Each-Way Golf Betting Rules and Strategy Tips
Picking the outright winner in a professional golf tournament can be challenging, so many bettors place each-way wagers on golf. This option is handy in large-field tournaments, where picking an outright winner is difficult.
Field sizes, course variables, and other factors affect wins. For example, field sizes for PGA and European tournaments rarely drop below 100 players, so backing the winner is extremely difficult.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about each-way golf betting, including top tips, strategies, and payout rules.
Note: All examples in this guide use British pounds for clarity, but the same each-way betting principles apply regardless of currency or region. Additionally, note that odds may appear in fractional, decimal, or American formats depending on your area, but the principles behind the bet remain the same. Throughout this article, we will use fractional odds.
What Is Each-Way Betting in Golf?
Each-way golf betting allows you to bet on a player not just to win, but also to place.
Essentially, you place a two-part bet when you back a player with an each-way wager in a golf tournament—one on the golfer to win the whole event and the other on the player to finish near the top of the leaderboard. This method gives a bettor more options and chances to collect a return.
The number of places sites pay out for each-way golf bets varies depending on what tournament you're betting on and which site you're betting with.
A top-five is standard for each-way payouts, but the best golf betting sites often extend this to cover golfers who finish as high as 8th to 12th place in majors.
Each-Way Golf Betting Odds & Payouts
The odds you get on a player to place will never be as long as the odds on that player to win a tournament. Conversely, the chances of cashing in are much better. An each-way golf bet is a great way to reduce risk while still allowing you to collect a tidy return on the win portion of the bet.
If you staked £5 each-way (total of £10) on outright 40/1 odds before the tournament, you would have won £250. Here's how:
- In this example, a site paid out on 10 places at one-fifth of the odds.
- A £5 bet to win at 40/1 returned £205 (5 x 40 + your original £5 stake)
- A £5 bet to finish in the top 10 at 8/1 (one-fifth of the win odds) returned £45 (5 x 8 + your original £5 stake)
- £205 + £45 = £250
What Happens in Each-Way Golf Bets if Players Finish Tied?
This is where things can get a bit tricky for bettors, as golfers often finish tied for positions in tournament standings.
Dead-heat rules can vary slightly among sites, but you will be paid out less if your backed player is tied in some instances.
To better understand dead-heat rules, look at the following example of a final leaderboard. In this example, the betting site pays out on golfers who finish in the top five, with place terms set at one-quarter of the outright odds.
| Place | Player | Score | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordan Spieth | -18 | 25/1 |
| T2 | Scottie Scheffler | -16 | 10/1 |
| T2 | Jon Rahm | -16 | 9/1 |
| T4 | Rory McIlroy | -15 | 20/1 |
| T4 | Tony Finau | -15 | 40/1 |
| T4 | Marc Leishman | -15 | 200/1 |
If you backed Jordan Spieth here, you would win both halves of your each-way bet, as Spieth was the outright tournament winner and finished in the top five of the standings.
If you backed Scottie Scheffler or Jon Rahm, you would receive full payouts on the part of your bet, as they are both inside the top five.
However, if you backed McIlroy, Finau, or Leishman, you would see reduced returns from your each-way bet.
In a dead heat, your payout is reduced proportionally based on the number of tied players versus the remaining paid positions. You can work out your returns by dividing the number of places left in the top five by the number of players tied for those places. In this case, three players are tied for two remaining spots, resulting in 2/3, or 66.6%.
- If you placed £5 each-way on Finau, your stake now becomes two-thirds, or 66.6% of your original £5 stake, so £3.33 in this case. (Remember, the bookmaker is paying out five places at one-quarter of the outright odds in this example, so the 40/1 price for Finau becomes 10/1.)
- Multiply £3.33 by 10 and you get £33.30 added to your original stake of £3.33, so your each-way bet in this case would return £36.63
Each-Way Golf Betting Strategies
Every bettor's golf betting strategy will differ slightly according to their preferences. But you should follow a few key tips when placing your each-way golf bets.
Here are three of the each-way golf betting tips we've found most useful.
Make the Most of Extra Each-Way Places
Take note of the sites that offer more each-way places than their competitors. It's far easier to predict a player's top-10 finish than a top-five finish, so it's always smart to favor the sites allowing a larger margin of error.
Sites typically offer more generous place terms on major championships than regular tournaments. While standard events might pay out to the top 5 or 6 finishers, majors often extend each-way payouts to the top 8, 10, or even 12, giving bettors a better chance of a return.You Can Profit Without Your Player Winning
Each-way bets can act as a kind of insurance. If you do your research and spread your funds wisely over a few different contenders, you can land a tidy profit without any of your selections winning.
In the 2020 PGA Championship, Tony Finau, not very well known at the time, was trading at odds of 20/1 to win and 5/1 each-way, meaning a bettor would have landed a £250 profit on a pair of £10 wagers had Finau gone on to win. Finau finished fourth, but the bettor still would have won £50, more than doubling their initial investment.
When making an each-way bet, don't just look for winners. Consider players who regularly contend for titles but often come up short.Look for Value
As always, research is key. Be aware of a player’s recent form before entering a tournament. Strong past performances may not be as relevant if a player battles an injury or another issue. Also, look at a player's course history, which can often significantly influence how they'll fare.
As in any betting situation, the goal is to find value. Golf research materials are readily available online, and each-way betting widens the pool of prospective betting candidates, allowing bettors to dig deep and unearth potentially lucrative opportunities.
Final Thoughts on Each-Way Golf Betting
Each-way golf bets can ramp up the excitement when you're watching a tournament. They can also be profitable if you employ the right strategy.
One of the best things about each-way betting on golf is that you'll always get a good run for your money if a player you've backed is in contention. You’ll be entertained throughout the tournament, and fun is what golf betting should be all about at the end of the day.
