Each-Way Betting Explained
How an each-way bet works as two bets in one, the standard UK place terms, and a worked example at 10/1 showing what you get back if your horse wins, places or loses.
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About this video: Each-Way Betting Explained
Each-Way Betting Explained shows how an each-way bet can still pay out when your pick doesn’t win.
First, the video explains that each-way is two bets of the same stake: one to win and one to place. So £5 each-way costs £10 in total. The win part only pays if your selection wins. The place part, however, pays if it finishes in the paid places, at a fraction of the odds, usually a quarter or a fifth.
Next, it sets out the standard UK place terms. For example, five to seven runners pay two places at a quarter, while big handicaps with 16 or more runners pay four places at a quarter.
Then comes a worked example: £5 each-way at 10/1, with three places at a fifth. If the horse wins, you get £70 back. If it only places, you get £15 back, which is a £5 profit. Finally, the video reminds you that bookmakers can change the terms, and some offer extra places on big race days.
However, rules and offers change. For that reason, we check every video against the Gambling Commission and other official sources. In fact, we last checked this one on 13 October 2026.
Read the transcript
An each-way bet can pay out even if your pick doesn't win. Here's how it works.
Each-way is really two bets of the same stake: a win bet, and a place bet. So five pounds each-way costs ten pounds in total.
The win part pays only if your selection wins. The place part pays if it finishes in one of the paid places, including first, at a fraction of the odds: usually a quarter, or a fifth.
Place terms depend on the race and the number of runners. With five to seven runners, two places are paid at a quarter. Eight or more in a non-handicap, three places at a fifth. Handicaps with twelve to fifteen runners pay three places at a quarter, and sixteen or more, four places at a quarter.
Let's work one out. Five pounds each-way at ten to one, with three places at a fifth of the odds. A fifth of ten to one is two to one.
If the horse wins, the win part returns fifty-five pounds, and the place part fifteen: seventy pounds back from your ten pound stake.
If it only places, you get the fifteen pounds from the place part: a five pound profit. Finish outside the places, and both parts lose.
Bookmakers can change the terms for particular races, and some offer extra places on big race days, so always check the bet slip before you bet.
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