Tote Placepot explained: What It Is And How It Works - Full Guide

If you enjoy betting on horse racing then chances are that you've come across the Tote Placepot. It's one of the most popular types of horse racing betting in the UK due to its mix of low stakes and high reward.

In this guide below, we'll break down exactly what the Placepot is, how it works, the best strategies to use, and why it remains one of the most exciting and accessible bets in UK horse racing.

Broken down into the most simplest of terms, the placepot is a type of pool betting where punters pick at least one horse to place in the first six races of a card to win a share of the jackpot - but there's a bit more to it.

If you're successful in picking the most results, the prize can be extremely lucrative.

The more people who take part in a particular pool = the larger the total prize will be.

Punters are betting against one another - as opposed to the bookies - in the hope of fewer people predicting the correct score to win an even larger prize.

As mentioned above, the Placepot works with the Tote pool betting system - and they're not as complicated as it might first seem.

Available at every UK race meeting, the minimum stake starts from just 5p. But understanding how your total bet is calculated is key.

If backing more than one horse in any race - known as multiple lines - your chances of landing a winning combination increase. But more lines = a higher total stake.

If you choose two horses in each race, you'll have 64 lines in total to cover.
If betting 50p on each line, that leaves you with a total stake of £32

If you're already comfortable with accumulators or bet builders, then the Tote Placepot will feel like a natural next step. It brings that same thrill of multi-leg betting, but with a unique twist of not always needing to back the winner.

It's become something of a badge of honour among racing punters - landing a Placepot, especially on a tricky card, carries real bragging rights. As you're not always relying on favourites, there's plenty of room for smart strategy and big-value surprises.

Here's three main reasons why it's so popular with punters.

The first and most important strategy to keep in mind when choosing a Placepot bet is to set a personal limit for your overall stake.

From there, you can choose to spread lines accordingly if you want to choose more than one horse per race.

It is common to have a mix of single - banker selections - and multiples to increase your potential prizepot.

If selecting the favourites for all six races, any placepot payout will be minimal at best as it will be shared between more bettors.

For the smaller-field races, you're more likely going to want to pick the favourite due to the need of the horse winning the race.

But there will be many races where it looks open or features lots of evenly matched runners, giving you an opportunity to cover your bases with multiple selections.

Form guides, trainer record and a horse making its long-awaited return are all important factors to consider as well when picking your Placepot.

Ready to try your hand at the Placepot? Tote is the home of pool betting, but they aren't the only UK bookie to give you access to Placepot bets.

Below are the top betting sites where you can get started with strong welcome offers and free bets.