How to work out a Lucky 15
What it costs, what each number of winners returns, and how each way changes it.
Quick answer
A Lucky 15 is 15 bets on four selections: 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles and 1 fourfold. Multiply your stake per bet by 15 for the cost. To work out the return, settle each of the 15 bets on its own and add them up. A £1 Lucky 15 at 2/1, 3/1, 4/1 and 5/1 returns £839.00 if all four win.
Key facts
- Cost = stake per bet × 15. A £1 Lucky 15 costs £15; 50p costs £7.50.
- Each way doubles it: 30 bets, so £1 each way costs £30 and 50p each way costs £15.
- One winner is enough for a return, because the four singles are part of the bet.
- Many bookmakers pay a bonus for one winner or for all four. The terms differ, so check your bookmaker before you rely on one.
Work out a Lucky 15 in 4 steps
Open the Lucky 15 calculator
Go to the BetCalc365 Lucky 15 calculator. It opens with four selections and the 15 bets already set up.
Enter your stake and the four prices
Type your stake per bet (the calculator shows the total cost next to it) and the odds for each selection. Fractional, decimal and American odds all work.
Mark each result
Set each selection to Win, Lost, Place, Void or dead heat. For each way, switch on EW and set the place terms for each selection.
Read the breakdown
The results show the total return and profit, and a table splits it into singles, doubles, trebles and the fourfold so you can see where the money came from.
Worked example: £1 Lucky 15 at 2/1, 3/1, 4/1 and 5/1
Total stake £15.00. Returns for each result, worked out by the calculator’s engine with no bonuses applied.
| Result | Return | Profit or loss |
|---|---|---|
| All four win | £839.00 | +£824.00 |
| Three win (the 5/1 loses) | £119.00 | +£104.00 |
| Two win (the 2/1 and 3/1) | £19.00 | +£4.00 |
| One winner at 5/1 | £6.00 | −£9.00 |
| One winner at 2/1 | £3.00 | −£12.00 |
Bonuses are not included. If your bookmaker pays one, add it to the figure for one winner or four winners.
The same bet each way
£1 each way costs £30.00, with 1/4 odds for 3 places on every selection. The 2/1 and 3/1 win, the 4/1 is placed and the 5/1 is unplaced.
| Part | Return |
|---|---|
| Win bets (only the two winners count) | £19.00 |
| Place bets (the two winners and the placed horse count) | £19.63 |
| Total return | £38.63 |
How the 15 bets are made up
With selections A, B, C and D there are 4 singles (A, B, C, D), 6 doubles (AB, AC, AD, BC, BD, CD), 4 trebles (ABC, ABD, ACD, BCD) and 1 fourfold (ABCD). Each is a separate bet at your stake.
A double returns stake × the two decimal prices multiplied; a treble multiplies three; the fourfold multiplies all four. Any bet that includes a loser returns nothing. Add up what is left and you have the Lucky 15 return.
An each-way Lucky 15 is two Lucky 15s side by side: one on the win prices and one on the place prices. Winners count in both; placed selections count only in the place bets.
Each of the 15 bets carries the bookmaker’s margin, and it compounds in the doubles, trebles and fourfold. The overround guide shows how that works.
Common questions
How much does a Lucky 15 cost?
How many winners do I need on a Lucky 15?
What is the difference between a Lucky 15 and a Yankee?
How much is a 50p each way Lucky 15?
What happens if one of my Lucky 15 selections is a non-runner?
Related tools and guides
- Lucky 15 calculator, returns for any prices and results, each way or win only.
- Non-runner in an acca or Lucky 15, what your bet becomes when a selection doesn’t run.
- Yankee calculator, the same four selections without the singles.
- System bets calculator, every full-cover bet from Trixie to Goliath.
Worked examples on this page are produced by the same calculation engine as the calculators. 18+. Bet responsibly: help and tools.