Mastering Dutching in Betting

What is Dutching in Betting Terms?

Dutching is the process of backing more than one selection in the same event to win the same amount whichever of those selections wins. 

• Dutching is ideal for events with many outcomes where you think you have narrowed the possibilities down to usually two or three likely outcomes, although in theory, you can dutch any number of selections. 
• The fewer selections you choose to Dutch, the less losers you will back and the more profit you should make.
• By Dutching fewer selections though you are increasing your risk.

It is not to be confused to arbitrage which involves backing all of the outcomes in an event to guarantee a profit, which is only possible using multiple bookmakers on a very select few events.

One of the best uses of Dutching is if you either have inside information or a very strong feeling that certain outcomes are extremely unlikely. 

If those unlikely outcomes are huge odds then Dutching isn’t going to be worthwhile but if you feel strongly that some well-fancied outcomes are unlikely then Dutching the remaining selections can really pay dividends.

Basic Dutching Elements

• Make more than one selection in an event
• Stake to win the same amount
• Stake to bet a set amount

Dutching Calculator

The easiest way to work out stakes when ditching is to use a dutching calculator - We have one a little further down the page. However, let's run through some of the rudimentary mathematics required if you want to figure it out manually.

How To Work Out The Different Stakes

The key feature of Dutching is that you win the same amount but with all the different odds involved it can sometimes be difficult to work out the stakes required.

Dutching for a Fixed Return

If you want to ensure the same return regardless of which of the selections win, you need to place different stakes based on the price of each selection.

To check out the odds for an event just visit the OLBG tips page.

Example

If you are backing two selections, one at 5/1 and one at 8/1, and wish to win £100 whichever one wins:

Split the odds into decimals (6.0 and 9.0) and divide the stake by the decimal odds.

£100 / 6.0 = £16.66

£100 / 9.0 = £11.11

Total stake = £27.77

Dutching for a Fixed Stake

Alternatively, you may have an idea of how much you want to bet on the event, in this case it may be about £30. You know roughly that your stake on the 6.0 chance should be around £20. To calculate how much to stake on the other selection:

£20 x (6.0/9.0) = Stake on the bigger priced selection = £13.33

The total stake would be £33.33 and if either selection wins you’d return £120

Calculating Combined Odds

When Dutching it is important to remember that the selections you are backing come with combined odds. In order to select the best bets you still need to consider the odds and choose events where your combined selections have the best chance of winning relative to their odds rather than simply backing all of the selections you think might win.

Example

If you are staking a total of £100 and the return for a winning bet is £150 then you are backing all of your selections at combined odds of 1/2 or 1.5 in decimal terms.

When placing your Dutch bet you will have already worked out your stakes and total returns in order to place the bet with the same return for each outcome. Then to get the decimal odds of your bet simply divide the returns by your total stake.

It might seem difficult to guess the combined odds if the numbers are a bit more random such as £279 winnings for an £82 stake but it’s very easy to work out:

£279 / £82 = Odds of 3.4, which is just shy of 5/2

Free Dutching Calculator

Simply enter the details into the ducting calculator below to find out how much to stake, or how much you want to win and have to stake based on the prices available.

Is Dutching Legal?

You will be breaking no rules or laws by using ducting as a betting strategy with online bookmakers. 

It is simply just another form of betting where you aim to make a profit or cover a number of selections and outcomes in a single race or game.

You are not guaranteed to win on every bet using ducting across a full market and there is always the risk of loss in any event. 

The best betting sites are not going to mind you winning frequently when you still lose some of the time.

You may find if you become very good at making regular and perhaps even large profit from this betting style you could find a bookmaker restricting your stakes, or worse still closing your account, 

Make sure you do not regularly use free bets or promotions or offers for your dutching activity, and you should steer clear of this problem. 

We do have a great guide on how to avoid getting restricted by bookmakers and which bookmaker is best for the purpose.

Is Dutching Risk Free?

Using dutching strategies in betting is not risk-free. You still have to find and select winners in your process and ensure you are staking in a sensible manner so as not to lose more than you comfortably afford.

Dutching will see profits diluted, which we talk about in this article, and progress would be slower and more steady. This works for both wins and losses in your betting.

But dutching betting can not be described as risk-free gambling at all.

Does Dutching get you Gubbed?

Dutching should not lead to you having your account Gubbed [closed down].

It is a genuine and straight forward betting style and staking strategy, and is not against rules.

OLBG members think bookies have got it wrong when closing accounts, but you should have nothing to worry about with dutching unless you are incredibly successful

That said; if you are incredibly successful and the bookmaker doesn't like you winning too much and too often you may find restrictions placed on your stakes. 

What are the advantages of Dutching in Betting?

There are several advantages when dutching in your sports betting, and they cover

• New Betting Opportunities
• Value Betting
• Higher Strike Rates

Offers New Opportunities

One of the big advantages of Dutching is it creates new opportunities to make a profit.

In the past you may have narrowed a big race down to two horses but found it too hard to pick between them and therefore left the race along. 

Alternatively you may have predicted a football match would be very low scoring but not been sure whether to back 0-0 or 1-0.

With dutching you can make these situations pay.

Can Still Get Value

Just because you are backing more one selection it doesn’t mean you aren’t getting value.

If you think that a short priced favourite is unlikely to oblige then two or more bigger priced selections in that event might offer great value. 

As long the returns from the combined bets are larger than the chance of one of those outcomes winning then you are getting value through dutching.

ALSO READ

Master the Art of Value Betting and Maximize Your Winnings

More Winning Bets

By dutching you are decreasing your total odds but increasing your chances of winning. 

In theory this should result in more winning bets and therefore more frequent betting returns. 

This will help guard your betting bank against lean periods and should also give you a bit more enjoyment out of your betting.

Disadvantages of Dutching

Dilution Of Profit

The more selections you bet on when Dutching the more you are going to decrease your total odds in each betting event. Therefore each time you decide to include any more selections you need to consider the fact that your strike rate will need to improve also to maintain a certain profit level. If you are Dutching and not winning very often you are going to burn through your betting bank very quickly.

What is Reverse Dutching?

Reverse Dutching sounds complicated but it is quite simply dutching lay bets on the exchanges. 

All of the same principles apply, the more selections you lay the more likely your bet is to succeed but the less you will win. 

Meanwhile the fewer selections that you lay, the less likely you are to win but profitability should increase per bet.

FAQ

Gamble Responsibly

All of us need to gamble responsibly. 

On OLBG, we have always advised our members and readers only to stake what they can afford and have discouraged anyone from boasting about monetary gains. 

The two articles below were created to help members with their gambling.

ALSO READ

How to be Sensible and Gamble Responsibly (Examples)

ALSO READ

Responsible Gambling Features, Function and Help

Editorial Information

This dutching article was created, edited and updated by  OLBG Betting Expert Nigel Skinner. A regular dutcher of betting events Nigel likes to seek out opportunities within the bookmaker and betting exchange markets. 

Nigel Skinner

Blog content manager

Nigel is one of OLBG's senior editors with 19 years of industry experience. Today he specialises in researching and writing about the betting angles to political and mainstream news stories and being the OLBG in-house expert on 'next football manager' betting markets.

Specialist Subjects🔬📚

⚽️👨‍💼 Nigel is an Arsenal fan first and foremost but has an unrivalled knowledge of English football managers at every level. Meticulously putting together our Next Manager articles, Nigel can quite possibly name you every manager of every club in the land, not to mention a pretty good eye for predicting replacements when changes happen. 

📈📊📉 A long-time exchange trader and spread betting fan, Nigel is our go-to for advice on the subjects and uses them daily in his own betting activity. 

🗳️💼 Finally, Nigel loves his politics and [some would say] has an unhealthy interest in the day-to-day events in the UK's political landscape, contributing to all our Political betting content and new pieces.