How dead heats are settled
Bookmakers settle a dead heat by dividing your stake between the horses that tied. In a two-way dead heat for first, half your stake is paid at your full odds and the other half is lost. In a three-way dead heat, a third of it is paid.
The same idea applies to places. If horses tie for the last paid place, they share it, so the place stake is divided between them.
Worked examples
Tie for first. £10 win at 6/1, two-way dead heat. £5 is paid at 6/1, returning £35.00, and the other £5 is lost. A clear win would have returned £70.
Each way, tie for the last place. £5 each way at 10/1 with 1/5 odds for 3 places, and your horse ties for 3rd with one other. The win part loses. Two horses share one paid place, so half the place stake is paid at 2/1, returning £7.50 from a £10 bet.
Each way, tie for first. The same bet, but the tie is for 1st. The win part is halved, returning £27.50. Both tied horses are inside the three paid places, so the place part is paid in full: £15.00, for a total of £42.50.
How much of the stake is paid
| Situation | Win part | Place part |
|---|---|---|
| 2 horses tie for 1st | 1/2 | All (if at least 2 places are paid) |
| 3 horses tie for 1st | 1/3 | All (if at least 3 places are paid) |
| 2 horses tie for the last paid place | Lost | 1/2 |
| 3 horses tie for 2nd, with 3 places paid | Lost | 2/3 |
The general rule: divide the stake by the number of horses in the tie, then multiply by the number of paid places they're sharing, up to the full stake.
Common questions
Can a dead heat and Rule 4 both apply?
Yes. They're separate rules, so if your horse dead heats in a race with a non-runner, the winnings are reduced by the Rule 4 deduction and the stake is divided for the dead heat.
What happens to a dead heat in an accumulator?
The dead-heated selection carries a reduced value into the rest of the bet. In a two-way dead heat for first, half the running stake goes forward at full odds, so the selection counts at roughly half its usual effect on the return.
Do dead heats happen in football?
Yes, in markets like top goalscorer. If two players tie at the top, the stake is divided in the same way, and bookmakers publish their own dead heat rules for these markets.