers 6 x 2p EW 5 Timers 1 x 10p EW Accumulator Total stake is £4.54 |
| Alphabet | 6 Horses covered as 2 Patents, a Yankee and an accumulator, totalling 26 bets 6 Horses,A,B,C,D,E + F
2 Patents ABC and DEF 1 Yankee BCDE 1 Accumulator ABCDEF |
TOTE
The TOTE uses pool betting where the bet stakes are pooled and the win payout is shared between the winning punters.
With the TOTE you do not know the odds, you get a share of the pool if the bet wins. Around 90% of all bets paid out by the bookmakers are on WIN singles.
Other types of TOTE bet include:
TOTE JACKPOT – Select the winners of the first six racing at the meeting nominated by the TOTE during the week.
TOTE PLACEPOT – Select a placed horse (as defined by the TOTE terms), in each of the six races at any nominated meeting.
TOTE QUADPOT – Select a placed horse (as defined by the TOTE terms), in each of the last four races, that would be in the PLACEPOT. Handy if your early selections are unplaced.
TOTE SCOOP 6 – Select the winners or placed horses in the six nominated races, as defined by the TOTE. Saturday & big meetings only. Worth an interest, especially when there is a roll-over, as there are 2 possible wins. All 6 winners, a place in each race, and a chance in the bonus race the following week, if you do get all 6 winners.
BETTING TAX
In the UK a betting tax is a tax payable on bets. Bets placed on the race course are exempt from this tax, but bets placed off course e.g. in a typical high street bookmakers, are generally subject to a tax of 9%.
You may choose to pay your tax either on your stake or on your winnings.
WHERE TO BET
At the Racecourse – There are usually lots of bookmakers competing for business offering a range of prices. By looking around, it is often possible to get a better price than is ever offered off course. It is also possible to place bets on races at other racecourses.
At a betting shop – Most betting shops are run by one of a handful of companies (Ladbrokes, William Hill etc.). They often have live television coverage of UK horse races.
On the internet with bookmakers – There are many internet bookmakers to choose from. Some are based in the UK, some overseas. Competition between internet bookmakers is fierce and there are plenty of ‘special offers’ to be had.
On the internet against other people – some sites allow punters to bet against each other. You back a horse at a price set by another punter or you can put up prices yourself. The site takes a small percentage from all winning bets.
Using the telephone – There are many companies offering telephone accounts. These can be either deposit accounts (where you must deposit the money before you bet) and credit accounts (where you settle up every 2 weeks).