By the OpenBookies team · Updated July 2026 · 7 min read
Every betting slip asks the same question: what type of bet is this? From a simple win single to a 247-bet Goliath, UK and Irish bookmakers settle dozens of standard bet types, and knowing the difference is the fastest way to look — and bet — like you know what you're doing. This guide explains each one clearly, with the real maths and worked examples throughout.
Singles: the building block
A win single is one selection to win one event. Stake × odds = profit. £10 at 3/1 returns £40 (£30 profit + £10 stake). If it loses, you lose £10. Everything else in this guide is built out of singles, so if you're new to betting, start here — see betting odds explained for how the prices themselves work.
Each-way bets
An each-way (E/W) bet is two bets in one: a win bet and a place bet, so the total cost is double the unit stake — £5 each-way costs £10. The win part pays at full odds if your selection wins. The place part pays at a fraction of the odds (the "place terms", commonly 1/4 or 1/5 of the odds) if it finishes in the places — typically the first 2 in small fields, first 3 in races of 8+ runners, and first 4 in big-field handicaps.
Example: £5 each-way at 10/1 with 1/5 odds, 3 places. Horse finishes second: the win part loses (−£5), the place part pays 10 ÷ 5 = 2/1 on £5, returning £15. Total back: £15 from a £10 outlay. If it wins, both parts pay: £55 + £15 = £70.
Doubles, trebles and accumulators
A double combines two selections in different events; both must win. The winnings from the first leg roll onto the second, so the odds multiply. £10 on a double at 2/1 and 3/1: the first win returns £30, which all goes on the second at 3/1, returning £120.
A treble is three selections, and anything with four or more legs is an accumulator ("acca"). Returns grow fast — four winners at 2/1 each turn £10 into £810 — but one losing leg sinks the whole bet, which is why bookmakers love accumulators. A non-runner leg is treated as void and simply drops out (your four-fold becomes a treble) rather than losing the bet.
Full-cover bets: Trixies, Yankees and Lucky 15s
Full-cover bets wrap every possible multiple from a set of selections into one slip, so a couple of winners can still pay even when one leg lets you down. Remember the stake is per bet: a £1 Yankee costs £11, a £1 Lucky 15 costs £15.
| Bet | Selections | Bets inside | Min. for a return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trixie | 3 | 4 (3 doubles + 1 treble) | 2 winners |
| Patent | 3 | 7 (3 singles + 3 doubles + 1 treble) | 1 winner |
| Yankee | 4 | 11 (6 doubles + 4 trebles + 1 four-fold) | 2 winners |
| Lucky 15 | 4 | 15 (4 singles + 6 doubles + 4 trebles + 1 four-fold) | 1 winner |
| Canadian / Super Yankee | 5 | 26 | 2 winners |
| Lucky 31 | 5 | 31 (includes singles) | 1 winner |
| Heinz | 6 | 57 | 2 winners |
| Lucky 63 | 6 | 63 (includes singles) | 1 winner |
| Super Heinz | 7 | 120 | 2 winners |
| Goliath | 8 | 247 | 2 winners |
The "Lucky" family (Lucky 15, 31, 63) includes singles, which is why one winner is enough for some return and why they're the classic betting shop Saturday bet. The Yankee-to-Goliath family skips the singles, so you need at least two winners.
Forecasts and tricasts
Forecasts are the racing bets that pay out on the finishing order, not just the winner, and they're a betting shop staple on both horses and greyhounds — the greyhound forecast in particular is a fixture of every afternoon card. Racing specials: a straight forecast picks the first and second in a race in the correct order; a reverse forecast covers both orders (two bets); a tricast names the first three in exact order. Dividends are declared after the race by a computed formula rather than fixed odds, so you won't know the exact payout when you strike the bet — but a well-priced tricast can pay hundreds from a £1 stake.
Worked example: settling a 50p Lucky 15
The Lucky 15 is the classic shop bet, so it's worth seeing the maths once. Say you place a 50p Lucky 15 (total cost £7.50) on four horses at 4/1, 2/1, 6/1 and 10/1, and two of them win — the 4/1 and the 2/1. Here's what pays:
- Two singles win: 50p at 4/1 returns £2.50; 50p at 2/1 returns £1.50. The other two singles lose.
- One double wins: the 4/1 × 2/1 double. In decimals that's 5.00 × 3.00 = 15.00, so 50p returns £7.50. The five doubles involving a loser all fail.
- Trebles and the four-fold: every one includes a losing horse, so nothing.
Total returned: £2.50 + £1.50 + £7.50 = £11.50 from a £7.50 outlay — a modest profit despite two losers, which is exactly the appeal of full-cover betting. Many bookmakers also apply a bonus (such as double the odds) when only one selection wins a Lucky 15; the exact terms vary by firm, so check in shop.
Non-runners, Rule 4 and dead heats
Three settling rules cover most "what happens if…" questions. If your selection is a non-runner, the bet on it is void and the stake is returned — and in a multiple, the leg simply drops out, so a four-fold becomes a treble. If a horse is withdrawn from a race after you took a price on another runner, a Rule 4 deduction trims winning bets in that race — see betting odds explained for the scale. And in a dead heat (two horses inseparable at the line), your stake is divided by the number of runners sharing the position and settled at full odds on that reduced stake — £10 at 4/1 dead-heating for first with one other horse pays as £5 at 4/1.
Ante-post betting
Bets struck days, weeks or months before a big event — the Grand National, Cheltenham, a league title — are ante-post. The draw is a bigger price than you'll get on the day; the catch is that in traditional ante-post betting, if your selection doesn't run, you usually lose the stake rather than getting it back. It's a higher-risk, higher-reward way to bet, best kept to small stakes until you know the ropes.
Common football bets
Match result and Both Teams to Score
The standard football bet is the match result (home/draw/away, also called 1X2). Both Teams to Score (BTTS) and over/under total goals (e.g. over 2.5 goals) are the next most popular, and all of them can be combined into accumulators — the Saturday football acca is probably the most placed bet in any UK shop.
Correct score and scorers
Correct score, first goalscorer and anytime goalscorer bets offer bigger prices for harder predictions — a correct score is hard to land, which is exactly why the odds are generous. On self-service terminals you can also combine markets from the same match (a "bet builder" style bet), something counter slips traditionally didn't allow.
Which bet type should you use?
- Completely new? Stick to win singles until reading a slip feels natural.
- Backing an outsider? Consider each-way so a place still returns something.
- Small stake, big dream? Accumulators and Lucky 15s turn pennies into meaningful returns — just treat them as entertainment, not investment.
- Four fancies on a Saturday? The Lucky 15 exists for exactly this.
Whatever you bet, work out the total cost of the slip before you hand it over — the unit stake and the full cost are different things on every multiple and full-cover bet, and it's the number newcomers most often get wrong. And only stake what you can afford to lose: free, confidential support is available from GambleAware (begambleaware.org) and the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.
Frequently asked questions
Ready to try it in person? How betting shops work walks you through the counter routine, and our betting shop directory shows live opening hours for every shop near you.