Goliath Bet Calculator
A Goliath is the largest standard full-cover bet: 247 lines on eight selections, from 28 doubles up to one eight-fold accumulator, with no singles. Enter the odds and the result of each selection to see what every fold returns, the total against the outlay, and what the same money would have paid as a single eight-fold.
In one line: 247 bets = 28 + 56 + 70 + 56 + 28 + 8 + 1. At 10p a line the outlay is £24.70, and with every selection at the same price, two winners need odds of 15.72 each just to get the outlay back.
Decimal odds, win only. A void leg counts as 1.00 on every line it is part of. For fractional prices, convert them first with the odds converter; for each-way Goliaths and other bet types, the bet calculator covers the whole range.
Result
How a Goliath Is Settled
Each of the 247 lines is an ordinary accumulator: it pays the stake times the product of its decimal odds if every selection in it wins, and nothing otherwise. With k winners, the number of winning lines is every combination of two or more of them: 1 with two winners, 4 with three, 11 with four, 26 with five, 57 with six, 120 with seven and all 247 with eight. The calculator adds them up fold by fold.
Worked example: the same slip on three different days
Eight selections at 2.00, 2.50, 3.00, 1.80, 4.00, 2.20, 5.00 and 3.50, 10p a line, £24.70 outlay. The winners are taken in that order.
| Winners | Winning lines | Return | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| First 3 (2.00, 2.50, 3.00) | 4 | £3.35 | −£21.35 |
| First 4 (+1.80) | 11 | £10.73 | −£13.97 |
| First 5 (+4.00) | 26 | £57.37 | +£32.67 |
The shortcut behind those figures: multiply (1 + odds) over the winners, then subtract 1 and the sum of their odds. For the first four, 3 × 3.5 × 4 × 2.8 = 117.6, minus 1, minus 9.3 = 107.3 units, or £10.73 at 10p. Four winners out of eight at these prices still lose money; the fifth, at 4.00, more than quintuples the return.
Break-even price by number of winners
If every selection is at the same decimal price, the Goliath returns exactly its outlay at these odds. Each figure was solved from (1 + d)k − 1 − k·d = 247.
| Winners | Winning lines | Break-even odds each |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 15.72 |
| 3 | 4 | 5.42 |
| 4 | 11 | 3.02 |
| 5 | 26 | 2.04 |
| 6 | 57 | 1.52 |
| 7 | 120 | 1.21 |
| 8 | 247 | any price |
The column explains the bet. With two or three winners a Goliath is mostly a way of getting part of the stake back. At everyday prices it turns profitable with four winners priced just above 3.00 (2/1) each, or five just above 2.00 (evens): at exactly 3.00, four winners return 243 units against 247. It is built for days when most of the eight win. A Heinz on six selections needs 7.55 with two winners; the Heinz calculator and the full cover bets comparison set the family side by side.
Goliath, Lucky 255 and each-way
Adding the eight singles to a Goliath gives 255 bets, sometimes sold as a Lucky 255. Each-way, a Goliath is 494 bets, £49.40 at 10p: the place part pays at the fraction of the odds in the bookmaker's each-way terms. Bonuses and consolation payments on these bets are bookmaker promotions, not rules of the bet, and vary between operators.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Goliath bet?
A Goliath is 247 bets on eight selections in different events: 28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 four-folds, 56 five-folds, 28 six-folds, 8 seven-folds and one eight-fold accumulator. It has no singles, so you need at least two winners for any return. At 10p a line it costs £24.70; each-way it is 494 bets.
How many winners do you need on a Goliath to make a profit?
It depends on the prices. If every selection has the same decimal odds, two winners return the outlay only at 15.72 or more, three winners at 5.42, four at 3.02, five at 2.04, six at 1.52 and seven at 1.21. Eight winners always make a profit. Below those prices the bet returns money but less than it cost.
How is a Goliath bet calculated?
Every combination of two or more winning selections pays the product of their decimal odds times the stake per line. A neat shortcut gives the same total: multiply (1 + odds) across all the winners, then subtract 1 and the sum of the winners' odds. With four winners at 2.00, 2.50, 3.00 and 1.80 that is 3 × 3.5 × 4 × 2.8 − 1 − 9.3 = 107.3 units, £10.73 at 10p a line.
What happens to a Goliath if a selection is a non-runner?
A void selection or non-runner is settled at odds of 1.00. Every line that includes it is reduced by one leg: a double with a void becomes a single on the other selection, a treble becomes a double, and so on. The Goliath still stands; it just behaves like a bet on seven selections plus extra lines.
Is a Goliath better than an accumulator?
It is a different trade. An eight-fold accumulator costs one stake and loses if one selection fails. A Goliath costs 247 stakes and still pays with two or more winners, but the return on a partial day is often less than the outlay. The calculator shows both figures for the same selections.
A small stake per line multiplies fast: 247 lines at £1 is £247 on one slip. Work out the full outlay before you place it. 18+. If gambling stops being fun, see our responsible gambling resources.