What does each-way betting mean?
An each-way bet will see you placing a bet in two parts. The bets will be of equal cost, with the first part being a bet on your selection to win and the second a placement bet for it to finish within a certain number of places.
The amount of places that are paid out will depend on your bookie of choice and the sport on which you are betting. In horse racing, for example, depending on the side of the field it is usually the first three places, with an extra place for big events such as the Grand National.
Check out the best betting sites in the UK with Betting.com.
How does an each-way bet work?
As mentioned above, an each-way bet comes in two parts. The parts are as follows:
Win bet
Wins if your selection wins the event which they are competing in.
Place bet
Wins if your selection finishes within the specified amount of places.
If your selection wins both parts of your wager, the win and place, pay out. If your selection does not win but places then only the place part of the each-way bet pays out.
It is important to remember that if you want to place a bet of £10 it is not just a straight £10 bet. You would have to place £5 on your selection to win and £5 on the placement outcome if you wanted to stake £10. The odds paid on the place part of the bet are usually a fraction (commonly 1⁄2, 1⁄3, 1⁄4 or 1⁄5) of the win odds. Depending on the numbers in the event, ¼ and ⅕ are more common.
What betting site bonuses can I use with each-way Betting?
Whenever you go to bet with a new bookmaker, or you decide to utilise a new type of betting market that you have not used before, we always recommend checking out the terms and conditions that they bring. In this case, you should have a thorough read of the available terms and conditions of the welcome offer or existing offer that you plan on using before pairing it with an each-way bet. The bookmaker will usually articulate any and all markets that their promotion is not available to be used with but, usually, each-way bets are included as an available betting market that you can use a promotion with.
How does an each way bet work on horse racing?
As mentioned above, each-way betting, when it comes to horse racing, is fairly simple to understand. For a horse racing each-way bet, you will create a bet that has two parts, one is a win bet and the other as a placement bet. The first bet will be on a horse to win the race in Doncaster for example, while the second bet will be for the same horse to place, usually in the top three, four or five places, depending on the size of the field.
If your horse wins, you will be paid out at the displayed odds, while if your horse places, you will receive a pay out at usually around a quarter or a fifth of the win odds, so make sure the winner odds are long enough that you will still be able to cover your bets if your horse places.
How does an each-way bet work on greyhound racing
Betting each-way on greyhound racing works the same as in horse racing.
How many places are paid on an each-way bet in horse racing?
This will be different between the bookmakers but it will clearly be displayed on the market.
Generally, in horse racing betting, there is a minimum number of each-way places based on how many runners there are.
| Number of Runners | Minimum each-way places offered |
| 1-4 | 0 |
| 5-7 | 2 |
| 8 or more | 3 |
| 16 or more (handicap races only) | 4 |
Extra places and boosted each-way terms
For specific races and big events such as the Grand National Cheltenham or Royal Ascot, betting sites will compete with each other through offering extra places. Check out what each bookie has to offer.
Day to day, betting sites often offer more than the standard number of each-way places or more generous each-way fractions on selected daily races as type of existing customer offer.
Check out our top lists of the best horse racing betting sites and investigate which bookies have the best offers.
How does an each way bet work on football
Whereas each-way betting is a common betting market for horse racing, for football, things are slightly different. Each-way betting in football will usually see you betting on the winner of a league, cup or competition where it is easier to quantify the places that a team will finish in. Due to the win-draw-lose nature of football, each-way betting is far less common in the day-to-day match sense.
Many will cite that the best use of each-way betting in a football sense comes into play in a competition that is tough to call, with the FA Cup a perfect example of this. The magic of the cup is something that commentators and fans of the game talk about a lot, and it is true of many knockout competitions that see a giant having to travel to a lower-league opponent, or where a ‘giant killing’ could be on the cards.
Despite each-way betting usually seeing bookmakers cutting the odds on a particular team roughly in half, if your chosen team reaches the final and constitutes a surprise package there, then you could be in for a very tasty return.
We would recommend that you should only consider an each-way bet if the odds on your pick are 4/1 or more, to ensure there is good profit in your each-way bet if your team places, with a standard pay out being a quarter (or sometimes even a fifth) of the initial odds.
If you fancy a side to do well in a league or cup but you aren’t totally sold they will win, then each-way betting could be for you.
Double Chance
For match betting there is the option to go double chance where you pick two outcomes from the three (1 X 2) and the odds are adjusted accordingly. This means that, for example, for Liverpool vs Arsenal you could bet Liverpool to win, or the game to be a draw (1 and X), Arsenal to win and the game to be a draw (X and 2), or with Liverpool or Arsenal to win (1 and 2). Unlike an each-way bet double chance is a single bet but with two possible outcomes.
Check out the best football betting sites for offers on each-way football bets.
How does an each way bet work on golf
Each-way betting in golf is far closer to that of horse racing. In golf, the first portion of your bet will see you back a winner, which is the main focal point of your bet. The second portion is the place bet. This will see you trying to back a golfer to place inside the number of places the bookmaker has outlined.
For example, if you were to bet £20 (£10 to win and £10 to place), and the terms of the bet are each way 1-5, then for the second portion of your bet to pay out, your golfer will need to finish inside the top five places.
The number of places bookies pay out for each-way bets varies, depending on what tournament you’re betting on and which online bookmaker you are betting with. Five usual, with six and seven places paid also being quite common. However, on certain occasions, especially in the Majors, the best betting sites will pay out from between eight and 12 places.
Sometimes lower place positions, such as seventh to tenth, will pay out 1/5 of the odds rather than 1/4 for the higher places.
Dead-heat rules do apply to each-way bets. At most sportsbooks, your bet will be cut if a player ties for the final spot on a finishing position bet.
Check out the best golf betting sites in the UK to see offers on extra places.
How does an each way bet work on tennis
In tennis, each-way betting will see you backing a certain player to win the tournament, with the second part of your bet seeing you back that same player to make it to the final. You will therefore get a pay out if your chosen player reaches the final, with this bigger if your player wins.
Check out the best offers for extra places by visiting the sites on our tennis top list.
How to calculate each-way bets?
Each-way betting can be a bit confusing to work out sometimes, especially if you are new to this facet of gambling. It can therefore be easier to explain how to calculate an each-way bet through an example:
You place your first bet on horse X to win a race.
Your second bet is for horse X to place in the race, with a placement bet in horse racing usually a win if they finish second, third or fourth (although some bookies may stretch this beyond fourth place).
This second bet will usually have odds of around a quarter or a fifth of the odds of the initial bet you placed, meaning that if your bet wins because your horse placed, the pay out will be far less than the amount the return from the winner bet would have provided.
Bear in mind that if your stake is £10 each-way, you will actually be betting £20, with each-way betting doubling your stake.
As an example, if you bet £10 on a horse at 10.0, including your stake, you will receive £100 back if your horse wins plus an extra £32.50 due to your placement bet (£10×3.25) for a total of £132.50, with it important to remember here that your full stake on an each-way bet is doubled (so it is worth £20 in this case).
If your horse places, your pay out will be £10×3.25, which will give you £32.50, which still constitutes a profit of £12.50.
The final option is that your horse does not win or place, and you therefore make a loss of £20.
You can find each way calculators on some betting sites.
How to work out if an each-way bet is good value
An each-way bet can be useful in a specific set of circumstances. There are two main points to think about when deciding whether to to bet each-way or go for a win only.
If your selection places will you at least break even?
You will need to take into account both the win odds and the place odds of your selection if you want to make an each-way bet. This is because you lose money overall on an each-way bet that places if the place odds are not evens (1/1) or greater.
There are many each-way calculators out there but a simple way is to take the each-way fraction and invert it. So with an each way fraction of ⅕ you will need odds of at least 4/1.
If you bet £5 each way on a horse with win odds of 5/1 (total £10), you will lose £5 on your win bet if the horse places. However, the each-way bet will pay at evens (1/1) so you will return £5 plus your £5 stake and you will break even.
Are there enough places?
This is particularly relevant to horse racing. If both a race with 8 runners and a race with 15 runners are only paying out for the first three places, it stands to reason that in a smaller field your horse has to beat less rivals to get a place than in a larger field.
How much can I potentially win on an each-way bet?
Much like any type of betting, each-way betting is only capped by the betting limits the bookmaker has set. This means that you can win a fair amount from each-way betting.
However, as stated before, make sure the odds are long enough to make it worthwhile.
Each-Way Betting on Live Events
Much like the available bonuses, this comes down to the discretion of the bookie themselves. Check in with the bookmaker that you want to use for each-way betting and read their terms and conditions on each-way betting as this will tell you whether or not they support each-way betting on in-play events.
However, unless you have done a lot of research and you are simply late to the party in making your bet, we would recommend getting your each-way bet in sooner rather than later.
The nature of betting means that odds will shift as the event closes in and, if you leave it too long, you could be left with far shorter odds than if you had wagered earlier, which is a problem with each-way betting as you need the win odds to be longer to ensure you get some return on the placement odds.
Each-way betting strategy examples
Each-way betting is about weighing up your options and working out whether this type of bet has any real value. This is vital as if you are going to bet each-way on a horse with very short odds, then the return on the placement bet will not likely be worth risking a doubled stake for.
Instead, each-way betting is best used when there is no clear favourite, with most of the horses having odds of 4/1 or longer, with this being the minimum odds you should bet each-way at.
If you are not totally confident about your proposed choice then an each-way bet may serve you well, especially if you are happy about their chances of placing. Of course, if this is the case then you could just back the horse in the ‘to place’ market too. Although it is worth noting that some bookmakers do not offer placement markets, meaning the only way you can make placement bets is through an each-way wager.
Importantly, if you feel good about the chances of your horse placing AND the winnings from the placement bet will cover any losses from the win bet, then an each-way bet is ideal.
We would recommend that you avoid each-way betting if the odds are shorter than 4/1, as this will provide you with little real value if your horse/team merely places.
Each-way betting: If you research carefully it can work for you
Each-way betting is a facet of gambling that will likely scare off a lot of inexperienced bettors. However, if you do your research and take the time to understand the process and benefits of gambling this way, it can have big benefits and keep your gambling experience fresh. Remember though, if you are going to use each-way betting, the odds must be long enough to allow the placement bet to bring some value and cover your bets should your horse/team fail to win.
Check out the best betting sites in the UK with Betting.com.
