You are here: Back vs Lay Calculator


Since the betting exchange isn't a bookmaker, the amount of money available on the exchange is limited. This money comes from other bettors or individuals placing a back stake. So, the maximum amount of lay bet you can place shouldn't exceed the liquidity.


When you place a lay bet, your stake gets matched with other traders on the exchange who want to “Back” the same selection to win. This means you take on a risk, referred to as the “liability,” which is the potential amount you might have to pay out to those who backed against your stake. The liability of a lay bet hinges on both the stake and the agreed odds with the punter.

A betting exchange is a platform, like Betfair, that allows users to bet against each other. Since you act as the bookmaker, the bet is between two players. This is a feature many traditional betting sites don't offer. On a betting exchange, there must be a player placing a 'back' stake and another placing a 'lay' stake.

Lay bettingback bettingBack bettinglay bettinglay betting

Of course, you cannot make a profit by backing both players at these prices, as the book percentage is 103.59%.

However, if Bookmaker B offered 1.91 for McEnroe, you would then have a book of 97.81% from .

But, when you lay a selection, you are backing it not to win. This raises ethical questions because it then becomes much easier to fix a race for a specific horse not to win.

Moreover, you can find calculators that are also ideal for identifying the best odds to back and lay if you want to make a tidy profit.

Top Tips for Maximising Lay Bet Winnings

If you simply do not have the time for calculating winnings or find that this step is just a touch more complicated than you might like, there are cheats sheets offering shortcuts to finding the ideal lay bets and maximising your profits.

Our lay bet calculator is simple to use with an excellent interface. You can use the steps below as a guide, but it is essential you pick the necessary information from the betting exchange.


Back and lay betting in cricket

So now, when you’re placing your matched bets, we calculate the amount you need to lay, and the integrated tool places that lay bet with the click of a button!

Lay Betting Calculatorback and lay calculator

A typical, simplistic lay bet calculator will allow you to enter your Back State, and Back Odds, Lay Odds and Lay Commission, and through this, you can find out your liability, stake, and what happens if you win your bet at the bookmaker and exchange.

Lay Betting Calculatorlay bettingPremier League

Betfair is one of the best betting exchanges around if you’re looking to place lay bets on sporting events from across the globe. We’ve provided you with a step-by-step guide on how to place a lay bet on Betfair.

lay bettingLay Betting Calculatorbetting exchanges in Australia

At this stage their prices always lessens dramatically, but wily video form students have a lists of quirky or ingenuine horses which find no improvement when their jockey ask for it and they quickly go from looking like a winner to rapidly back-peddling - not before shrewd lay betting strategists have traded themselves a profit.

lay bettingLay Betting Calculatorbet matching

If your lay bet is successful, you make a profit of £107.80. Removing the £100 stake on the back bet leaves you with a turnover of £7.80.

Profit = (Back Odds – Lay Odds) * Stake / Lay Odds

If you do not want to waste time calculating the potential returns from lay bets, then opting to go with one of these Lay of the Day tips could be ideal.

lay bettingback and lay betting

Before placing lay bets, you must have enough funds in your account to cover the liability. For example, you may place a £40 back stake at 7/1 odds on a horse. Placing a lay amount of this equivalent means that you can win £40 if you win or payout £280 as a liability to the matched bettor if you lose.

I have found the following formula: LAYODDS = 1 + ( 1/(BACKODDS-1) ).

Etsitään vieläkin isommat kertoimet! Pörssin vastavedon kertoimen pitäisi olla kuitenkin edelleen suht lähellä (vedonlyöntisivuston) back-kerrointa. Hyvät kertoimet ilmaisvetoon ovat esim. 6.5 ja 7 Lay.

Lay Betting Calculatorhow to manage liability in lay betting

It is perceived that lay betting increases your chances of winning. In a way it does, because in Horse Racing, laying a horse means you are effectively backing 10 other horses!

The example assumes that your Betfair commission rate is 4%.

It’s important to note that the liability for this £10 lay bet is £100. This calculation follows the formula of £10 x (11.0 – 1) = £100. Your betting account must have enough funds to cover this liability in the event that Huddersfield wins the match.