Dutching Calculator 2026
Spread one stake across two or more selections in the same event so you collect the same return whichever one wins. Size stakes by total budget, by the profit you want, or around a bet you already placed, with exchange commission and no-vig fair odds built in.
Dutching calculator
Set the total you want to risk. We split it so every winner pays the same.
Below 100 percent, so this dutch locks in a profit.
Leave at 0 for a normal bookmaker dutch. Set it if you are backing several picks on an exchange.
Stake distribution
$138.46
$100.00
+$38.46
38.46% ROIStake on each selection
$46.15
46.1% of total
$30.77
30.8% of total
$23.08
23.1% of total
No-vig fair odds
The margin-free price each selection would carry if the book took no cut. Your odds are the left number, the fair odds are on the right.
How dutching works
Pick your selections
Choose two or more outcomes in the same event you want to cover, like three horses in a race or home and draw in a match.
Enter the odds
Type each price in decimal, American or fractional. The combined probability tells you at a glance if the market is beatable.
Choose a mode
Set a total stake, a target profit, or fix one stake as an anchor. The calculator sizes every other stake to match.
Place the bets
Follow the stakes exactly. If any of your selections wins, you collect the same return shown above.
The dutching math
How equal-return stakes are sized, in plain arithmetic.
Stake per pick
$100 total, a 3.00 pick in a 72% book: 100 × 0.333 / 0.722 = $46.15.
Guaranteed profit
Σ = 0.722, so 100 × (1 / 0.722 − 1) = $38.46 whichever wins.
Combined probability
1/3.0 + 1/4.5 + 1/6.0 = 33.3 + 22.2 + 16.7 = 72.2%.
Return per pick
$46.15 × 3.00 = $138.46, the same for every winning pick.
Dutching, explained
Dutching means splitting one stake across several selections in the same event so you win the same amount no matter which one comes in. It is the go-to move when you fancy three horses in a race or you want to cover home and draw in a match without picking just one. This dutching calculator on ToolsGambling sizes the stakes for you in decimal, American or fractional odds, handles exchange commission, and shows the no-vig fair price so you can see whether the market is beatable in the first place. Everything here is free, with no account and no paywall on the numbers.
What is dutching?
Named after Al Capone's accountant Arthur Dutch Schultz, dutching is backing two or more outcomes of the same event in proportions that return the same profit whichever one wins. Stake each pick in inverse proportion to its odds: a short-priced favourite gets a big stake, a long shot gets a small one, and the returns line up. The whole thing only shows a profit when the combined implied probability of your picks is under 100 percent, which is exactly what the meter under the inputs checks as you type. Above 100 percent you are paying the bookmaker margin and every split loses the same amount.
I lean on dutching most in racing, where I genuinely cannot separate the top three in the market. The honest truth is that dutching does not create value on its own. If all three prices already bake in the margin, splitting them just spreads a small loss evenly. The times it pays are when I have found a real overlay, or lined up best prices from different books so the combined probability drops under 100. I check that number first, every single time, before I even think about stakes.
Why bettors dutch
The point of dutching is coverage without giving up a single fixed return. Instead of agonising over which of three runners wins, you back all three and lock the same payout. It smooths variance, it turns a messy multi-way market into one clean number, and when you can beat the combined margin it turns a read into a guaranteed profit. It is popular in horse and greyhound racing, in first-goalscorer and correct-score football markets, and anywhere a single event has several outcomes you rate.
Why this dutching calculator is different
Most dutching calculators do one thing: split a total stake. This one does more, because a stake with no context can talk you into a bad book. Here is what ToolsGambling adds that the others leave out.
Three sizing modes, not one
Split a fixed total, work back from the profit you want, or anchor the whole book to a stake you already placed. Rival tools force you into total-stake mode and make you guess the rest. Here you pick the mode that matches how you actually bet.
Exchange commission built in
Backing several picks on an exchange? Enter your commission and the split stays a true equal-return lock after the cut. Almost no free dutching calculator accounts for commission, so their numbers drift the moment you leave a bookmaker.
No-vig fair odds on every pick
The tool strips the margin and shows the fair price behind each selection. That tells you whether your odds are genuinely long or just look it, which is the difference between a value dutch and spreading a loss.
Up to 12 selections and any odds format
Cover a full race with up to twelve runners and toggle decimal, American or fractional in one click. The combined-probability meter updates live so you always know if the market is beatable.
Free, shareable and embeddable
Every number is free with no signup. Share a scenario as a link that reopens with your exact selections, or drop the widget into your own site with one line of code. Competitors gate this behind accounts or paid tiers.
How to use the dutching calculator on ToolsGambling
Pick your odds format, then add your selections and their prices. Watch the combined probability: under 100 percent means the dutch profits, at or above means the margin wins. Choose a mode, total stake, target profit or stake per pick, and read the exact stake next to each selection plus the equal return and ROI. Add your exchange commission if you are dutching on an exchange. It is all free on ToolsGambling.com, with no signup.
The three dutching modes
Total stake is the classic: you set the budget and we split it. Target profit flips it around, you say you want $50 and we return the total stake and the split that reaches it, which is handy when you bet to a profit goal rather than a fixed outlay. Stake per pick anchors the book to one bet, say you already put $30 on the favourite, and sizes every other selection so all returns match. All three respect the same equal-return rule and the same commission.
Dutching vs arbitrage vs hedging
The three get muddled, so here is the line between them. Dutching backs several selections on the same side of a market, like three horses to win, and profits only if the combined probability beats 100 percent. Arbitrage backs every outcome of a market, often across different books, so a profit is mathematically locked with no read required. Hedging is placing a second bet against a position you already hold to lock a result after the odds moved. Dutching is a coverage play, arbitrage is a pricing play, hedging is an exit. Our arbitrage and hedge calculators handle the other two.
How many selections should you dutch?
There is no magic number, only a trade. Two or three selections keep more profit because you spread the stake less and the combined probability stays lower. Add more and you cover more outcomes but the combined probability climbs, thinning or erasing the edge. In a competitive race, dutching the front three or four of the market is common. The rule that never changes: only add a selection if it keeps the combined probability under 100 percent, or you are just buying more of the margin.
The honest truth: dutching does not beat the margin by itself
This is the part the promo pages skip. Dutching is a staking method, not an edge. If you dutch three runners at a single book, the prices already carry the margin, the combined probability sits above 100 percent, and every split loses the same amount. Dutching only turns a profit when you either find genuine value, prices that are longer than the true chance, or line up the best odds on each pick from different books so the combined probability drops under 100. The calculator makes that test obvious, but it cannot find the value for you.
Common dutching mistakes
The first is dutching a market that is over 100 percent and treating a guaranteed loss as a strategy. The second is adding selections until the edge vanishes, because coverage feels safe. The third is ignoring exchange commission, which quietly turns a small lock into a small loss. The fourth is forgetting that a dead heat or a void runner changes the payout, so read the rules on multi-runner markets before you stake.
Dutching terms
- Dutching
- Backing two or more outcomes of the same event in stakes that return the same profit whichever wins.
- Combined probability
- The sum of each selection's implied probability. Under 100 percent means the dutch can profit, over 100 percent means the margin wins.
- Market margin (overround)
- How much the combined probability exceeds 100 percent. It is the bookmaker's built-in edge across a market.
- Equal return
- The single payout every winning selection produces once the stakes are split correctly.
- Stake per pick (anchor)
- Sizing the book around one fixed stake, useful when a bet on one selection is already placed.
- No-vig fair odds
- Each selection's price with the margin removed, showing its implied true chance against the rest of your picks.
- Exchange commission
- The percentage an exchange takes from net winnings. It raises the stakes a dutch needs and shaves the locked return.
Free betting tools on ToolsGambling.com
On ToolsGambling.com the dutching calculator is free, like every tool here. Pair it with these to find the price, cover the outcomes and check the value.
Bet responsibly
Dutching manages coverage on money you can afford to lose, not your rent. Set limits, never chase losses, and if betting stops being fun, get free, confidential help at BeGambleAware.org.
Evgeniy Volkov
Verified ExpertFullstack developer with a background in mathematics. I build the calculators and game-style tools on ToolsGambling with Pixi.js and modern web tech, and every result uses transparent probability formulas you can verify yourself.