Lucky 15 Calculator
Calculate returns for Lucky 15 bets with bonuses and consolations
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How to use the Lucky 15 calculator
Four selections, fifteen bets, and no need to scribble on the back of a racecard.
- Enter your unit stake. That is the stake per bet, not the total. A £1 Lucky 15 costs £15, because there are 15 bets.
- Tick Each Way if you want the place part as well. A Place terms dropdown appears next to that box. Pick 1/4, 1/5 or 1/3, or choose Custom and type a fraction such as 1/6. Use the terms on your slip; 1/4 and 1/5 are the usual ones. The total stake doubles to £30 for a £1 unit, because you now have 30 bets, not 15.
- Add the odds for all four selections. Fractional (5/1), decimal (6.00) or American (+500) all work; pick the format at the top.
- Set each result: Win, Place, Lose or Void (non-runner). If there is a photo-finish tie, tick Dead Heat and enter how many runners tied. If a late withdrawal shortened the rest of the field, tick Rule 4 on the relevant horse and enter the deduction in pence in the £.
- Optionally switch on a typical bookmaker bonus: an all-winners percentage, or a one-winner consolation at double or triple odds. These are optional extras, not a named offer.
- Press Calculate. You should see the number of bets (15, or 30 if each-way), total stake, total returns, profit, and a breakdown of the singles, doubles, trebles and four-fold. On an each-way bet the breakdown splits win returns and place returns.
- Want to come back to it later? Press Save Bet Slip and your stake, odds, each-way terms and results are kept in this browser, ready to recalculate next time you visit. Reset clears it. Nothing is sent to us, so a slip saved on your phone won't show up on your laptop.
What does a Lucky 15 consist of?
A Lucky 15 is four selections in different events, combined every possible way, including a single on each of them. That gives you 15 bets:
| Bet type | How many | Needs |
|---|---|---|
| Singles | 4 | 1 winner each |
| Doubles | 6 | 2 winners each |
| Trebles | 4 | 3 winners each |
| Four-fold accumulator | 1 | All 4 winners |
| Total | 15 bets | One winner still returns something |
Take the four singles out and you have a Yankee: 11 bets, and you need two winners. A £1 Yankee costs £11; a £1 Lucky 15 costs £15. The extra £4 is what you pay for a return if only one selection wins. For that one winner to return a profit on a £1 Lucky 15, it has to be 14/1 or bigger, because you have staked £15 and the single returns stake plus winnings.
The six doubles, four trebles and one four-fold are the same ones you would have in a Yankee:
- Doubles: A+B, A+C, A+D, B+C, B+D, C+D
- Trebles: A+B+C, A+B+D, A+C+D, B+C+D
- Four-fold: A+B+C+D
Add a fifth selection and you are into a Lucky 31; a sixth is a Lucky 63. For Yankees, Patents, Heinz, Super Heinz and Goliath, use the main bet calculator.
Worked example: £1 unit, all four win
You back four horses with a £1 unit stake (£15 total) at 2/1, 3/1, 5/1 and 6/4 (decimal 3.00, 4.00, 6.00 and 2.50). All four win.
| Part of the bet | Returns |
|---|---|
| 4 singles (£3 + £4 + £6 + £2.50) | £15.50 |
| 6 doubles | £86.50 |
| 4 trebles | £207.00 |
| 1 four-fold (3 × 4 × 6 × 2.50) | £180.00 |
| Total returns | £489.00 |
| Profit on a £15 stake | £474.00 |
Most of the money comes from the trebles and the four-fold. That is the appeal: a modest total stake, and a big upside if you get the lot right.
Same four horses, same £1 unit, without any bonus:
| Winners | Total returns | Profit or loss on £15 |
|---|---|---|
| All 4 | £489.00 | +£474.00 |
| 3 (the 6/4 shot loses) | £139.00 | +£124.00 |
| 2 (the 2/1 and 3/1 win) | £19.00 | +£4.00 |
| Just one winner (the 5/1) | £6.00 | −£9.00 |
| Just one winner, with a double-odds consolation | £11.00 | −£4.00 |
One winner keeps you in the game. At bigger prices, two winners often turn a profit. With short-priced favourites, even two winners can leave you down. Put your own odds in the calculator before you get carried away.
Each-way Lucky 15: 30 bets, not 15
An each-way Lucky 15 is two Lucky 15s in one: a win Lucky 15 and a place Lucky 15. Tick Each Way, then set the Place terms to match your slip. A 50p each-way Lucky 15 costs £15, not £7.50, because every one of the 15 bets is placed twice. The place part pays at a fraction of the odds — usually 1/4 or 1/5, sometimes 1/3 — if the horse finishes in the places. See bet365 each-way bets for how place terms appear on the slip.
Worked example: 50p each-way Lucky 15 at 1/5 the odds. Your horses are 8/1 (wins), 5/1 (placed), 10/1 (placed) and 4/1 (unplaced). Total stake £15.
At 1/5 the odds, the place prices are 8/5 (2.60) on the 8/1, evens (2.00) on the 5/1, 2/1 (3.00) on the 10/1, and 4/5 (1.80) on the 4/1. The 4/1 is unplaced, so it pays nothing.
| Part of the bet | Win returns | Place returns |
|---|---|---|
| Singles | £4.50 | £3.80 |
| Doubles | £0.00 | £9.50 |
| Trebles | £0.00 | £7.80 |
| Four-fold | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Total | £4.50 | £21.10 |
The win part is just the 8/1 single: 50p × 9.00 = £4.50, because only one horse won. The place part is three placed horses, so the three place singles (£1.30 + £1.00 + £1.50), the three place doubles (£2.60 + £3.90 + £3.00) and the place treble (£7.80) all pay. Combined returns are £25.60 on the £15 stake, a profit of £10.60.
That is the each-way safety net: one winner and a couple of placed horses can still put you ahead.
Odds formats
The calculator accepts fractional odds (5/1 or 5-1, and evens), decimal (6.00) and American (+500 or −200). Pick the format at the top of the widget; if you switch, the four prices already entered are converted for you. A 5/1 shot is 6.00 in decimal and +500 in American. Use whichever matches your slip.
Non-runners
Mark a non-runner as Void. Any bet including it is treated as if that leg were not there: the single on it comes back as stake, a double becomes a single, a treble becomes a double, and so on. A Lucky 15 with one void is no longer 15 full bets.
The calculator still shows the original total stake, and the refunded stake is counted in the returns. With three winners at 2/1, 3/1 and 5/1 and the fourth a non-runner, a £1 Lucky 15 still shows a £15 stake and returns £279.00, rather than the £139.00 you would have had if that fourth horse had simply lost.
Rule 4
If a horse is withdrawn late, bookmakers take a Rule 4 deduction off winnings on the rest of the field, in pence in the £. Your stake is not deducted, only the winnings. A 20p deduction means 20% comes off the winnings, so a 5/1 shot (which would have paid £6.00 to a £1 stake) is settled as 4/1 and returns £5.00.
Tick Rule 4 on the right selection and enter the deduction in pence, as it appears on your slip. The calculator applies it to every bet involving that horse, including the place part of an each-way bet.
Same £1 Lucky 15 as the all-winners example (2/1, 3/1, 5/1 and 6/4, all win), but with a 20p in the £ Rule 4 deduction on the 5/1 horse. That shortens 5/1 to 4/1. Total returns fall from £489.00 to £419.00, made up of £14.50 in singles, £77.00 in doubles, £177.50 in trebles and £150.00 for the four-fold.
If you took Starting Price, Rule 4 typically does not apply, because the SP already reflects the smaller field — see what SP means.
Dead heats
If two horses dead-heat, half your stake on that leg is paid at full odds and half is lost. That is the same as settling the full stake at half the odds. Three horses in the dead heat, a third, and so on. Tick Dead Heat and enter how many runners tied.
Worked example: the same £1 Lucky 15, only the 5/1 wins, in a two-horse dead heat for first, and the other three lose. The winning single is settled at half the odds, so it returns £3.00 rather than £6.00. On a £15 stake that is a £12.00 loss, before any consolation bonus.
On an each-way Lucky 15, a dead heat for the win reduces the win part only. The place part is still paid in full if that horse was placed. A dead heat for the last place, with no win, reduces the place part instead.
Typical one-winner and all-winners bonuses
Some bookmakers add a consolation if only one of the four wins (often double odds, sometimes treble odds on bigger meetings) and a percentage bonus if all four win. In the calculator these are labelled as typical bookmaker bonuses, because the details vary and they are not always on offer.
If you switch them on, the bonus should show as a separate line so you can still see the base return. In the £1 example above, a 15% all-winners bonus is 15% of the £474.00 win profit, which adds £71.10 and takes the returns from £489.00 to £560.10. A double-odds consolation on the lone 5/1 winner takes that single from £6.00 to £11.00.
Do not assume a bonus is sitting on your slip. Check the bookmaker's current terms before you rely on one. If you are placing the bet with bet365, use the slip itself as the source of truth.
Are Lucky 15s worth it?
Honest answer: it depends what you want. A Lucky 15 is not magic. Every one of those 15 bets carries the bookmaker's margin, so over time you are paying that margin 15 times rather than once. What you are buying is coverage: one winner returns something, and a couple of decent-priced winners can return a lot.
They suit horse racing, and other sports, where you fancy four selections at odds of around 2/1 or bigger. At odds-on prices the doubles and trebles barely move the needle, and a straight acca or a few singles is often the better shout. Set a budget, stick to it, and treat the four-fold as the cherry on top, not the plan.
Lucky 15 calculator FAQs
What does a Lucky 15 consist of?
Fifteen bets: 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles and 1 four-fold accumulator.
How much does a Lucky 15 cost?
Your unit stake × 15. A 10p Lucky 15 costs £1.50, a £1 Lucky 15 costs £15, and a £2 Lucky 15 costs £30. Each-way doubles it: a £1 each-way Lucky 15 costs £30.
How do I set the place terms?
Tick Each Way, then use the Place terms dropdown next to that box. Choose 1/4, 1/5 or 1/3, or pick Custom and type the fraction on your slip.
Does this calculator handle each-way bets?
Yes. An each-way Lucky 15 is 30 bets, not 15, and the total stake doubles. The results table splits the win returns and the place returns.
What is Rule 4, and does the calculator apply it?
Rule 4 is a deduction, in pence in the £, taken off winnings when a horse is withdrawn late. Tick Rule 4 on the relevant selection, enter the deduction from your slip, and it is applied to every bet involving that horse. The stake itself is not deducted.
What happens in a dead heat?
The stake on that leg is split between the horses that tied. For a two-horse dead heat, half is paid at full odds and half is lost. Enter the number of runners in the dead heat. On an each-way bet, a dead heat for the win reduces the win part only; a dead heat for the last place reduces the place part.
Can I enter decimal or American odds?
Yes. Switch the format at the top of the calculator. Fractional, decimal and American prices all work, and changing format converts the four prices already entered.
Are Lucky 15s worth it?
They are worth it if you want coverage rather than a single big acca. You pay for 15 bets, so one short-priced winner often comes back as a loss, but two or three decent winners can pay well, and all four is the payday. They are not a shortcut to a profit.
What is the difference between a Lucky 15 and a Yankee?
A Yankee is the same four selections without the four singles, so it is 11 bets and needs at least two winners. A Lucky 15 pays out on one winner. Run the Yankee on the bet calculator.
What about a Lucky 31?
A Lucky 31 is the five-selection version: 31 bets, including singles. It is not a type on this page. Use this calculator for four selections only.
What happens with a non-runner in a Lucky 15?
That selection is void: its single returns your stake, and every multiple containing it drops down a level. Mark it as Void in the calculator. The total stake still shows the original amount, and the refund is included in the returns.
Need a different bet? Try the acca calculator for a straight accumulator, the main bet calculator for Yankees, Patents, Heinz, Super Heinz and Goliath, or the odds converter if you want to switch formats.
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