Grand National Each Way Bets – The Most Detailed Betting Guide

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Among the most popular types of bets preferred for horse racing (the Grand National included) there is each-way betting. Makes sense that Grand National each way bets are by far the most preferred types of bets every year. Read more how to place Grand National each way bets and get the most out of your betting experience in our Grand National each way bets guide.

From what is an each-way bet to benefits of choosing Grand National each way bets over simple win-only bets, everything is right here. We even share an example of a Grand National each way bet to get the gist of it.

How to Lay Grand National Each Way Bets: Your Options

The traditional way of betting until a few years ago involved:

• walking into a betting office near you and
• laying your bet on the sport or competition or event or game of your preferences.

Placing a wager on a horse race is a simple, straightforward process, where you state the:

• racetrack name,
• number race you are betting,
• the money you want to bet with, and the
• type of wager.

High-street bookies are offering valuable Grand National betting assistance to novice and pro bettors. Most likely, they hire lots of extra staff around the time of the Grand National to help punters. The goal? To make your betting adventure far more enjoyable and easy.

On top of that, you can place your Grand National each way bets without stepping foot outside your home – with online betting. In this case, all you have to do is pick a horse that you believe will win the race. Then lay a set bet on that particular horse to finish first. That is the first step to horse race betting and the particular bet type is a Win-Only bet. If you want to take things to an upper level, though, you need to move to Grand National each way bets.

What Is an Each Way Bet?

Each-way wagers are essentially two bets in one. You win if:

• Your horse wins.
• Your horse finishes second, third, or fourth.

Note that an each-way bet is always of equal stakes. If, for instance, you bet £10, half goes on the horse to be placed. The other half goes on the horse to win. Now, if you want to place £10 on the horse to win, you should lay another £10 on the horse to be placed (so, £20 in total). The sums in each part the Grand National each way bets should always be equal.

A ‘place’ constitutes a win only in races of 1-4 runners, being in the first two in races of 5-7 runners, the first three in races of 8+ runners or the first four is the race has 16 runners or more and is a handicap, which of course the Grand National is.

If you have successfully guessed the winner of the Grand National, chances are you will be paid out the full bet (both parts of the bet). If the end of the race finds your horse between 2nd and 4th place (so, the second part of the each-way bet is won), you will be paid out at ¼  the odds. When it comes to these odds, two things apply:

• You get the exact odds you took when you placed your bet.
• Your bet is settled at the SP (starting price) odds at which your horse won. This happens when you let the bet ride.

Example of placing an each-way bet

Either 1/5 or 1/4 of the odds are paid for the place portion of your bet, a number which will be confirmed by the bookmaker when you place your bet.

So, should you place a £10 each-way bet (£20 total) on a 16/1 chance with 1/4 place terms and it wins, you will receive a return of £220 which is broken down like this:

• Win (£10 @ 16/1, plus £10 stake = £170)
• Place (£10 @ 16/1 (1/4 odds), plus £10 stake = £50)

If the same horse did not win but did finish in the places, then only the place part of the bet (£50 return) would be applicable.

Place Your Bet at the Grand National: Who to Bet On?

Getting value betting odds is the first thing you need to do so that you can make the most informed decision. 

Know that the benchmark price of an each-way bet is at least 4/1 given that the second part of an each-way bet is ¼ of the winning odds. Anything below that means a loss to you.

However, it is extremely unlikely for a horse to be priced-up shorter than 4/1 in the betting market. Let’s note that in the past, we saw a 100/1 Grand National winner, which gave a huge return (even the place part of the bet)!

No wonder all major online bookmakers come forward with enticing Grand National offers and promotions the closer we move to April. Months before the big event, we see tons of exciting Grand National bets enticing both seasoned and once-a-year punters alike.

Why Grand National Each Way Bets are Better than Win-Only Bets?

Now that you know what is each way, let’s analyse the superiority of Grand National each way bets compared to win-only ones.

With a win-only bet, you only get a return from your bookmaker if your horse wins. If it doesn’t, you leave empty-handed. In an each-way bet, if your horse does not win, there is still hope to get some returns if it finishes 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place. This is money coming from your second bet (the Horse to be Placed part).  

However, things can always turn south even for the best runner. With 40 runners and more than 30 fences to overcome across a 4+ mile range, you can never be 100% certain of the outcome.

A £20 win-only bet will get you more earnings if your horse wins. That is compared to if you placed that amount on a Grand National each way bet – £10 on the runner to take first place and £10 on it to be placed.

However, with Grand National each way bets you are safe in knowing that you will still get money in your pockets, even if your horse eventually takes between 2nd and 4th place.

So, while Grand National each way betting will cost you double the amount of a win-only bet, it gives you more safety and increases your chances to leave you with some cash in your wallet.

Grand National Each Way Bets with Extra Places – Best Each Way Bet for the Grand National?

Many bookmakers take this a bit further and offer more Grand National each way betting options. These are usually referred to as Extra Places and include bets where the horse has finished 5th or 6th. This means that you will still get paid out even if your horse crosses the finishing line 6th. It is probably the best each-way bet on the Grand National profit-wise. As you can understand, each-way bet on the Grand National can have delightful “surprises”. More details about these Extra Places in the following section.

Grand National Each Way Bets – Basic Rules

The Grand National is a handicap race. This means that each of the 16+ horses carries a different weight which is allocated by the handicapper. A heavier weight is carried by a better horse as a means to give it a disadvantage when racing against slower runners. Predicting which horse will overcome its handicap is the skill in betting on the Grand National or another handicap race. Following are the terms set for each-way bets:

Handicap Races:

In short, the best each way bet at the Grand National 2021 is the one that you will predict the horse which will finish in the top four places.

Grand National Each Way Bets – Common Mistakes

What most novice punters forget is the nature of an each-way bet and the fact that it is two bets.

This calls each stake to be doubled, regardless of the sum you wish to bet with. So, a £10 Grand National each way bet will cost you double that sum (£20 in total) – we explained why above.

Another common mistake when placing their each way bets on the Grand National is that they don’t double-check to see if their betslip actually writes “E/W” or “each-way” on it.

It should be clearly indicated right next to the name of the runner you are backing. This applies to betting in a shop. For online betting, you need to make sure you click on the E/W box or button. It is the only way to state that you wish to lay an each-way bet. And you will also be instantly presented with the total stake amount.

In any case, though, it is recommended to ensure you know what your returns are before accepting your earnings from your bet(s) after the race.

Placing Grand National Each Way Bets from the US

Several US horse race betting platforms enable betting on the Grand National. Just make sure you go through the details of Grand National each way bets’ rules in America. That way, you won’t miss a thing when the action begins.

FAQ –  Grand National Each Way Bets

What are Each Way Bets?

Each way bet consists of two separate bets: a winning bet and a place bet.

Does exist an each-way bet calculator?

Yes, it does. A dedicated bet calculator can help the bettors to place their bets.