- Maths reviewed by Josh Miller
- Tested by Diana Westfield
An each way dutching calculator for when you like three horses and can’t split them. Say 5/1, 6/1 and 8/1, at 1/5 the odds for three places, and £60 to spend. Dutch the win parts and stakes come out at £11.89, £10.19 and £7.92 each way. Whichever of them wins, the win part returns £71.32. Add that horse’s own place return and you’re up about £33 to £35. The free CasinoCalcs calculator works it out for up to ten runners and any place terms.
Each way dutching, step by step
Normal dutching sets each stake in proportion to 1 ÷ odds, so every winner pays the same. Each way dutching does that for the win half, then puts the same stake on each horse to place. That’s how an each way bet works anyway: two equal stakes.
So the win side is level, and the place side isn’t. A 5/1 shot placing at 1/5 returns 2.0 times its place stake. An 8/1 shot returns 2.6 times. But the 8/1 has the smallest stake, so its place return ends up the lowest. That’s the trade-off you’re making.
What you get back in each case
With the three horses above and £60 out:
| What happens | Return | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 5/1 wins, the others unplaced | £95.09 | +£35.09 |
| 8/1 wins, the others unplaced | £91.92 | +£31.92 |
| 8/1 wins, the other two place | £138.11 | +£78.11 |
| None wins, only the 5/1 places | £23.77 | −£36.23 |
| None wins, two of them place | £43.02 to £46.19 | about −£14 to −£17 |
| None placed | £0 | −£60 |
The pattern holds for most races. A winner pays nicely, placings soften the blow, and a race where all your picks finish down the field costs the lot.
When it makes sense
Big fields with generous place terms. In a 16-runner handicap paying four places, or five with an extra-place offer, you have more ways to collect. Watch out for short prices: put an odds-on favourite into the dutch and it soaks up most of the stake while its place part pays almost nothing.
For a single horse, the each way calculator is simpler. To win-only dutch, use the dutching calculator, and if a bookmaker is paying extra places, the extra place calculator shows what that’s worth.
Backing more horses doesn’t make a race less of a gamble. BeGambleAware.org is free and confidential if you need to talk.