A reverse forecast calculator settles the most popular forecast bet in racing: two horses to finish first and second, in either order. It’s two bets, A then B and B then A, so a £5 reverse forecast costs £10. If the computer straight forecast (CSF) dividend is £23.45, your winning £5 line returns £117.25.
The free calculator above is set up as a reverse forecast. Enter the declared dividend after the race and it works out the return.
Reverse forecast calculator: how it’s settled
Only one of your two lines can win, because the horses can’t both finish first. So the return is your stake per line times the dividend, and the other line is lost:
Cost = stake per line × 2 Return = stake per line × CSF dividend
Dividends are declared to a £1 stake and already include it. If the CSF is £8.20 and you had £5 a line, you get £41 back on a £10 outlay. Short-priced horses filling the first two can pay less than you staked, which surprises people the first time.
Reverse forecast or straight forecast?
A straight forecast needs the exact order: one bet, half the cost. A reverse covers both orders for double the money. If you genuinely can’t split the two, the reverse is the honest bet. If you think one will beat the other, the straight forecast doubles your return on the same outlay. Three horses in a combination forecast is 6 bets, four horses is 12; set the number of horses in the calculator to see any size.
The CSF
The computer straight forecast is calculated from the starting prices of the first two home and the size of the field. It isn’t a pool, so you know your bet is settled on a formula, not on how many others backed the same pair. Tote exactas work differently and can pay more or less. For tricasts and bigger combinations, use the tricast and forecast calculator.
Forecasts are fun because they’re hard to land. Keep the stake small. BeGambleAware.org is free and confidential if it stops being fun.