The placepot is one of the most popular bets in British racing. You don’t need to find a winner: you just need a horse to be placed in each of the first six races at one meeting. This guide shows you how to do a placepot on the Betfred app step by step, how to do the same bet on the Tote and William Hill, what it costs, and the rules that catch people out.
Quick answer: In the Betfred app, open horse racing, go to the Tote / Pools area, pick the meeting and choose Placepot. Pick at least one horse in each of the first six races, set your stake per line, check the total cost on the bet slip and place the bet before the first race starts.
What is a placepot?
A placepot is a pool bet run by the Tote. You pick at least one horse in each of the first six races (the six “legs”) at a single meeting. If at least one of your picks is placed in every leg, you win a share of the pool.
Because it’s a pool bet, there are no fixed odds. Everyone’s stakes go into one pot, the operator takes its deduction (27% on the UK Placepot), and what’s left is shared between the winning tickets. The fewer winning tickets, the bigger the payout. The dividend is declared to a £1 stake.
A placepot runs at every UK and Irish meeting, every day.
How many places count in each race?
What counts as “placed” depends on the number of runners in each leg:
| Runners in the race | Places that count |
|---|---|
| 4 or fewer | Winner only |
| 5 to 7 | 1st and 2nd |
| 8 or more | 1st, 2nd and 3rd |
| Handicaps with 16 or more runners | 1st to 4th |
The number of runners that counts is the number that actually line up, so a non-runner can change the place terms for that leg. Small fields are the hardest legs, because in a race of four you need the winner.
How much does a placepot cost?
Each combination of one horse from every leg is a “line”. You work out the number of lines by multiplying the number of picks in each leg together, then multiply by your stake per line.
| Leg | Picks |
|---|---|
| Race 1 | 2 |
| Race 2 | 1 |
| Race 3 | 3 |
| Race 4 | 1 |
| Race 5 | 2 |
| Race 6 | 1 |
That’s 2 × 1 × 3 × 1 × 2 × 1 = 12 lines. At 50p a line, the bet costs £6. If the dividend is £80 to a £1 stake and one of your lines comes in, you get £40 back (50p is half of £1). If two of your lines come in, you get both.
Minimum stakes are set by whoever takes your bet. At the time of writing (October 2026), the Tote’s own website and app take a minimum placepot of 50p in total, and the minimum on course at Tote windows is £2. Bookmakers can set their own minimums, so the bet slip will tell you if your stake is too low.
How to do a placepot on the Betfred app
- Log in to the Betfred app and make sure you have funds in your account.
- Open horse racing and go to the Tote / Pools area.
- Pick the meeting you want to play, then choose Placepot.
- Pick your horses for leg 1. Tap one or more runners in the first race. Picking more than one horse is called a “perm”.
- Repeat for legs 2 to 6. You must have at least one pick in all six races before you can place the bet.
- Set your stake per line. The bet slip shows the number of lines and the total cost, so check it before you go further.
- Place the bet before the off of the first race. Once the first leg starts, the pool closes and new placepots aren’t accepted.
- Follow it in My Bets. Your placepot appears there, so you can follow it leg by leg.
App layouts change from time to time, so the menu names may differ slightly. If you can’t see the pools area, search the racing section for “Placepot”. See our Betfred app review for the app’s other racing features, including Best Odds Guaranteed and live streaming.
How to do a placepot on the Tote app
The Tote runs the placepot pool, so its own app is the most direct way to play.
- Log in to the Tote app and choose Placepot from the bet types.
- Pick the meeting.
- Choose your horses in each of the six legs. You can also pick FAV in any leg to take whichever horse is favourite at the off.
- Enter your stake, check the number of lines and the total, and confirm.
Read our Tote app review for more on its pool bets, including the Jackpot and Scoop6.
How to do a placepot with William Hill
William Hill acts as an agent for the Tote: placepots placed with William Hill go straight into the live Tote pool and are settled under the UK Tote rules, so you get the same dividend as Tote customers. William Hill also takes the Quadpot, Jackpot and Scoop6.
To place one, open the horse racing section, pick the meeting and look for the Tote pool bets, then choose Placepot and make your selections as above. William Hill’s help pages say pool bets are taken online, by phone and in its shops. See our William Hill app guide for its other racing bets.
William Hill’s current welcome offer is Bet £10, Get £30 in free bets, with minimum odds of 1/2. Free bets expire after 7 days, and PayPal and Apple Pay deposits are excluded. 18+. New customers only. T&Cs apply. Checked 21 October 2026, so always check the latest terms on William Hill’s site.
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Placepot rules worth knowing
- Non-runners: if one of your horses doesn’t run, your pick moves to the unnamed favourite for that leg (the starting price favourite). If there are joint favourites, it goes to the one with the lowest racecard number.
- Void or abandoned races: if a race is declared void, the placepot is settled on the remaining legs.
- Closing time: the pool closes when the first leg starts. You can’t add a placepot once racing is under way.
- Dividends: dividends are declared to a £1 stake and rounded down to the nearest 10p. The live dividend is updated after each leg, so you can see roughly what you’re playing for.
- Cash out: placepots usually can’t be cashed out, so once the bet is on, it runs to the end.
What is a quadpot?
The quadpot is a separate pool on the last four legs of the placepot (races 3 to 6). It works the same way, but you only need four placed horses. It’s a useful second chance if your placepot goes down in the first two legs, but it’s a separate bet with its own stake, and it usually pays less because it’s easier to land.
Placepot tips
- Set a budget first. Lines multiply quickly: three picks in every leg is 729 lines. Decide on a total cost, then build the perm to fit it.
- Spend your picks on the hard legs. Use a single “banker” in a leg where one horse looks very likely to place, and add more picks in big, open handicaps.
- Watch small fields. A race of 4 runners or fewer needs the winner, and a non-runner can turn an 8-runner race into a 7-runner one that only pays two places.
- Look for value, not just safety. If every leg is won by the favourites, thousands of tickets win and the dividend is small. One less-fancied horse that places can make a big difference to the payout.
- Big meetings pay more. Pools at festivals such as Cheltenham are much bigger than at an ordinary midweek meeting, but the fields are bigger and harder too.
Placepot FAQs
Do you have to pick the winner in a placepot?
No, your horse only needs to be placed. The exception is a race with four or fewer runners, where only the winner counts.
Which races are in the placepot?
The first six races at the meeting. If a meeting has fewer than six races, check the bet’s rules on the day before you play.
What happens if my horse is a non-runner?
Your pick is moved to the favourite for that leg, so your bet stays alive.
Can I do a placepot on the Betfred app?
Yes. Open horse racing, go to the Tote / Pools area, pick the meeting and choose Placepot. The steps are above.
When do I have to place my placepot?
Before the first race of the meeting starts. Pools usually open the day before.
Can you cash out a placepot?
Usually not. Placepots are pool bets, and cash out generally isn’t offered on them.
How is the placepot dividend worked out?
The operator takes its deduction from the total pool (27% for the UK Placepot), and the rest is shared between the winning tickets. It’s declared to a £1 stake, so you multiply it by your stake per line and by the number of winning lines you have.
What is the difference between a placepot and a jackpot?
Both cover the first six races, but the jackpot needs the winner of every race, while the placepot only needs a placed horse in each.
Related guides
- Horse racing bet types explained
- The Tote: how pool betting works
- Betfred app review
- Tote app review
- William Hill app review
- Cash out betting explained
18+ only. Please gamble responsibly. If betting stops being fun, see our responsible gambling page or visit BeGambleAware.org. Sources: William Hill Tote pool betting rules; The Jockey Club placepot guide. Checked 23 October 2026.
