Calculator · 2026-10-23

Dutching calculator

Enter your total stake and the odds of each selection you want to back in the same event. The calculator splits the stake so that whichever of them wins, you collect the same amount — and tells you the combined chance the prices imply, which is what decides whether that amount is more or less than you staked.

How dutching works

Dutching means backing several selections in the same event with stakes sized so that the return is the same whichever of them wins. Instead of picking one horse or one correct score, you cover two, three or more, and accept a smaller return in exchange for more ways to collect it.

The stake on each selection is proportional to its implied probability, 1 ÷ decimal odds. Add up the implied probabilities of every selection; each one's share of that total is its share of your stake. The return is the total stake divided by the combined implied probability, whichever selection wins.

The combined implied probability is the number to watch. Below 100%, the equal return is larger than your stake. At or above 100%, it is smaller: you have covered so much of the market that the bookmaker's margin outweighs any upside. And if none of your selections wins, the whole stake is lost, so dutching reduces how often you lose, not whether you can.

Worked example

You stake £100 across three runners at 4.0 (3/1), 5.0 (4/1) and 6.0 (5/1). Their implied probabilities are 25%, 20% and 16.67%, which add up to 61.67%.

The stakes are £100 × 25 ÷ 61.67 = £40.54, £100 × 20 ÷ 61.67 = £32.43 and £100 × 16.67 ÷ 61.67 = £27.03. Whichever of the three wins, you collect about £162.16 — £40.54 × 4.0, £32.43 × 5.0 or £27.03 × 6.0, give or take a penny of rounding — a profit of £62.16. If a fourth runner wins, you lose the £100.

Now back all three outcomes of a football match priced 2.10, 3.40 and 3.60. Their implied probabilities add up to 104.81%, so the £100 splits as £45.43, £28.06 and £26.50 and returns about £95.41 whatever the result: a certain loss of £4.59, which is exactly the bookmaker's 4.59% margin on that market.

Using dutching sensibly

• Dutch selections you would back anyway. Spreading a stake across runners you have no view on only spreads the margin.
• Check the combined implied probability before you place anything: the closer it is to 100%, the less the equal return is worth.
• Use the best price for each selection. A small improvement on every leg lifts the equal return, and the odds converter shows the margin of any market.
• Dutching does not remove risk. Set your total stake as an amount you can afford to lose in full.

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