Each-Way Betting in Golf: Places, Ties and Dead Heats
A 156-player field finishing on the same course produces ties constantly, and those ties land on exactly the position that matters, the last paid place. Any golf each-way guide that treats the place line as a simple fraction of the win odds is describing a bet that rarely settles that way.
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There is no standard golf each-way term
In racing, place terms follow a published table keyed to the type of race and the number of runners. Golf has no equivalent, and the rules say so directly.
“Each way terms will be stipulated on the market. Dead heat rules apply to both win and placed positions.”
“The number of places being paid will always be displayed in the Bet Slip.”
Two consequences. First, a fraction and a place count quoted in an article are worthless as inputs, because they were true for one event at one operator on one day. Second, the operator reserves the right to move them:
“In the event of a promotional extra place, Sky Bet reserve the right to change the place terms.”
Related golf markets inherit the outright treatment rather than defining their own, which is why the same tie arithmetic keeps reappearing:
“Each way bets will be settled in the same way as outright each way bets.”
The place-line arithmetic
Only the profit part of the price is reduced. With win decimal D, place
fraction f and unit stake S:
place decimal = 1 + ((D - 1) x f)
Take £10 each way at 40/1 into a market paying eight places at one-fifth. The
outlay is £20, the win decimal is 41.00 and the place decimal is 1 + (40 / 5) = 9.00.
- wins:
10 x 41.00 = £410plus10 x 9.00 = £90, total £500; - finishes eighth outright: £90, net plus £70;
- finishes ninth: nothing, net minus £20.
Hold on to the £90, because the next section takes most of it away in the single most common golf outcome.
Ties on the place line
Golf settles ties by dividing the stake, not by shortening the price. Sky Bet's golf rules state the principle and then work an example:
“Each way terms will be stipulated on the market. Dead heat rules apply to both win and placed positions.”
“For example, a player ties for 3rd with 5 other players, i.e. 5 players all tied 3rd, a 1/5th reduction to winnings would apply to markets where 3 places are offered.”
Decode that example. Three places are paid, two are already filled by the outright winner and the runner-up, so one paid place remains and five players are sharing it. One divided by five is the reduction, and the other four fifths of the place stake is lost. The general rule behind it is the standard dead‑heat method:
“If more than two "dead-heats" are declared, the stake is proportioned accordingly.”
For P paid places still unfilled and N players tied for them, the settled
place stake is S x min(1, P / N). Applied to that £10 each way at 40/1 with
eight places at one‑fifth:
| Finishing position | Paid places left | Players tied | Settled place stake | Place return | Net on the bet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8th outright | 1 | 1 | £10.00 | £90.00 | plus £70.00 |
| Tied 8th, two players | 1 | 2 | £5.00 | £45.00 | plus £25.00 |
| Tied 8th, four players | 1 | 4 | £2.50 | £22.50 | plus £2.50 |
| Tied 8th, six players | 1 | 6 | £1.67 | £15.00 | minus £5.00 |
| Tied 7th, three players | 2 | 3 | £6.67 | £60.00 | plus £40.00 |
- Paid places left
- 1
- Players tied
- 1
- Settled place stake
- £10.00
- Place return
- £90.00
- Net on the bet
- plus £70.00
- Paid places left
- 1
- Players tied
- 2
- Settled place stake
- £5.00
- Place return
- £45.00
- Net on the bet
- plus £25.00
- Paid places left
- 1
- Players tied
- 4
- Settled place stake
- £2.50
- Place return
- £22.50
- Net on the bet
- plus £2.50
- Paid places left
- 1
- Players tied
- 6
- Settled place stake
- £1.67
- Place return
- £15.00
- Net on the bet
- minus £5.00
- Paid places left
- 2
- Players tied
- 3
- Settled place stake
- £6.67
- Place return
- £60.00
- Net on the bet
- plus £40.00
The fourth row is the one worth remembering. A top-eight finish in a market paying eight places, at 40/1, returns £15 against a £20 outlay. The bet is graded as placed and it loses £5, because five sixths of the place stake was never settled.
The fifth row shows the other half of the rule. Tying for seventh when eight places are paid leaves two places for three players, so two thirds of the stake settles and the bet is comfortably ahead. Position in the tie matters less than how many paid places sit below it.
More places or a bigger fraction
The recurring choice in golf is between a wider place count at a smaller fraction and a narrower one at a larger fraction. It is a real trade, not an obvious upgrade, and it has an exact answer.
On the same 40/1 selection with a £10 unit stake:
| Terms on offer | Place decimal | Place return | Finishes that pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 the odds, 5 places | 11.00 | £110.00 | 1st to 5th |
| 1/5 the odds, 8 places | 9.00 | £90.00 | 1st to 8th |
- Place decimal
- 11.00
- Place return
- £110.00
- Finishes that pay
- 1st to 5th
- Place decimal
- 9.00
- Place return
- £90.00
- Finishes that pay
- 1st to 8th
The wider terms cost £20 of place return on every finish inside the top five, and buy £90 on every finish from sixth to eighth. Set the two expected returns equal and the condition falls out: the eight-place offer is better whenever a sixth to eighth finish is more than two ninths as likely as a top‑five finish.
Terms choice
When wider places beat a bigger fraction
On a 40/1 selection the outcome spread is wide, so extra places usually win. On a 6/1 favourite it usually does not.
That threshold moves with the price, because the fraction scales the profit and not the stake. Recompute it for the selection you are actually backing rather than carrying the ratio around.
Withdrawals and non-starters
The most expensive golf each-way rule is a single sentence about tee times.
“If your selected player does not take part in the tournament, bets will be made void. If they have teed off, bets will stand.”
A player who withdraws before the tournament starts returns your stake. A player who hits one tee shot and then walks in with a back injury has taken part, so the bet stands and loses both lines. The distinction is the first shot, not the number of holes completed, and it is why a withdrawal announced on Thursday afternoon costs more than the same news on Wednesday night.
A tie for the win
Where a play-off decides the tournament, the play-off winner is the winner and the win line settles normally. Where no play-off is held, the win line is divided the same way as a place line:
“When more than one player shares the same lowest score in a tournament and there is no play off, win bets are settled by normal dead heat method outlined in the settlement of bets section.”
“If a price for a tie is not available, and Draw-no-bet is not specified (DNB), dead heat rules will apply.”
For an each-way bet that means both lines can be reduced in the same event: the win line by the number of players sharing the lowest score, and the place line by whatever the reshuffled leaderboard does to the last paid place.
Pre-bet checks
- Read the fraction and the paid places off the slip, not off an offer page.
- Screenshot the slip, because promotional places can be altered.
- Convert the win price to decimal and compute the place decimal.
- Divide the place return by the outlay to see what a plain placed finish is worth before any tie.
- Ask how many players realistically finish level on that leaderboard position at this course.
- Recompute the place return with three and with six players tied, and check you are still content with the bet.
- Confirm the market is the outright, since related golf markets can carry different place counts on the same player.
Ownership boundary
This page owns golf each-way terms and tie settlement on the outright. Related pages own the rest:
Evidence manifest4 primary sources mapped to this guideView sources
Each source below is retained with the claims it supports. Operator sources describe published terms, not independent first‑hand performance.
- Sky Bet help centre, Golf Rules (opens in a new tab)
- Each way terms will be stipulated on the market. Dead heat rules apply to both win and placed positions.
- For example, a player ties for 3rd with 5 other players, i.e. 5 players all tied 3rd, a 1/5th reduction to winnings would apply to markets where 3 places are offered.
- If your selected player does not take part in the tournament, bets will be made void. If they have teed off, bets will stand.
- Dead Heat rules may apply depending on the number of Each Way places offered.
- Dead Heat Rules apply unless market states otherwise.
- Dead heat rules apply for placings.
- Betfair Sportsbook, Golf Rules (opens in a new tab)
- Each way bets will be settled in the same way as outright each way bets.
- When more than one player shares the same lowest score in a tournament and there is no play off, win bets are settled by normal dead heat method outlined in the settlement of bets section.
- If a price for a tie is not available, and Draw-no-bet is not specified (DNB), dead heat rules will apply.
- Betfair Sportsbook, General Sports Betting Rules (opens in a new tab)
- If a "dead-heat" between two selections is declared on any event, half the stake is applied to the selection at full odds and the other half is lost.
- If more than two "dead-heats" are declared, the stake is proportioned accordingly.
- Sky Bet help centre, Each Way Bets (opens in a new tab)
- The number of places being paid will always be displayed in the Bet Slip.
- In the event of a promotional extra place, Sky Bet reserve the right to change the place terms.
Update record, 7 September 2026: new guide built from published operator golf rules, with the per-market terms position, the tie reduction worked across five leaderboard outcomes, the two-ninths threshold for choosing wider places, and the teed‑off rule for withdrawals.
FAQ
How many places does an each-way golf bet pay?
There is no fixed answer. Sky Bet's golf rules state that each-way terms are stipulated on the market, so the fraction and the number of places come from the bet slip for that specific tournament and operator.
What happens if my golfer ties for the last paid place?
The place stake is divided. Count the paid places still unfilled, divide by the number of players tied, and settle that share of the place stake at the place odds. The remainder is lost.
Can a placed golf bet lose money?
Yes. At 40/1 with one-fifth terms and eight places, a £10 each way returns £15 if six players tie for eighth, against a £20 outlay. That is a placed bet with a £5 loss.
Are extra places worth taking in golf?
On a 40/1 selection, eight places at one-fifth beat five places at one-quarter whenever a sixth to eighth finish is more than two ninths as likely as a top-five finish. On short-priced contenders the bigger fraction is usually better.
What if my golfer withdraws?
If the player never takes part, bets are void. If the player has teed off, the bet stands and settles on the result, so a first-round withdrawal after one tee shot loses both the win and the place line.
Does a play-off count for each-way golf bets?
Yes, the play-off result determines the winner. Where no play-off is held and players share the lowest score, the win line is settled by the normal dead‑heat method instead.