Do you bet to "win" or bet each-way?

The answer is?... That depends!

OK…I know that is vague but as with everything to do with betting on the horses there are several schools of thought. So here is my pennies worth.

If I am system betting, using Turner's Winner's Galore or Turner's Winning Way's then I never bet each way.

Why?
 

Secondly I find the staking system takes care of the losses, but that doesn't mean you should dismiss it out of hand because on some occasions it could be worth looking at.

Before we continue let me show you how the average bookie works out each way bets.
 

If we take an imaginary horse and race:

2.35 Ascot (13 runners in a handicap race) "Win me Over" wins at 7/2

The "Win" part of the bet is the same as if you had just bet on the horse to win.

7/2 * 100 + 100 = 450 that's your winnings for the "Win" part of the bet.

For the "place" part, most bookies give the following:

For Races except Handicaps

• 2 - 4 win only so no placed betting
• 5 - 7 Runners 1 /4 odds paid up to 2nd place
• 8 or more Runners 1 /5 odds paid up to 3rd place

Handicap Races

• 12 - 15 1 /4 odds paid on up to 3rd place

• 16 or more 1 /4 odds paid up to 4th place

Please check this with your bookie because some have different rules.

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7/2 = 3.5 /4 (1/4) = 0.875 X 100 + 100 = 187.50 + 450 (first place winnings) = 637.50

So a stake of 200 pts on a 7/2 winner each way has returned 637.50 pts, but if we had placed it to "win" only then we would have won 700pts, our actual loss for playing safe is 62.5 pts

If the horse had not been placed at all then we would have lost everything, but what if the horse placed only?

Well in our above scenario we would have lost our "win" part of the bet completely, but we still would have got 187.50 pts back for the place so our total loss would have been 12.5pts.

This allows you to get back some of your stake to fight on another day.

The higher the odds the better and the more of your stake you will see back.

If I do bet each-way it tends to be on tips that you can more or less trust and the odds are 3/1 or better.

Above all odds (Selection Method) and Stop at a Winner (Investment System) are two typical examples of what I mean.

Both of these tips do not give a winner every time but more often than not they are placed so you don't have to loose your whole bank and when you do get a winner it tends to be 3/1 or better.

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Table 1 shows you over 5 races the loss and gains of betting to win only and each-way.

The initial gains of betting to win can be wiped out in 2 or 3 races where by using each-way betting we have managed to save our stake so we can carry on betting for longer.

One more thing about the bets above, I suppose the sensible thing would have been to drop our stake when we started loosing, but the Investment system is about long-term big gains!

You decide if each-way betting is worthwhile, but I for one see it as a great way to allow me to keep placing those riskier bets!

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