What happens to my bet when there is a dead heat?

Published 2021/02/16

What happens to my bet when there is a dead heat?

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Within the world of horse racing, different bets mean different things. Some simple bets are easy to understand as to the outcome, but certain permutations can sometimes throw a spanner in the works. We take a look at what a dead heat means, and how it can affect your bet.

Firstly, a dead heat is not considered a typical outcome that you would expect on any given day of racing, but this does not mean it cannot happen. As with everything in the world of sport, the thing that you least expect is what can always happen in the end. This is why so many of us love what excitement can occur in various sports, including why it tends to be popular for so many neutrals despite them not having a team or an athlete to support in particular.

When looking at Cheltenham free betting offers, it might well be the case that you want to make sure your bets will come in correctly but you are looking at all the ways this might not happen. This is a bright idea, especially if you are new to the world of horse racing betting, and therefore you will find plenty of information you need to get you started at a site such as GG.

To describe a dead heat in horse racing, it would be where two horses cross the line at precisely the same time. Technically, it could be three or four horses doing this, but the odds are indeed so unlikely for this to happen that the chances are minuscule. However, the same theory of what to do in such an instance would still apply.

There is a famous expression to win something by a nose. This came from horse racing as you might expect, where the long heads and noses of a horse have often been used to examine the racing footage afterwards and see which horse crossed the line first. Sometimes, it is impossible to separate two heads and determine which horse crossed the line first, so it comes down to being declared a dead heat.

In this case, if you bet on the winner but they technically tie, what will happen is that you will win part of your bet, but you will also lose part of your bet too since another horse crossed the line at the same time. With many upcoming horse racing fixtures, there could well be occasions when a dead heat happens, but it is relatively rare.

If you are betting on a place finish rather than just the winner, a dead heat can affect this too as it can affect the final standings, or it could be that for example, the third and second place horses finish in a dead heat.