Once you have mastered the straightforward bets and odds in horse racing, you will inevitably start casting glances at the more complex bets. With more intricate mechanisms, higher risks, and higher potential payouts, they take time to grasp but are very attractive for all players.
One such market is the Lucky 15 bet. Like many complex bets, it consists of several parts, but unlike accas or other multiple bets, this bet doesn’t consist of interlinked legs, but rather 15 individual bets.
In this article, we will take an in-depth look at how this bet works, how payouts are calculated, what advantages and disadvantages it brings to bettors, and other relevant issues you need to thoroughly understand before trying your hand at your first Lucky 15 bet.
What Is a Lucky 15 Bet?
Before we go into any details, let’s answer the main question: what is a Lucky 15 bet in horse racing? For this bet you choose 4 different horses (selections) and place 15 individual bets in the following combinations:
- 4 singles
- 6 doubles
- 4 trebles
- 1 fourfold
As you can see, this bet covers all possible winning combinations. This will be important later when we discuss the payouts and how the results of each bet affects your final outcome.
How Does a Lucky 15 Bet Work?
Now that we have the main concept of the Lucky 15 explained, let’s take a closer look at how it is structured.
As we said, this bet is built around four selections: horse A, horse B, horse C, and horse D. As a rule, these horses will be taking part in different races of a single or different meetings. In this context, the bet combinations mean the following:
- 4 singles – one horse wins its respective race:
– Horse A wins
– Horse B wins
– Horse C wins
– Horse D wins
- 6 doubles – two out of four selected horses win their respective races:
– Horse A + horse B win
– Horse A + horse C win
– Horse A + horse D win
– Horse B + horse C win
– Horse B + horse D win
– Horse C + horse D win
- 4 trebles – three out of four selected horses win their respective races:
– Horse A + horse B + horse C win
– Horse A + horse B + horse D win
– Horse A + horse C + horse D win
– Horse B + horse C + horse D win
- 1 fourfold – all four horses win their respective races:
– Horse A + horse B + horse C + horse D win
This may seem like a lot of information you need to keep in your head, but you don’t need to worry about missing any of the combinations or making a wrong bet. The combinations are automatically formed for you by the bookmaker. All you have to do is select the horses you want to bet on and define the size of your stake per line (this is important, and we will discuss it below).
Example of a Lucky 15 Bet
As we mentioned above, a Lucky 15 horse racing bet is, in fact, 15 different bets bundled in one. This is an important distinction to remember, because when you define your stake for Lucky 15, it is a stake for one bet (or line) only. This means that in your final betslip the amount will multiply by 15.
For example, if you place £1 on horses A, B, C, and D in a Lucky 15 bet, it is your stake for one combination only. Given that this bet consists of 15 such bets, your total stake will amount to £15.
So how are the wins calculated? Depending on how many horses from your selection win in their respective races, various lines from your Lucky 15 bet will be considered as winning. Let’s take a look at a practical example.
Only horse A wins
In this case all doubles, trebles, and the fourfold are lost because they all need other winners too. You get paid for horse A single win only.
Horses A and B win
Any combination that includes horses C and D (5 doubles, all trebles, and the fourfold) are lost. You get paid for horse A single, horse B single, and horses A + B double.
Horses A, B, and C win
The fourfold bet will be lost, because horse D didn’t win its race. However, you get paid for three singles (horse A, horse B, and horse C), three doubles (horses A + B, horses A + C, and horses B + C), and one treble (horses A + B + C).
All four horses win
If horses A, B, C, and D all win their respective races, every line that includes them will bring you a win too. And, as you may have guessed, this means all 15 bets.
Lucky 15 Payouts Explained
When you win one or more bets under Lucky 15, your winnings will be calculated depending on which bets won. You bet on each of the four horses under their regular odds. So for example, if horse A has odds of 1/1 (even money) to win the race, you will be betting under these odds regardless of whether it is a straight win or a Lucky 15 bet.
As you know, with fractional odds, your total payout is your winnings plus your initial stake. So if horse A wins the race, your payout for the single bet would be £1 (winnings) + £1 (initial stake) = £2.
However, if horses A and B from your selection both win their respective races, you will be eligible not only for two single payouts but also for an A + B double bet. In doubles, your first winnings (in our case, on horse A) are rolled over as a stake on to the next leg (horse B), much like it happens in an acca bet. Let’s say, horse A had 1/1 odds and horse B had 2/1 odds. The £2 you get from horse A winning becomes a stake for horse B and wins you £4. Your total payout is £4 (winnings) + £2 (stake) = £6.
Keeping this in mind, this is how your total winnings from the Lucky 15 bet will be calculated:
- Single on horse A: £2
- Single on horse B: £3
- Double A + B: £6
- Total: £11
The same principle applies to trebles and fourfold. The return from each leg of those bets becomes a stake for the next leg, increasing potential returns.
As you can see, even though only two horses from your selection won, you are eligible for three payouts. This number increases if more horses you placed your Lucky 15 bet on come to the finish line first, because every combination they are a part of will be added to your payout.
Here is how your total payout will look if all four horses from your selection win their respective races with £1 per bet (£15 total) and the following odds:
- Horse A 1/1
- Horse B 2/1
- Horse C 3/1
- Horse D 4/1
Singles
- Horse A: £2
- Horse B: £3
- Horse C: £4
- Horse D: £5
Total: £14
Doubles
- A + B: £6
- A + C: £8
- A + D: £10
- B + C: £12
- B + D: £15
- C + D: £20
Total: £71
Trebles
- A + B + C: £24
- A + B + D: £30
- A + C + D: £40
- B + C + D: £60
Total: £154
Fourfold
A + B + C + D: £120
Total: £120
Now that we have calculated returns on each individual part of the Lucky 15 bet, it is time to combine them all together for the total payout: £14 (singles) + £71 (doubles) + £154 (trebles) + £120 (fourfold) = £359.
Correspondingly, when you subtract your initial stake of £15, your profit is £359 – £15 = £344.
Of course, this number will be different depending on how many horses from your selection win and how many combinations from the Lucky 15 bet bring you a return. But the main formula remains the same: you count winnings on singles the same way as a straight win, while all other combinations are counted similarly to an acca bet where winnings from each leg roll over onto the next leg as a stake. And finally, you add up the total winnings from each combination you are eligible for to get your total Lucky 15 bet payout.
What Happens If One Selection Loses?
If you have ever placed a bet on an accumulator bet in horse racing, you know that a loss at any stage, or leg, of the bet voids the entire bet. Does the same happen if one of your four selections for the Lucky 15 bet loses? The short answer is, absolutely not.
When one of your selected horses doesn’t win its race, every combination it is a part of automatically loses. However, every other combination that doesn’t include this horse is still an active bet, so if other horses win their races, you are still eligible for all the corresponding payouts.
For example, if horse C from your selection loses the race, single C, doubles A + C, B + C, D + C, trebles A + B + C, A + C + D, B + C + D, and the fourfold A + B + C + D lose. Yet, all other bets are still active.
This means that even if only one horse out of four wins the race, while other combinations will be lost, you will still get the payout for this horse’s single bet.
Lucky 15 Bonuses
Apart from your winnings, bookmakers traditionally offer two types of bonuses on Lucky 15 to encourage players.
The first one is 1 winner bonus. It is offered in case only one of your selections wins, thus making you eligible for only one single bet payout. In this case, bookmakers can offer to calculate your winnings at double or triple odds as a consolation prize of sorts.
The other bonus is all 4 winners. If every horse on your selection wins its respective race making you eligible for payouts on all 15 bets, bookmakers might add a 10-20% bonus to your total payout.
Keep in mind, though, that while this is a common practice among bookmakers, it is a promotion, not an obligation, so you will have to find out if it is offered on the bet you want to place.
Advantages of a Lucky 15 Bet
As you probably already realised, the biggest advantage Lucky 15 bet offers to horse racing bettors is the fact that you don’t lose everything if one horse doesn’t finish the race in first place. On the contrary, you can get a payout even if only one horse from your selection wins.
Given the multiple chances you have to win with Lucky 15, your risks are significantly lower, compared to a standard accumulator bet.
Another advantage is the possible added value to your one single bet win or your all 4 horses win. Regular accumulator bets rarely include such promotions.
Disadvantages of a Lucky 15 Bet
The biggest disadvantage the Lucky 15 bet has compared to a standard accumulator is the higher total stake you have to place. If you wager £1 on a standard fourfold accumulator bet, it will be your total stake. However, in Lucky 15 it will be your stake per line, which means that your total stake will amount to £15.
Because of the high total stake, you may not always see profit if fewer of your selections win. For example, if you place £15 (£1 per line) and horses A and B win at 1/1 and 2/1 odds respectively, your total payout will amount to:
- Single on horse A: £2
- Single on horse B: £3
- Double A + B: £6
- Total: £11
While you do get £11 from the bookmaker, you lose the remaining bets. As your entire stake was £15, your total return is -£4, meaning you lost £4 on the bet.
The bet’s complex structure might also take some time to wrap your head around when you are first introduced to it.
Lucky 15 vs Accumulator
When it comes to the risk factor, Lucky 15 definitely offers lower risks, as you don’t lose everything with one single unsuccessful race outcome. If one of your selected horses loses its race, all other bets that don’t include this horse are still active, while in an accumulator bet a loss at any leg means you are losing all previous winnings and can’t move on to the next leg.
When comparing payouts, you should remember that your initial stake on Lucky 15 will be higher (£1 per line equals to £15 total stake compared to £1 for the entire acca bet). While this brings you a higher payout on Lucky 15 (with all four horses winning) compared to a successful standard fourfold acca, if you bet an equal amount (£15) on the latter, the payout will be higher.
Overall, Lucky 15 offers you higher flexibility, which could be more attractive to certain bettors.
Here is a comparison of both bets at a glance:
| Lucky 15 | Fourfold Accumulator | |
| Risk | Lower | Higher |
| Need all 4 to win | No | Yes |
| Can still return money with losers | Yes | No |
| Total stake required | Higher | Lower |
| Flexibility | Higher | Lower |
Tips for Using Lucky 15 Bets
Due to its more forgiving nature, lower risks, and overall flexibility, Lucky 15 may feel very attractive to horse racing bettors. As any bet, it has its own pros and cons. To help you get the most out of it, we compiled some common tips below.
Understand The Stake Size
One common mistake bettors who try Lucky 15 for the first time make is thinking that “£1 Lucky 15 bet” means they have to stake £1 in total. In reality, this is your stake per line, so if you adjust your stake to £1, your betting slip will show a total of £15.
Keeping this in mind, always calculate your stake carefully, considering a possibility that all four of your selected horses might lose.
Choose Value Selections
As with any bet in horse racing, it is not always about selecting the horse who is the most likely to win but about finding a horse that has higher odds than its true perceived probability to win.
In the case of the first horse, the odds are very likely to be short, which means that even though you win, your payout won’t be that high, and in the long run this can turn into a loss. For Lucky 15 this is even more important because the win of each horse with higher odds contributes to several combinations, increasing the total payout.
Don’t Overuse This Bet
Not everything has to be a Lucky 15 bet. First of all, with your stake multiplied by 15, this can grow really expensive really fast. It may be very attractive to bet on Lucky 15 because you get a return even with one winner, but as we showed above, this doesn’t cover your losses unless the odds were really high.
Experienced horse racing bettors reserve Lucky 15 for the cases when they have four horses whose chances of winning they genuinely like, rather than artificially forcing a Lucky 15 on each betting occasion.
FAQ
How many bets are there in a Lucky 15 bet?
There are a total of 15 bets in a Lucky 15 bet, hence the name. These include: 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and 1 fourfold.
Can you win with one selection?
Yes, you absolutely can. Even if only one horse from your selection of four wins the race, though you will lose all combinations that require wins of more than one horse, you will still be eligible for a single bet payout on the winning horse.
Is Lucky 15 better than an accumulator?
Both bets have their upsides and downsides. For example, Lucky 15 offers lower risks but requires a higher total stake compared to an accumulator bet. Selecting one over the other depends on your betting style and purpose, budget, and other relevant aspects.
Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org