Dutch betting is a staking plan that involves backing a number of different outcomes to give you the same return.
By calculating the return on each bet and adjusting your stake according to the odds, you can ensure that your profit remains the same regardless of which bet actually wins. However, unlike arbitrage betting you are not guaranteed a profit, as an outsider can always surprise you with a win.
You are betting on a horse race with ten horses in the field. By reading the form guide you can see that the real contenders in this race are only six of the ten horses.
You then place bets on six of these horses, adjusting your stake according to the odds. The amount that you stake on each selection is calculated by working back from either: the total bet amount or your target profit amount. By using a dutching calculator you can easily calculate the stake and returns for each bet and dutch method.
For example if you wanted a return of $10, you could adjust your bet:
Your total stake is $13.50 and if either of these three horses win, you will get a $10 profit. (Obviously, if none of the horses win, you’ll lose your $13.50 stake.)
Use different bookmakers to place the different bets when following a Dutch betting strategy and maximise any favourable discrepancies in the betting odds.
Dutch betting is not exclusive to horse racing. You could choose a field of players in a team to score the first goal and use a dutch betting approach to calculate your stake and potential returns.
Pros and cons of Dutch betting: |
|
|---|---|
| Pros | Cons |
| Allows you to exploit your knowledge of a particular sport to limit the field to the likely winners | You can still lose when an outsider wins |
| A great way to ensure solid returns based on probabilities | You need to calculate the stakes for each bet |
| It reduces your risk by spreading out your stake across different contenders | You don’t always know the true probability in sports betting, probability is dependent on many factors and losses still occur |
| Your wager is more likely to win | It could be far simpler to place a lay bet against two or three outcomes than going to the effort of Dutch betting |
| Effective way of profiting from bookmaker free bets | When you place Dutch bets with different bookmakers, the odds can fluctuate between placement of bets, skewing your returns |