Dutching Calculator
Calculate stakes for dutching - spread your bet across multiple selections to guarantee equal profit regardless of which one wins. Essential for value betting and arbitrage.
Dutching spreads your stake across multiple selections to guarantee the same profit regardless of which selection wins. Only profitable when the combined book percentage is under 100%.
Selections
Results
Book Percentage
58.33%
Value available (under 100%)
Guaranteed Profit (Any Outcome)
£71.43
Total Return: £171.43
Stake per Selection
18+ only. Please gamble responsibly. This tool is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or gambling advice. Gambling carries risk and you should never bet more than you can afford to lose. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact the National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133 or visit BeGambleAware.org for free, confidential support.
What Dutching Is
Dutching is the practice of backing more than one runner in the same race so that whichever of your selections wins, you collect the same profit (or the same loss). Instead of betting your entire stake on one horse, you split it across two, three, four or more, with the split weighted by their decimal odds so the returns even out. The calculator does the weighting for you: enter your total stake and the odds for each selection, and it shows the stake to put on each, the uniform return, and the combined book percentage.
Note up front: dutching is only mathematically profitable when the combined book percentage of your selections is below 100%. If three horses are quoted at odds that imply 110% combined probability, you cannot dutch them at a profit, no matter how you split the stake. The bookmaker's overround is built in. The calculator shows the book percentage and flags whether it represents a positive-value position.
When Dutching Makes Sense
It comes up most often in horse racing or golf, where there are several contenders and the favourite is far from a certainty. Rather than guessing which of two or three credible runners will win, you can cover all of them. The trade-off is that your effective odds drop: dutching three runners at 4.0, 6.0 and 12.0 gives a flat return that's lower than backing any one of them to win, but you have a much wider chance of any of those returns landing.
Dutching is also a key part of arbitrage betting (covering all outcomes across multiple bookmakers to lock in a profit) and matched-betting (offsetting a free bet against a back/lay pair). In each case the calculator runs the same arithmetic: stake-weighted by inverse odds so that every winning scenario pays the same. For lay-side cover on an exchange, see the [Lay Bet Calculator](/lay-bet-calculator).
Worked Example: Dutching Three Selections
| Selection | Odds | Implied prob | Stake (from £100) | Return if wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 3.0 | 33.3% | £44.78 | £134.33 |
| B | 5.0 | 20.0% | £26.87 | £134.35 |
| C | 8.0 | 12.5% | £16.79 | £134.32 |
| Combined book | 65.8% | £88.44 staked | Profit ~ £45.91 each |
Dutching Risks and Realistic Expectations
If none of your selections win, you lose the full stake. So dutching three horses at combined 65% implied probability still leaves a 35% chance of total loss. Spread across long enough sessions, the variance can be substantial. The calculator gives you the maths cleanly but cannot tell you whether the prices are actually mispriced; that's your job, and it requires either domain knowledge of the sport or an edge over the bookmaker's pricing model that very few bettors actually have.
The Gambling Commission and GambleAware both publish guidance on staying in control. Set a budget you can afford to lose, treat dutching like any other form of gambling, and don't chase losses by stacking bigger or wider duts. If you're betting at all, bet small and don't borrow to do it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the book percentage?
The sum of the implied probabilities of every selection in the market, calculated as 1 divided by each decimal odds. A book of 100% represents a fair market with no margin. Anything above 100% is the bookmaker's overround (typical UK racing books are 105-115%). Dutching is only mathematically profitable when your selected subset has a book under 100%.
Will dutching guarantee a profit?
No. Dutching guarantees the same profit (or loss) regardless of which selection wins, but only among the selections you've actually backed. If a runner you didn't include wins, you lose your entire stake. The 'guarantee' is conditional on one of your picks winning. Across many bets, dutching is profitable only when you systematically pick subsets that combine to under 100% book.
How do I find dutch-able prices?
Compare odds across multiple bookmakers and look for divergence. The same race priced at three different bookies will sometimes have a combined book under 100% if you take the best price for each runner. This is called arbing and is what professional arbitrage bettors do. Be aware that bookmakers are quick to limit or close accounts of customers who arb persistently.
How many selections should I dutch?
There's no universal answer. Two or three selections is most common because each addition cuts your potential return per winning bet. Five or six selections in an 8-runner race might give you a near-arb but a tiny return. Beyond that, you're approaching 'just buy a tracker fund'. Most bettors dutch two or three selections that they actually fancy, rather than trying to cover the whole field.
Is dutching legal?
Yes, in the UK and most jurisdictions. It's just a way of structuring multiple bets. Bookmakers are aware of it, don't object to it as such, and are licensed by the Gambling Commission to take such bets. If you do it well enough to have a long-term edge, individual bookmakers may limit or close your account, which is their commercial right.
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