If you are a fan of horse racing or greyhound racing, then you will likely have heard about the best odds guaranteed promotion that many bookmakers offer. Not quite as open as it has been in the past, but still a very lucrative offer that you should always have on your side where possible.
However, it is also an offer that you need to understand fully if you want to get the very best from it, and here we are going to explain all you need to know about best odds guaranteed and how to use it.
It is also important to know when best odds guaranteed won’t apply, which is usually down to the timing of your bet or the race you are betting on, and we also cover this here.
Bookies With Best Odds Guaranteed
Despite once being almost ubiquitous BOG is no longer offered by all sportsbooks, even some big names have reduced or removed the concession of late. Head over to our promotions page if you are looking for bookmakers that still provide best odds guarantee.
Understanding the Basics of Best Odds Guaranteed
First of all, the great news is that many bookmakers offer the best odds guarantee promotion to their customers. Where offered, this is always available across UK & Irish horse racing. At the same time, some bookmakers extend their promotion and also include international racing, or they include greyhound racing on the races that have early prices available for you to take.
The term best odds guaranteed has been used to describe this promotion since it started, though you are not actually getting the best. Instead, you get the best odds available to you. This is one of two options, either the odds you take at the time you place the bet or the SP. It is possible that the selection is available at bigger odds, either at a different time or at a different bookmaker, but you won’t get those.
To help you understand, here are two examples of where best odds guaranteed works for you, but also show what you will not get.
Example 1
- The price you take in the morning on your horse is 8/1
- The SP of the horse is returned at 5/1
In this example, you will be paid out on the biggest of those prices, which is 8/1, the price you took in the morning. This is bigger than the SP, so as has always been the case, you are paid out at the odds you took.
A note to this, the price before you placed a bet, and the price in between, do not count. So, although it’s called ‘best odds guaranteed’ if your selection goes to 10/1 an hour after you’ve placed your bet, you will not get this.
Example 2
- The price you take in the morning on your horse is 3/1
- The SP of the horse is returned at 6/1
In this example, this is where the promotion will come in and give you a bigger price. You took 3/1 on your bet, and standard rules mean that you will be paid out at that price. However, the promotion gives you the biggest price, either the one you took or the SP and in this case, it is the SP, which is 6/1.
Same as the example above, even though the offer is coming into play here, you still do not get any other price, even if the horse has been bigger priced in between. For example, if the horse was 7/1 at any point, you don’t get that, the reference to the biggest is simply between the price you have and the SP.
How to Use Best Odds Guaranteed
When it comes to using the best odds guaranteed promotion, you don’t need to do anything yourself to access the promotion other than to take the price on your selection when you place the bet.
When you take the price, you are locking yourself into that, so will be paid out at that price regardless of what happens next. When the race has finished, the SP is looked at as the winner and compared to the price on winning bets. Whichever of these two prices is the biggest is used as the payout price.
In terms of whether you should use the offer or not, if this is available on your bet, then it makes complete sense to take it every time. By taking the offer, you cannot lose, you are giving yourself a price that is locked in, and if the SP is bigger, you will receive that.
Yes, the price may change in between your bet and the start of the race and could go higher, but having the time and ability to keep checking the odds is not something that everyone has. Whenever you place a bet that is eligible for this offer, make sure you take the price and make the bet eligible for the best odd guaranteed offer.
Understanding the Different Bookmaker Rules
The only other element of this that you need to look at is the races you are betting on and the timing of your bets. Depending on your bookmaker, some of these may make you ineligible for the offer.
This will be covered in the bookmaker rules, so make sure you check these out if you are not familiar with what your bookmaker offers to ensure you don’t miss out on this promotion. In the past, bookmakers simply offered best odds guaranteed on any bets when they had prices available, but this offer has now been limited by many, and the biggest limit is the timing of when you place bets.
You will be able to place bets the night before racing if you wish, and prices are available. However, this offer is not with some bookmakers. Bets placed at this time will be paid out as regular bets, so you will get the price you take, or you can choose to take the SP.
A small number of bookmakers still offer best odds guaranteed the night before, but more and more are moving towards offering this from a fixed time in the morning, such as 8 am, 9 am or 10 am on the morning of the race. If this is the case for you, then, of course, it makes sense to wait and place your bets where possible.
The other difference between bookmakers will be what they cover. Some will cover international racing, either full-time or on selected meetings, while others stick to UK & Irish racing only. The sport of greyhound racing, if you bet on that, is another to look out for. Some bookmakers offer best odds guaranteed on this, while others stick to horse racing only.
For some people, these two differences may not matter, but if you bet on international racing or greyhound racing, then it makes sense to look into this and find which bookmakers offer what you need.
When Does Best Odds Guaranteed Not Apply?
Given the differences between bookmakers and their rules around this promotion, it is very difficult to put together a definitive list of when best odds guaranteed does not apply.
However, to try and assist with this, here are some of the examples where you will not receive best odds guaranteed if your bookmaker includes them in their rules.
- Ante-post bets (all bookmakers) – unless specifically stated, e.g. some will run BOG further in advance for the likes of the Cheltenham Festival and Grand National
- Best placed before the start time of the promotion (all bookmakers)
- Bets on international racing (selected bookmakers)
- Best on greyhound racing (selected bookmakers)
- Totepool bets (all bookmakers)
- In-play bets (all bookmakers)
- Selections in multiple bets (selected bookmakers)
