What Is a Tote Placepot? Rules & How to Place Bets

Following horse racing can potentially be even more entertaining when you understand how pool betting works. 

The Tote Placepot is one of the most popular betting pools in British racing, and this guide explains how it operates, how to take part, and how payouts are worked out. It breaks down the process step by step, using simple examples so you can follow along even if you’ve never placed a bet before. By the end, you’ll understand what “placing” means, how a pool is shared between winners, and what happens if your horse doesn’t run.

What Is a Tote Placepot Bet?

A Tote Placepot is a pool bet available at most UK horse racing meetings, including Flat, Jumps, and all-weather fixtures. Unlike a standard bet where you try to pick one winner, a Placepot asks you to select at least one horse to finish in a placing position in each of the first six races at a chosen meeting.

All stakes go into a shared pool managed by the Tote. After a set deduction, the remainder is divided equally among all tickets that correctly pick a placed horse in all six races. The potential payout, known as the dividend, varies each day because it depends on the size of the pool and the number of successful bets.

In racing, a horse is said to place when it finishes within the top few positions of its race. The number of places that count depends on how many horses are running and whether the race is a handicap:

• 5–7 runners: first 2 horses place
• 8–15 runners: first 3 horses place
• 16+ runners (handicap races): first 4 horses place

If one of your chosen horses places in each race, your ticket remains in contention. If none of your horses place in any leg, your ticket is eliminated from the pool.

You can place a Tote Placepot online, at the racecourse, or in certain betting shops that process Tote bets. However, as sports betting involves an element of chance, any winnings cannot be guaranteed. 

How Do Tote Placepot Rules Work?

Placepot rules are consistent across UK racing, but can vary slightly by operator, so checking the terms before placing your bet is sensible.

To play, you choose a meeting and make selections for the first six races. You can pick one or more horses in any race. If you select more than one, this creates additional combinations, or lines, each of which is treated as a separate bet.

For example:
 If you choose two horses in every race, that’s 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 64 lines.
 If you stake £0.10 per line, the total cost is £6.40.

Your bet advances only if at least one of your selections places in each leg. If you fail to have a placed horse in any race, that line is eliminated. The winning lines after the sixth race share the net pool, with potential payouts displayed as a dividend to a £1 stake.

So, if you bet at £0.20 per line and the declared dividend is £40.00 to £1, you would receive £8.00 per winning line.

Which Races Can You Use for a Placepot?

The Placepot is based on the first six scheduled races at most UK meetings, provided the card has at least six races. It may also apply to major festivals like Cheltenham as well as smaller midweek fixtures.

You can’t choose different races or skip any legs—the sequence is fixed. The Tote may occasionally cancel, or adjust pools if races are abandoned or rescheduled, so it can be worth confirming the six qualifying races on the day’s racecard.

If a meeting has fewer than six races, a Placepot won’t operate there. However, at almost every UK and Irish fixture, a Placepot is available and shown clearly in the betting markets both online and on course.

How Many Horses Can You Pick in a Placepot?

You must pick at least one horse in each of the six races, but you can select multiple horses per race to give yourself broader coverage. Each unique combination forms a separate line. The total number of lines is the product of your selections across all six legs.

For example:
If you pick 1 horse in five races and 3 in the other, that’s 1 × 1 × 1 × 1 × 3 × 1 = 3 lines.

If you stake £0.50 per line, the total cost is £1.50.

This system allows flexibility: you can include more horses in races where the outcome is harder to judge and fewer where you might have a clearer preference. Before confirming your bet, check that the total number of lines and overall stake match what you’re comfortable spending.

There is no guaranteed method for success — all horse races are uncertain, and betting outcomes depend on chance as well as performance factors on the day.

How Do Placepot Payouts Work?

All Placepot stakes form one shared pool. Once the Tote removes the deduction, the remaining balance is divided between all tickets that successfully have a placed horse in every race.

Because both the total pool and the number of winners vary daily, there’s no fixed payout. The dividend is announced after the final qualifying race and represents the return to a £1 stake.

Here’s an example:
If the total pool is £50,000, the deduction could leave a £36,500 net pool. If there are 100 winning lines, each £1 line receives £365.
If you played at 10p per line, your return would be £36.50.

All dividends are rounded to the nearest penny and should be published publicly by the Tote. Any potential returns are automatically scaled according to your unit stake.

It’s important to remember that every horse race is unpredictable. Because Placepot payouts depend on how many winning tickets there are, races with smaller fields or strong favourites often produce lower dividends, while results such as outsiders placing — can lead to higher potential returns.

What Happens if Your Horse Is a Non-Runner in the Placepot?

If a horse you’ve selected is withdrawn after you’ve placed your bet, it is classed as a non-runner. When this happens, the Tote automatically replaces it with the Starting Price (SP) favourite for that race. If there is more than one favourite, the replacement will be the joint favourite listed first on the racecard (the one with the lowest number).

If the SP favourite is also a non-runner, the next eligible runner according to the Tote’s published rules becomes the replacement.

This ensures that your bet still counts even if the race changes after you’ve placed it. However, the replacement horse still needs to finish in a placing position for your ticket to progress.

You can find the full substitution process on the Tote’s official “Pool Betting Rules” page.

Step-by-Step Guide to Placing a Tote Placepot Bet

1. Select a meeting that offers a Placepot (most UK fixtures do).
2. Choose your horses in each of the first six races.
3. Decide your stake per line—for example, 10p or 50p.
4. Check your total stake (number of lines × stake per line).
5. Confirm your bet before the first race starts.

After placing the bet, you’ll receive a printed or digital ticket listing your selections. As each race finishes, you can follow your progress. If at least one of your chosen horses places in each leg, your bet continues.

When the sixth race is complete, the pool is settled, and the final dividend is published—typically a few minutes later.

Because the outcome depends on the race results and how many other bettors make successful selections, the final payout can vary widely. Sports betting always involves chance, and winnings can never be guaranteed.

Gambling involves uncertainty, and results are unpredictable. If you choose to take part, set a spending limit beforehand and treat betting as a form of entertainment, rather than a source of income. Only use money you can comfortably afford to lose, and stop if it stops being enjoyable.