Lucky 15 Calculator

How to Use the Lucky 15 Calculator

1. Set your unit stake.This is the stake on each of the 15 bets. Your total outlay is unit stake × 15: £15 at £1, £30 at £2, £7.50 at 50p. Use the quick buttons for common stakes.
2. Choose win or each way.Each way doubles the bets to 30 and adds a place line. Pick the place terms from your bookmaker’s race card.
3. Leave the bonus box ticked, or untick it.Many UK bookmakers pay double odds if only one selection wins and a 10% bonus if all four win. Untick the box to see the return without bonuses.
4. Enter the odds for all four selections.Type fractional or decimal odds. The decimal price shows under each box so you can check it against your bet slip.
5. Set the results.Leave every result on Won to see the maximum return. Once the races are run, mark each selection Won, Placed (each way only), Void or Lost. The results panel updates as you go.

What Is a Lucky 15 Bet?

A Lucky 15 is a full cover bet that turns 4 selections into 15 separate bets: 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles and 1 four-fold accumulator. The number comes from every possible combination of the four selections: 4 taken one at a time, 6 two at a time, 4 three at a time and 1 all together, so 4 + 6 + 4 + 1 = 15.

The big difference between a Lucky 15 and a straight four-fold is the singles. With a Lucky 15, one winning selection returns something from its single, so you only lose everything if all four selections lose. That safety net is why the Lucky 15 is one of the most popular full cover bets in UK horse racing, especially for punters picking across an afternoon of racing.

Lucky 15 Bet Structure

Knowing the 15 bets helps you see how the returns build with each extra winner:

• 4 singles: one bet on each selection at full odds. If selection 1 wins at 4/1 on a £1 unit stake, its single returns £5.
• 6 doubles: every pair from the four selections: 1+2, 1+3, 1+4, 2+3, 2+4 and 3+4. Both selections must win. The return is the two decimal prices multiplied together, times the unit stake.
• 4 trebles: every group of three: 1+2+3, 1+2+4, 1+3+4 and 2+3+4. All three must win.
• 1 four-fold: all four selections together. All four must win. This is the biggest-paying bet and the hardest to land.

Lucky 15 Bonuses Explained

Many UK bookmakers add bonuses to Lucky 15 bets, usually on horse racing. The calculator includes the most common terms.

Sole winner consolation

If exactly one of your four selections wins and the other three lose, many bookmakers pay that single at double the odds. So a sole winner at 3/1 is paid as if it were 6/1: £7 back on a £1 unit stake instead of £4. Some bookmakers pay a percentage uplift instead of double odds, so check the terms where you bet.

All-winners bonus

If all four selections win, many bookmakers add a 10% bonus to the total return from all 15 bets. If your 15 bets return £500, you get another £50. Some bookmakers raise the bonus on big race days, so check the promotion before you place the bet.

Worked Example: Lucky 15 With 3 Winners

You place a £1 Lucky 15 (£15 in total) on four horses. The results:

• Selection 1: 3/1, won
• Selection 2: 5/1, won
• Selection 3: 4/1, lost
• Selection 4: 2/1, won

With winners 1, 2 and 4, the winning bets are:

• 3 winning singles: (4.00 × £1) + (6.00 × £1) + (3.00 × £1) = £13
• 3 winning doubles: 1+2 (4 × 6 = £24) + 1+4 (4 × 3 = £12) + 2+4 (6 × 3 = £18) = £54
• 1 winning treble: 1+2+4 (4 × 6 × 3 = £72)

The total return is £13 + £54 + £72 = £139, a profit of £124 on your £15. No bonus applies because not all four won. Enter these prices in the calculator above to check the figures.

Lucky 15 vs Alternatives

Lucky 15 vs four-fold accumulator

A four-fold on the same four selections costs £1 (one bet) against £15 for a £1 Lucky 15. If all four win, the four-fold makes more profit for its stake, because the whole £1 rolls through all four legs. But if one, two or three win, the four-fold loses while the Lucky 15 still pays from its singles, doubles and trebles. The other 14 bets are, in effect, cover against losing legs.

Lucky 15 vs Yankee

A Yankee covers the same four selections in 11 bets with no singles: 6 doubles, 4 trebles and a four-fold. At £1 a bet it costs £11 against £15. The trade-off is that a Yankee needs two winners to return anything, while a Lucky 15 pays from a single winner. If one winner from four is realistic but two is a stretch, the Lucky 15 is the safer choice.

Lucky 15 vs Lucky 31

The Lucky 31 stretches the format to 5 selections and 31 bets, and the usual all-winners bonus rises to 20%. At £1 a bet it costs £31. If you have a fifth selection you like, it is the natural step up, but the extra cost means the Lucky 15 is still the everyday choice for most racing punters.

Lucky 15 Tips

• Check the bonus terms before you bet. Bookmakers do not all use the same Lucky 15 bonuses. Some pay double odds on a sole winner, others a percentage uplift, and terms are sometimes boosted on big days such as the Cheltenham Festival.
• Mix the prices. Four short-priced favourites give modest returns even if all four win, because the multiples do not grow much. A mix of shorter prices (evens to 3/1) and one or two bigger prices (6/1 to 12/1) gives the doubles and trebles a chance to pay well.
• Think about each way. An each way Lucky 15 is 30 bets and double the stake, but it pays something when selections place without winning. It suits runners at 6/1 or bigger in big fields. Our each way calculator shows the place odds on a single runner.
• Take the best price on every leg. The four-fold multiplies all four prices, so a small improvement on any one selection makes a big difference to the top-end return. Our odds converter helps you compare prices.
• Run the scenarios first. Before you place the bet, try different results in the calculator. What comes back if only selections 1 and 3 win? What if your shortest price is the only winner? It shows you the range of outcomes before you commit.