Dutching Calculator

What is Dutching in Betting?

Dutching is a betting strategy where you back multiple selections in the same event and divide your stake proportionally so that you make the same profit regardless of which selection wins. It is named after the legendary gambler Dutch Schultz, who popularised the technique in horse racing. Rather than picking a single winner, you spread your risk across two or more outcomes that you consider likely. The key insight is that by adjusting the stake on each selection according to its odds, you equalise the return from each possible winner.

How Dutching Works

The formula distributes your total stake based on the inverse of each selection's odds. For each selection, the individual stake is calculated as:

Stake_i = Total Stake x (1 / Odds_i) / Sum(1 / Odds_j)

For example, if you have a $100 total stake and two selections at 3.00 and 4.00: the sum of inverse odds is 1/3 + 1/4 = 0.583. Selection 1 gets $100 x (0.333 / 0.583) = $57.14 and selection 2 gets $100 x (0.250 / 0.583) = $42.86. If selection 1 wins you receive 3.00 x $57.14 = $171.43, and if selection 2 wins you receive 4.00 x $42.86 = $171.43. Either way, your profit is $71.43. The dutch is profitable when the sum of the implied probabilities (1/odds for each selection) is less than 100%.

When to Use Dutching

Dutching is most useful when you believe multiple outcomes are likely but cannot decide between them. In horse racing, you might fancy two or three horses in a field of twelve. In football, you might rate both a home win and a draw as strong possibilities. Dutching lets you cover both without needing to pick just one. It is also a powerful tool when you find value odds at different bookmakers for different outcomes in the same event. By combining them through dutching, you can lock in a guaranteed profit regardless of the result.

Dutching vs Accumulator Betting

Dutching and accumulators are fundamentally different strategies. An accumulator combines selections from different events and requires all of them to win, offering high potential returns but low probability. Dutching backs multiple outcomes within the same event and guarantees equal profit from any winning selection. Accumulators are high-risk, high-reward. Dutching is lower-risk, lower-reward, and more methodical. While an accumulator multiplies odds together, dutching divides your stake to equalise payouts. Professional bettors tend to prefer dutching when they see value across multiple outcomes, as it provides more consistent returns and better bankroll management.