18+ · The maths of exchange betting, not tips · BeGambleAware.org

Free tool

Dutching calculator.

One total stake, several selections, the same return whichever wins. Enter the odds and the calculator splits the money — and tells you honestly when the book is against you.

£
Selections (decimal odds — leave blank to skip)
Book
Return if any selection winsstake back included
Profitafter commission

Dutching is a staking method, not an edge. It cannot make three bad prices into one good one — if your selections' book is over 100%, you've built a guaranteed loss with extra steps. And any unselected runner winning loses the whole stake. The calculator shows the arithmetic; whether the prices are wrong is entirely your problem.

The worked example

£20 across two selections at 4.0 and 6.0. Implied probabilities: 25% + 16.7% = a 41.7% book. Stakes split £12 and £8 (proportional to probability). Either winner returns £48 — a £28 profit before commission, £26.60 after 5%. But if anything else wins, all £20 is gone: you've covered 41.7% of the implied outcomes and paid full price for them.

Straight answers

How does dutching work?

Dutching splits one total stake across several selections in the same market so the return is identical whichever of them wins. Each selection's stake is proportional to its implied probability: stake = total × (1/odds) ÷ sum of (1/odds) across your selections.

Is dutching profitable?

Only if the combined book of your selections is under 100% — that is, if the odds imply less than certainty. If your selections' implied probabilities add to more than 100%, every outcome you've covered returns less than you staked. Dutching is a staking method, not an edge.

How many selections can you dutch?

Any number, but every selection you add lowers the return if one wins, because the stake is spread thinner. Dutching all outcomes guarantees a loss equal to the market's overround. Most practical dutching covers two to four selections.

What is the book percentage in dutching?

The sum of the implied probabilities (1 ÷ decimal odds) of your chosen selections, times 100. Under 100% means a profit if any selected runner wins; over 100% means a guaranteed loss on those outcomes.

Splitting a stake is arithmetic. Knowing whether the prices are worth covering is the craft.

Practise on the free ladder trainer Free Chapter 0: the honest prospectus

18+ · Education, not betting advice · No tips, no picks · BeGambleAware.org

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