Dutching Calculator
Back two to eight selections in the same event and split the money so that whichever of them wins, the return is the same. Enter a total stake, or the return you want, and the decimal odds of each selection: the calculator gives each stake rounded to the penny, the combined price of the dutch and how much of the market you have covered.
The rule: each stake = total stake × (1 ÷ its odds) ÷ (sum of 1 ÷ odds). £20 on 4.00, 6.00 and 9.00: the sum is 0.5278, the stakes are £9.47, £6.32 and £4.21, and any of the three returns about £37.89, the same as a single bet at 1.89.
Stakes
If these selections are every possible outcome, prices adding up to less than 100% would be an arbitrage. At one bookmaker they almost never are.
How Dutching Works
Decimal odds of 4.00 mean the bookmaker treats the selection as a 1 in 4 chance: 25%. Dutching uses those percentages directly. Stake each selection in proportion to its implied chance and every winner pays back the same, because a selection at 4.00 gets 1.5 times the stake of one at 6.00 and pays 1.5 times less per pound.
The worked example from the box, three horses in one race:
| Odds | 1 ÷ odds | Stake (of £20) | Return if it wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.00 | 0.2500 | £9.47 | £37.88 |
| 6.00 | 0.1667 | £6.32 | £37.92 |
| 9.00 | 0.1111 | £4.21 | £37.89 |
| Total | 0.5278 | £20.00 | combined odds 1.89 |
The three horses cover 52.8% of the book as the bookmaker prices it. If any of them wins, the £20 returns about £37.89, a profit of £17.89. If anything else wins, the £20 is lost. In other words, dutching does not lower the risk of the race; it turns three bets into one bet at 1.89 on "one of these three".
Working back from a target return
With the target-return mode, each stake is simply the return divided by the odds. To get £50 back if any of the three wins: £50 ÷ 4.00 = £12.50, £50 ÷ 6.00 = £8.33 and £50 ÷ 9.00 = £5.56, a total of £26.39. That answers the question "how much do I need to put down to get £50 back?" before the bet is struck.
Dutching against a ready-made market
Football already has a market that combines two outcomes: double chance. With the draw at 3.40 and the away win at 4.50, dutching £20 means £11.39 on the draw and £8.61 on the away side, returning £38.73 or £38.74: combined odds of 1.94. If the bookmaker's double chance price for "draw or away" is below 1.94, the dutch pays more for the same outcomes; if it is above, the double chance bet does. The comparison takes a few seconds and is the most practical use of the calculator.
For horse racing and golf, remember that place terms and dead heats apply to each dutched selection separately: a dead heat halves the stake on that selection only, as the dead heat rules guide explains. To see how much margin a full market carries before you dutch part of it, enter every price into the margin calculator; to split a bet you already hold instead, use the hedge calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is dutching in betting?
Dutching means backing two or more selections in the same event and splitting the stake so that every one of them returns the same amount if it wins. The stake on each selection is proportional to 1 ÷ its decimal odds. Only one selection can win, so the bet behaves like a single bet at one combined price.
How do you calculate dutching stakes?
Add up 1 ÷ odds for every selection. Each stake is total stake × (1 ÷ that selection's odds) ÷ that sum. For £20 on horses at 4.00, 6.00 and 9.00 the sum is 0.5278, so the stakes are £9.47, £6.32 and £4.21 and each winner returns about £37.89.
What are the combined odds of a dutch?
Combined odds = 1 ÷ (sum of 1 ÷ odds). Dutching 4.00, 6.00 and 9.00 gives 1 ÷ 0.5278 = 1.89. Dutching the draw at 3.40 and an away win at 4.50 in a football match gives 1.94, which you can compare directly with the double chance price the bookmaker offers on the same two outcomes.
Is dutching guaranteed profit?
No. Dutching at one bookmaker covers some outcomes, not all of them: if a selection you left out wins, the whole stake is lost. Even covering every outcome loses money at a single bookmaker, because the margin makes the sum of 1 ÷ odds greater than 1. A guaranteed profit needs prices from different bookmakers or exchanges whose sum is below 1, which is arbitrage.
Why are the returns slightly different on each selection?
Bookmakers accept stakes in pennies, so each stake is rounded to the nearest 1p. Rounding moves each return by a few pence. The calculator shows the return of the rounded stake, which is what you will actually be paid.
Dutching spreads one stake over several bets; it does not reduce the bookmaker's margin and it does not stop a loss when none of your selections wins. Decide the total you are prepared to lose first. 18+. If gambling stops being fun, see our responsible gambling resources.