A double calculator does one sum: it multiplies two prices together. £10 on 6/4 and 2/1 as a double returns £75, because the winnings from the first leg all roll onto the second. The double bet calculator above starts there. Change the odds, mark the results, and it’s free to play with as long as you like.
Compare that with two separate £5 singles on the same picks. If both win, you get back £27.50. The double pays nearly three times as much because it only pays when both come in.
How the double bet calculator works it out
Return = stake × odds of leg 1 × odds of leg 2 (decimal odds) £10 × 2.5 × 3.0 = £75
The combined odds show under the results, as a decimal and a fraction. Here it’s 7.5, or 13/2. If either leg loses, the whole double loses. There’s no partial payout.
When one leg is void
If a horse is a non-runner or a match is called off, that leg counts as 1.0. Your double becomes a single on the other selection. With the 2/1 leg void and the 6/4 winning, £10 returns £25. Mark the leg as void in the calculator and it does this for you.
Each way doubles
An each way double is two doubles: one on both selections winning, one on both placing. The place double uses the place odds for each leg, so it pays if both win, or both place, or one of each. £5 each way on a 5/1 winner and a 4/1 that only places, at 1/5 odds, gets back £18 from £10. The win double loses, the place double comes in at 2.0 × 1.8.
That place part is what makes each way doubles popular for racing. It’s far more forgiving than a straight win double.
Is a double worth it?
Only if you’d back both legs anyway. Doubling up two prices doesn’t add any value on its own. It just bundles two bets into one riskier one with a bigger payout. And the bookie’s margin on each leg multiplies too, so a double usually carries a slightly bigger edge for them than two singles do.
For three legs, the treble bet calculator takes over. To see a single, double and treble on the same picks, use the single double treble calculator.
A double is two chances to be wrong. Keep the stakes sensible. BeGambleAware.org is free and confidential if it stops being fun.