Each Way Betting on Horse Racing Explained

Each way bets are essentially TWO bets of equal size. One part bets on the winning horse and the other part bets on where the horse will finish in the race. In some races, you can bet on the horse to finish 1st or 2nd.

You will be able to better understand the concept of each-way betting if you think about it as two separate wagers.

As an Example

The total bet cost is PS20 if you place a PS20 (each-way) bet. You will be placing two PS10 wagers, one on the horse's win and the other on its finish. It is easy to comprehend the win portion of a bet. You simply bet PS10 on your horse to win. The place bet can be a bit complicated to explain and it depends on what type of race is being bett. This article explains the rules of bookmakers for each-way bets.

• 2-4 Runners - No place betting allowed
• First and second place pay 1/4 odds
• First, second and third place pay out 1/5 odds
• Handicap 12 – 15 Runner Races – 1st place, 2nd place and 3rd prize pays 1/4 odds
• 16+ Runners Handicap Races: 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd position, and 4th spot pay 1/4 odds

The Bookmakers do not offer each-way betting on races that have up to four runners.

Also, handicap races will be treated differently. Theoretically, all horses carry different weights. It is the job of an official handicapper to compile the 'weighting' process and to make sure that all horses finish in a straight-line. Forecasting where a horse will place is a harder task. The handicapper can make mistakes with one or even two horses, but not the entire field. For handicap betting, bookmakers will offer better place terms. One quarter the odds, instead of one-fifth, and for fields with more than 16 runners, they offer an extra position (first, second, third, and fourth).

The Example of a One-Way Betting

The odds are 10-1 for the race at 2.30 in Newmarket. (The race is a non-handicap race with 8 runners, and the EW odds represent 1/5 the odds of 1st place, 2nd place, or 3rd).

The bookmaker will deduct the PS20 from your account. (Remember, PS10 EW = TWO PS10 Bets). the first bet you place is at 10-1 odds. the second at 2-1 odds. (2-1 is 1/5 of 10.1) and finally the third bet for Loopylu finishing placed. The first bet is a PS10 win bet at odds of 10-1 and the second one is a PS10 bet at odds of 2-1 (2-1 being 1/5th of 10-1), while the second wager is for Loopylu to finish placed.

There are three possible outcomes to this wager:

1. Loopylu doesn't win or place

Loopylu does not finish in any of the top three places (i.e. If you finish 4th or lower, then your PS10 bet on the win and PS10 bet on place will be lost. In this instance your total loss would be PS20.

2. The Loopylu Doesn't win but Places

Loopylu is either 2nd or third but does not win. The difference between 3rd and 2nd is that they both count the same. Both are "a place". If this result occurs, and you remember that your PS10 EW wager is actually two bets in one (PS10 Win and PS10 Place), your PS10 EW win bet has lost. Your PS10 EW win stake will remain with the bookmaker. Your PS10 Place bet won, and you received a return of 2-1 (1/5 being 1/5 the odds). This is PS30. That's PS20 in profit plus your original PS10 stake. The overall profit is PS10, since you staked PS20 and got back PS30.

3. Loopylu wins the Race

Both of your bets will win if Loopylu is the winner. A victory counts for a position (1st or 2nd)

If this result occurs, the winning part of your wager returns PS110. Profit of PS100 at 10-1 plus your original PS10 stake ufabet.

As already mentioned in Number 2, the winning bet is also your place bet. This bet will return PS30 to you (a PS20 profit plus your original PS10 place stake).

In this case, the return is PS140. Profit of PS120 and original stake of PS20.

Bookmakers sometimes offer improved place terms for races that have more than 16 participants. A good example of this is the Grand National, which has usually over 30 competitors. In this case, many bookmakers offer 1/4 the odds to a horse placing 1st or 2nd in the race, as well as 3rd and 4th, 5th, 6th, and even 7th.

After explaining the Each Way Single Bet concept, I want to emphasize that this is just one way to bet.