A Tote Placepot is a renowned race day ritual and Tote’s most popular bet.
We strongly recommend checking out our recently updated list of top-rated placepot betting sites online.
Many sports bettors wager the placepot on the racecourse or in the high street betting shop – but with the Tote Plus betting promotion nearly all have come to realise the Tote Mobile App or the Tote.co.uk website is by far the best place to wager Placepots in December 2024.
For many horse racing punters, the Placepot is the first bet of the day.
Having the chance of winning large payouts with only a small stake makes placepots a popular bet type.
If you walk into any betting shop in the UK you’ll often see lots of different types of betting slips – one of the most popular has loads of boxes in a grid, much like a lottery ticket-type-thing – these are Tote Placepot slips and they are one of the most popular horse racing betting types in the country.
Try out the great welcome bonus on the Tote.
Find out more about the Tote Placepot today (sometimes just called a Placepot) – a fun bet enjoyed by many punters every day.
Contents
- 1 What is a Tote Placepot?
- 2 Free Placepot with Tote
- 3 What Are The Placing in a Placepot?
- 4 How Much Do You Win in A Placepot?
- 5 Should I Just Bet On the Favourites in Placepot and be Quids in?
- 6 Is A Placepot Worth It?
- 7 How Many Horses Can I Pick In My Placepot?
- 8 Placepot Calculator
- 9 Can I Join With Others?
- 10 What About When There’s a Non-runner in a Placepot?
- 11 Any tips?
- 12 How to Pick My Placepot Horses?
- 13 History of Tote Placepot
- 14 Summary of the Placepot Bet – UK and Irish Meetings
- 15 Which Bookmakers Do Placepots Today?
- 16 All Tote Pool Betting Related Posts
What is a Tote Placepot?
A Placepot is a much-loved bet, placed by both amateur and professional gamblers because it’s a means of winning a large pot of cash for a small outlay.
The bet consists of choosing horses that “place” in the first six races at a race meeting.
The prize money is a pool of money made up of every bet placed on the Tote Placepot – this is then split between the lucky winners. This means the payout differs every time.
Every UK racecourse meeting will offer a placepot. This typically only covers the first 6 races of the meeting, unless they’re feeling generous and do more and the minimum stake starts from 5p!
Free Placepot with Tote
Tote is offering all new or existing customers a Free Placepot every Saturday.
Opt-in using the link below and you can claim a free £1 Placepot to use on any of Saturday’s Placepot pools.
The opt-in link will work from around 6 pm each Friday, but you can join Tote for free at any time.
New customers online only. Only valid with code B10G40 on registration. £10 min stake on racing pools (if EW then min £10 Win + £10 Place) placed within 7 days of registration. Receive £20 Tote Credit, £10 Free Sportsbook Bet and 50 Free Spins on selected game within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. 7-day expiry. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the bet-slip. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org. Full T&Cs apply.
Full T&C's ApplyWhat Are The Placing in a Placepot?
Places are determined by the number of runners in a race and are as below:
- If > 4 runners, you must pick the winner
- Between 5 and 7 and your horse can win or come second
- 8+ and your horse should place first, second or third
- 16 and over with a handicap and you’re looking at the top 4
How Much Do You Win in A Placepot?
It depends on the size of the “pool” and how many people have placed a Placepot bet.
The average dividend is £441 in the past year with Tote+ to a £1 stake.
Should I Just Bet On the Favourites in Placepot and be Quids in?
It’s not that simple or easy and if everyone did that, then the payout would be very low. That said, there’s an option on the Placepot betting slip to back the starting place favourite in every race.
The aim of a tote placepot isn’t to outright win the race, you just need your chosen horse to place. So, yes, although it’s very tempting to back the favourite to win or place it’s always good to identify a favourite you think is weak and won’t – and go against them. There’s a chance that favourite could fall, run below form or have an unlucky run and this would wipe out a huge part of the competition in the pool and increase the returns.
Is A Placepot Worth It?
A placepot is a good bet (if you have a good run) as you can have an interest in a lot of races.
You don’t need your horse to win every race just place, so this is much more feasible than win bets. It, therefore, offers good value for punters.
As the Tote provides Placepot guarantees on prize money it is a great bet to place.
New customers online only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Only valid with code B10G50 on registration. £/€10 min qualifying bet at 1/1 (2.0) odds or greater across sports or racing (if EW then min £10 Win + £/€10 Place). Receive £/€20 Tote Credit, £/€20 Free Sports Bet and 50 Free Spins on Big Bass Bonanza within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. 7-day expiry on free bets & Tote Credit. Your first bet will be your qualifying bet. One per customer. UK & ROI customers only. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org.
Full T&C's ApplyHow Many Horses Can I Pick In My Placepot?
You’re not limited to the number of horses you can pick per race in a Placepot. If you choose a few selections per race, the stakes will increase. To figure this out, simply take the number of selections and times it race by the number of races.
Here are some numbers to help…
2 per race – (x 2) 6 times is £64
3 per race – (x3 ) 6 times is £729
4 per race – (x4 ) 6 times is £4096
Most punters select one stake per race, never mind 3 or more. More commonly a placepot would be 1 x 2 x 1 x 2 x 4 x 1, which is £16.
If someone is adamant about their choice or maybe there’s a favourite with a decent price in a win-only situation, they might very well just opt for the one line. But if there’s a 16 runner handicap on that same card – and it looks fairly open – it would be smart to back a few options to give yourself more of a chance.
Placepot Calculator
The placepot calculator is a simple formula to work out your total stake in placepots.
You can select more than one horse in each leg but this will multiply your total stake.
Here is how to calculate your total Placepot stake:
- Leg 1: 2 selections
- Leg 2: 2 selections
- Leg 3: 1 selection
- Leg 4: 3 selections
- Leg 5: 2 selections
- Leg 6: 1 selection
- Total Bets: 2 x 2 x 1 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 24 lines
- Total Stake: For a £2 stake x 24 lines = £48 total bet
The Placepot Calculator is multiplying the number of horses selected in each of the six races. Then multiply the total lines X your stake to get the total bet amount.
Can I Join With Others?
Sure, and this can be fun. Pooling your money with friends and putting in a joint bet can significantly improve what you get paid at the end. Granted, though, the prize itself will be big, you’ll have to split your winnings too.
What About When There’s a Non-runner in a Placepot?
Good question. If you are betting online you won’t be able to select a non-runner and in betting a shop, ditto, it’ll be an assistant behind the counter telling you this. However, if the horse goes on to become an NR once the bet’s been placed then your stake will go toward the starting place fav. If there happens to be two of them, you’ll get the lower racecard number.
Any tips?
Gambling is, first and foremost, meant to be fun. A placepot bet can be a great way to enjoy yourself and make a decent profit. It may require you to think outside the box and ignore what you’re usually told is a good thing and not bet on the favourite. Bet on the lesser popular choices who might very well place.
Also, think about picking two runners (or more) and you’ll get something back. Especially if the races look tricky and competitive.
How to Pick My Placepot Horses?
Give yourself a good chance of choosing right by looking at the horse’s form. Pick one with consistency, one that doesn’t always win but does come in second, third or fourth. Not one that might win one day and not place at all the next, that’s too risky.
You want a consistent runner. Something reliable will bode you well with this type of bet.
A horse with a good track record of a solid performance under the same conditions is a great choice. A horse that has shown it has consistent form is a wiser pick than one that has never stepped foot on the same surface.
It’s worth having a punt on a runner that comes with a larger price tag who might outshine its odds. So check out the trainers and what record they have, any horses that are making a comeback from a break or went from a good streak into a dip and are coming back to that good form they previously showed.
History of Tote Placepot
Although not tied to one particular bookmaker, the Tote Placepot is the work of the Tote Business. They do other things, too, like a jackpot and quadpot but placepots are probably the most popular.
The business was bought out by Betfred for a mega £265m just shy of a decade ago. It meant Betfred had sole control over operating pool bets at UK-based racecourses for 7 years, as well as the 500 Tote shops and their website (totesport.com).
Many leading bookies offer this bet with a Paddy Power placepot and a Ladbrokes placepot one of the most popular bets in the UK every day.
Summary of the Placepot Bet – UK and Irish Meetings
A placepot is a really fun way to bet, it is one of the most popular racing bets placed every day up and down the UK and Ireland, as well as some major international meetings. They offer great value for money and possible big returns.
You will recognise the placepot bet slips in most betting shops across the country.
Good luck with your placepot and remember to bet responsibly!
Which Bookmakers Do Placepots Today?
These bookies and online betting sites all do a live placepot (toteplacepot):
- 10bet Review
- 32Red Horse Racing
- 888 Horse Racing
- bet365 Horse Racing
- BETDAQ Review
- Betfair Exchange
- Betfair Horse Racing
- Betfred Horse Racing
- BetMGM Horse Racing
- BetUK Horse Racing
- BetVictor Horse Racing
- Betzone Review
- BoyleSports Horse Racing
- Coral Horse Racing
- Fansbet Horse Racing
- Ladbrokes Horse Racing
- LeoVegas Horse Racing
- LiveScore Bet Horse Racing
- MansionBet Horse Racing
- Mr Green Horse Racing
- Mr Play Sport
- Paddy Power Horse Racing
- Parimatch Horse Racing
- Quinnbet Horse Racing
- Racebets Horse Racing
- SBK Sports Betting Review
- Sky Bet Horse Racing
- Smarkets Betting Exchange Review
- Spreadex Horse Racing
- Tote Horse Racing
- Unibet Horse Racing
- Virgin Bet Horse Racing
- William Hill Horse Racing
Many of the above horse betting sites, such as bet365 and William Hill, made it into our highly recommended list. Check out our reviews on them today.
Check out all the related Tote Pool Betting related posts.
- Best Placepot Betting Sites
- Is it better to bet on the Tote?
- The Tote Company
- Today’s Tote Placepot Tips
- Tote Betting App
- Tote Betting Slips
- Tote Cheltenham Betting Offers
- Tote Credit
- Tote Epsom Derby Betting Offers
- Tote Exacta
- Tote Exotic Bets
- Tote Fantasy
- Tote Guarantee
- Tote Horse Racing
- Tote Jackpot
- Tote Live Streaming
- Tote Payment Methods
- Tote Place
- Tote Placepot
- Tote Placepot 7
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- Tote Plus
- Tote Quadpot
- Tote Scoop 6
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- Tote Welcome Offer
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- Tote World Pool
- Tote York Ebor Betting Offers
Subjects Covered:
- Placepot running totals
- Placepot calculator
- Placepot checker
- Placepot bet365
- Placepots yesterday
- Irish placepot bets
- First racing pool bet