Dead Heat FAQs

A Dead Heat occurs when two or more competitors finish an event in a tie, meaning they cannot be separated by judges, timings or a photo finish.

This can happen in a variety of scenarios, such as when runners cross the finish line at the exact same time, or if two players in a golf tournament end with identical scores.

Bet Settlement

When a dead heat occurs, the way your bet is settled changes. Your total stake is divided by the number of competitors involved in the dead heat. This adjusted stake is then used to calculate your returns at the full odds you were originally offered.

Dead Heats can occur across a variety of Sports and below are some examples where Dead Heats are common.

Golf

In Golf, Dead Heats are a common occurrence due to how Tournaments are scored, as lots of players can all tie for the same score there are situations where your stake can be divided by 3, 4, or even 5.

For example:

If you have placed a bet at odds of 5/1 (6.0) on a player that ties with two others, your stake is divided by three (the number of players who tied, including your selection). Your bet then settles as won at the original 5/1 (6.0) odds.

Let’s say your stake was $10.00. With a Dead Heat involving 3 players, your stake is divided by three, resulting in an adjusted stake of $3.33. When this is settled at 5/1 (6.0) your returns would be $19.98.

If you are unsure of how a Dead Heat would affect your returns you can use our Bet Calculator.

Important Tip

For Golf markets where a Tie or Draw is included, such as 2 Balls (Inc. Tie), Dead Heats do not apply and bets on a player settle as lost should players tie.

Each Way

Dead Heats also apply to Each Way bets and affect both the 'win' and 'place' parts of your bet.

Let’s say you have a $5.00 Each Way bet on a horse at 5/1 odds. Your horse ties with another horse in the same race for 2nd place and the place terms for this race are 1/5 1-2-3. The $5.00 win part of your bet loses, the remaining $5.00 place part of your bet wins but is now divided between the two horses, becoming $2.50. The place terms are 1/5 1-2-3 so your payout is one fifth (1/5) of the original odds (5/1), so 1/1 (2.0). So you receive $2.50 winnings plus your original stake of $2.50 for a $5.00 total return.