Each-Way Bets Explained

18+ only.

Each-way betting is common in horse racing, golf and other events with many runners. It sounds like one bet but is actually two — which surprises plenty of people when they see the stake double.

Two bets in one

An each-way bet is split equally into a win bet and a place bet. A £5 each-way bet costs £10 in total: £5 on the selection to win and £5 on it to finish in the places.

Place terms

The bookmaker sets the place terms: how many finishing positions count as a place, and what fraction of the win odds the place part pays — for example a quarter or a fifth of the odds. These terms vary by event, number of runners and bookmaker, so check them before betting.

How returns work

• Selection wins: both parts pay — the win part at full odds, the place part at the reduced fraction.
• Selection places but doesn’t win: the win part loses; the place part pays at the reduced odds.
• Selection finishes outside the places: both parts lose.

If odds formats are new to you, start with decimal, fractional and American odds.

Each-way in accumulators

Each-way bets can be combined into multiples, which creates separate win and place accumulators — see what an accumulator bet is for how the odds stack up.

Worth knowing

A place payout at short odds can return less than the total stake, so a “successful” each-way bet may still lose money overall. As always, decide your limits before you place anything.