Each Way Calculator

How to Use the Each Way Calculator

The calculator follows the same decisions you make before placing a racing, golf or outright bet.

1. Choose the bet type.Each way (the default) covers both the win and place parts. Win only and Place only work out just one part. The total stake updates to match.
2. Enter your stake per part.This is the amount on each half of the bet. A £5 each way bet costs £10 in total (£5 win + £5 place), and the calculator shows the total under the box.
3. Enter the odds.Type fractional odds (10/1, 7/2, 5/4) or decimal odds (11.00, 4.50, 2.25). Check the price on your bet slip first so you work out the right figure.
4. Set the place terms.Pick the place fraction (1/4, 1/5, 1/3 or 1/2) and the places paid. You will find both on the race card or event page, for example “E/W 1/5 1-2-3”. The calculator shows the resulting place odds straight away.
5. Add a Rule 4 if there was one.If a runner was withdrawn late and a deduction applies, pick it from the Rule 4 list. It comes off both parts of the bet.
6. Read every result at once.The panel shows what you get back if your selection wins, places or finishes unplaced, with the profit or loss for each.

What Is an Each Way Bet?

An each way bet is two bets in one: a win bet and a place bet, each at the same stake on the same selection. Your total outlay is always double the stake per part. If your selection wins, both parts pay: full odds on the win part and place odds (a fraction of the win odds) on the place part. If your selection places, finishing in the paid positions without winning, only the place part pays. If it finishes outside the places, both parts lose.

Each way betting started in horse racing and is still most popular there. It is also widely used in golf, especially the majors and DP World Tour events, in greyhound racing, and on outright markets for football, rugby and darts competitions, where big fields make the place part worth having.

How Each Way Returns Are Calculated

There are two separate calculations:

• Win part: stake × decimal odds. This only pays if your selection wins. A £5 stake at 10/1 (11.00 decimal) returns £5 × 11.00 = £55.00.
• Place part: stake × place decimal odds, where place decimal odds = 1 + (win odds − 1) × place fraction. At 10/1 with 1/5 terms, the place odds are 1 + (10 × 0.20) = 3.00 (2/1). The place return is £5 × 3.00 = £15.00.

If your selection wins, the total return is £55 + £15 = £70, a profit of £60 on your £10 stake. If it places, the return is £15, which is £5 profit, because the place return is bigger than the £10 total stake at these odds. If it is unplaced, you lose £10.

Each Way Place Terms Explained

Place terms set how many places the bookmaker pays and at what fraction of the win odds. They are not fixed: they depend on the race type, the number of runners and the bookmaker. The table above shows the standard terms in UK horse racing. Always check the terms on the race card before you place an each way bet.

What does 1/4 odds mean?

At 1/4 odds, the place part is paid at a quarter of the win odds. A 12/1 shot pays 3/1 a place (12 ÷ 4 = 3), so a £10 place bet returns £40, a £30 profit. 1/4 terms apply to races with 5 to 7 runners and to handicaps with 12 or more runners.

What does 1/5 odds mean?

At 1/5 odds, the place part is paid at a fifth of the win odds, so a 10/1 shot pays 2/1 a place. These are the standard terms for non-handicaps with 8 or more runners and handicaps with 8 to 11 runners. They make each way betting on short-priced selections poor value, because the place odds get very small. On a 5/2 favourite at 1/5, the place odds are just 1/2, so each £1 of place stake makes 50p.

Extra place promotions

Many UK bookmakers pay extra places as a promotion, especially at the big festivals. On a race that normally pays 1/4 odds for 4 places, a bookmaker might pay 5 or 6 places at the same fraction. The extra place costs you nothing and can turn a losing bet into a return. Our bookmaker reviews note which operators run extra place offers regularly.

Worked Examples

Example 1: £10 each way on a 14/1 shot at Cheltenham (1/4 odds, 4 places)

Total stake £20 (£10 win + £10 place). Win odds 14/1 (15.00 decimal). Place fraction 1/4, so the place odds are 1 + (14 × 0.25) = 4.50 (7/2).

• If the horse wins: win return £10 × 15.00 = £150, place return £10 × 4.50 = £45. Total £195, profit £175.
• If the horse places (2nd, 3rd or 4th): win return £0, place return £45. Total £45, profit £25.
• If the horse finishes 5th or worse: you lose £20.

Example 2: £5 each way on a golfer at 25/1 (1/5 odds, 5 places)

Total stake £10 (£5 win + £5 place). Win odds 25/1 (26.00 decimal). Place fraction 1/5, so the place odds are 1 + (25 × 0.20) = 6.00 (5/1).

• If the player wins: win return £5 × 26.00 = £130, place return £5 × 6.00 = £30. Total £160, profit £150.
• If the player finishes 2nd to 5th: place return £30, profit £20.
• If the player misses the cut or finishes 6th or worse: you lose £10.

Ties for the last paid place in golf are settled by dead heat rules, which reduce the place return. Check your bookmaker’s terms.

When Is Each Way Betting Worth It?

Each way betting works best when all three of these are true:

• The price is big enough. On short-priced favourites the place odds end up tiny. A 4/9 favourite at 1/5 terms pays 4/45 a place, under 9p per £1. Each way bets make more sense at 5/1 and bigger, and most sense somewhere around 8/1 to 25/1.
• Placing is realistic. On numbers alone, a runner in a five-runner race paying 2 places has a 40% chance of placing, and a runner in a 20-runner handicap paying 4 places has 20%. Form matters far more than these averages, but the place part needs a fair chance to pay its way.
• The terms are good. 1/4 terms beat 1/5 for the same race, and extra places add value at no cost, especially on longer prices.

As a rough rule, each way betting on selections at 8/1 or bigger, in races of 8 or more runners paying 3 or more places, is where the bet type earns its keep, provided the selection’s form justifies the price.

Each Way Accumulators

An each way accumulator combines several each way selections in one bet. Bookmakers settle it as two accumulators: the win line needs every selection to win, and the place line needs every selection to at least place, using each leg’s place odds multiplied together. Several longer-priced selections all placing in big fields can still produce a good return on the place line.

Our accumulator calculator handles each way accas directly: switch it to Each way, set the place terms, and mark any selection that placed but did not win.

Rule 4 Deductions and Each Way Bets

If a runner is withdrawn after you place your bet and the market is reformed, a Rule 4 deduction applies to your winnings. The size of the deduction depends on the withdrawn runner’s price at the time: the shorter its price, the bigger the deduction, because the remaining runners have a better chance without it.

Rule 4 applies to both the win and the place parts of an each way bet. Pick the deduction in the calculator above to see your revised returns, or use our Rule 4 deduction calculator to work out the deduction from the withdrawn runner’s price.