Best Odds Guaranteed Explained: How BOG Works in Racing

What best odds guaranteed means

When you take a price on a horse with a bookmaker that offers BOG, and the starting price (SP) turns out bigger, you are paid at the SP instead. If the SP is shorter than the price you took, you keep your price. Either way, you get the bigger of the two.

Worked example

You back a horse for 2 points to win at 5/1. It drifts and starts at 8/1, and it wins.

• Without BOG you're paid at 5/1: 2 × 5 = 10 points profit.
• With BOG you're paid at the 8/1 SP: 2 × 8 = 16 points profit.

If the horse had shortened to 3/1 instead, you'd keep your 5/1 and make 10 points, where an SP bet would make 6. If it loses, you lose your 2 points whatever happens.

Use our odds converter or each-way calculator to work out returns at either price.

Typical conditions

BOG terms vary between bookmakers and change over time, so always read your own bookmaker's terms. Typically:

• It covers UK and Irish horse racing, and sometimes other racing too.
• It applies from a set time on race day, often early in the morning. Bets struck the evening before may not qualify.
• It applies to win and each-way singles. Multiples and some bet types may be treated differently.
• Ante-post bets, bets at SP, and bets placed in-running don't qualify.
• Some bookmakers exclude particular races or meetings, or cap the extra winnings BOG can pay.
• Bookmakers can remove BOG from individual accounts, and often do with punters who win regularly.

Rule 4 deductions still apply when a horse is withdrawn, and how they interact with BOG can differ between bookmakers. Our Rule 4 calculator shows what a deduction costs.

Why BOG records can look better than you can get

A tipster's record settled with BOG takes the bigger of the advised price and the SP on every winner. Every winner that drifted adds a little extra, and every winner that shortened keeps the advised price. BOG can never make a record worse, so it is always at least as good as the same bets at advised prices.

That's a fair way to settle if you can get BOG on every bet. But many punters can't: their accounts have been restricted, they bet on an exchange, the tip came out before their bookmaker's BOG starts, or the race was excluded. For them, the advised-price record is the more realistic guide. When you judge any tipster, ask for both figures. Our guide on how to judge a tipster covers this and the other checks worth making.

How we report it

The Gallop settles every tip against the official Sporting Life result at the bigger of the advised price and the SP, as a bookmaker offering best odds guaranteed would pay. We also publish the record at advised prices only, so you can see exactly how much BOG adds. Both are on our results page, and our transparency report explains how they're worked out.

Questions

Does best odds guaranteed cost anything?

No. It's a free concession on bets that qualify. The catch is that bookmakers can withdraw it from individual accounts, and they often do with punters who win regularly.

Does BOG apply to each-way bets?

Usually, yes: both the win and the place part are settled at the bigger price. Some bookmakers treat multiples differently, so check the terms before you rely on it.

What if I take SP rather than a price?

Then you're paid at the starting price anyway. Best odds guaranteed only matters when you take a fixed price before the race.

Can I get BOG on a betting exchange?

No. An exchange matches your bet at the odds you ask for, and there's no starting price top-up. Exchange prices are often bigger than bookmakers' prices to begin with, but you pay commission on winnings.

Why do tipsters quote records settled with BOG?

Because many tips go out in the morning, and prices move before the off. Settling at the bigger price matches what a punter with BOG on every bet would get. It can only add to the record, so a fair tipster should also show the figure at advised prices only.

18+ only. Gambling can be addictive: the National Gambling Helpline is 0808 8020 133.

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