Although originally each way betting was only used in horse racing, in 2023 it is now used widely in many sports including football, greyhound racing, golf and tennis.
You’ve probably seen or heard of the term E/W before, but do you know what it means and how it works? If not then no worries! I’m about to walk you through everything you need to know about each way betting.
What Does Each Way Mean?
It is usually used when there are a large number of runners, competitors or possible outcomes, meaning that picking the winner is tricky, and selections are generally at higher odds.
When you bet each way, you split your stake and bet on your selection to win and to place.
“Place” means that your selection finishes in the top 3 (or sometimes 4, 5 or even 6) places. So even if your selection doesn’t win, you still get a return on a “near miss.”
How Does An Each Way Bet Work?
An each way bet works by splitting your total stake in half.
- One half of your stake is bet on your selection to win
- The other half is bet on the selection to place
The number of places that are paid out depends on the bookmaker, the event you’re betting on, and how many runners / teams / competitors / possible outcomes there are in the market.
If your selection wins, then both parts of your bet have won, and both will pay out.
However, if your selection places, the “win” part of your bet will lose, but the “place” part will win. Depending on the odds you bet at, you still have a chance to make a decent profit overall (see below for how this is calculated).
If your selection doesn’t manage to place, then both parts of your bet lose and there is no return.
How Does An E/W Bet Pay Out?
The question everyone wants to know is, how much do you win on an each way bet?
Well, it depends. First of all there are three things you need to know:
- The odds of the selection you’re betting On.
- How many E/W places your bookmaker is paying on the event.
- The E/W terms – What percentage of the odds your bookmaker is paying on the place bet.
Take this horse race for example. The race card clearly shows that the bookie is paying the first three places (EW 1-2-3) at 1/5 odds. The odds of course will depend on which horse you want to bet on.
Once you know this information, here’s how to work out your winnings on each way bet.
Calculating Your Winnings
Let’s say for example you want to bet £5 Each Way on a horse in the race above, at odds of 10/1. That means a total stake of £10.
Here’s how each part of the bet would work.
- The Win Bet would return £50 profit (£5 x 10) plus your £5 stake, giving a total return of £55.
- The Place Bet would be placed at 1/5 of the odds, which is 2/1. So that’s £10 profit (£5 x 2) + Stake, a return of £15.
So your total return on the each way bet would be as follows:
- WIN – If your horse wins you would get the return from both bets: £55 + £15 = £70 Total Return
- PLACE – If your horse finishes 2nd or 3rd, you would get the return from the place bet: £15 Total Return
- LOSE – If your horse finishes 4th or worse, you lose your entire £10 stake.
When you bet online, the betting app or website will show you what the returns are going to be before you place your bet, so there is no need to actually do any calculations or even remember how to work it out for yourself.
How To Place An E/W Bet
So now we know what an each way bet is and how the returns are calculated, let’s look at how to actually place one.
I’m going to walk you through the process step by step, with real life examples in some of the most common sports in which each way betting might be used.
The examples will all use QuinnBet, a new online bookie which we rate highly. However, the process is exactly the same no matter which bookie or betting app you decide to use, and it takes no more than 2 minutes to place your bet.
Bear in mind that due to its nature, Each Way betting is not available on all markets. It is only for markets with 6 or more possible selections, which have only one outright winner.
Each Way Betting In Horse Racing
In the following horse racing market, we’ll look at how to place an each way bet on the 4th favourite, Jersey Gift.
First you need to click on the selection as normal, to add it to your betslip.
Next enter your stake in the stake box. Keep in mind that the amount you enter here is the stake for each part of the each way bet.
So if you enter £5 each way, your total stake will be £10.
The bottom of the betslip shows your total stakes and what your return will be if the horse wins the race. When you’re happy, click the Bet Now button to confirm.
Each Way Betting In Football
There are several outright markets on football betting apps or online bookies which are suitable for each way bets.
For example, in tournaments such as the Premier League, Champions League or World Cup, you could bet on the overall winner, or top goalscorer (aka golden boot).
In this Premier League top scorer market, we need to scroll to the bottom to see the each way terms: EW 1-2 at 1/3 odds. So we only get paid two places here, but at least the place pays 1/3 odds instead of 1/5.
Remember to ensure the EW tick box is checked.
Then enter your stake, remembering that the total cost of the bet will be double this amount.
Underneath, the bet slip automatically updates to show you the return if Vardy wins the Golden Boot.
You can remove a selection using the cross. Or if you’re happy, click the green button to confirm and submit your bet.
Each Way Betting In Golf
You can place an E/W bet in golf on the tournament winner market. Here’s how to do it.
First navigate to the golf betting markets for the tournament you want to bet on. You may have to look at the bottom, below all the selections, for the Each Way Terms.
It’s not on the screenshot because there were too many available players for it to fit on the screen. But for this market, it says “EW 1-6 at 1/5 odds” meaning the bookmaker is paying out for the first 6 places.
You just need to follow the same steps as you would for any other sport. Make sure the EW box is ticked in order to place an each way bet.
Then enter your desired stake in the box. Again, the total cost of the bet will be double the amount you enter, because you’ll be betting this amount on McIlroy to win and to place.
The Total Stakes and Total Returns will update automatically depending on what stake amount you enter.
Next Steps
So that’s everything you need to know about each way betting. You now know what it means, how it works, how it pays out and how to place an each way bet on any sport.
The next step is to sign up at a good online betting site, and give it a try for yourself.
If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us and I’ll update this guide with the most frequently asked questions.
Last Updated on February 24, 2021
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