Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG)

Intermediate•5-7 min•Horse Racing

What BOG means

Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) is a concession offered by many bookmakers on UK and Irish horse racing. If you take an early fixed price and the official Starting Price (SP) is higher, your winning bet is settled at the bigger SP. If the SP is lower, you keep your original (better) price. BOG is usually day-of-race only and excludes ante-post.

Illustration of early price vs SP — Early price locked in; if SP is bigger and the horse wins, BOG upgrades your payout to SP.

How BOG helps matched bettors

In a standard back-and-lay, you aim for a small qualifying loss either way. With BOG, you keep that profile for most outcomes, but if your horse drifts and wins at a bigger SP, the bookmaker pays extra while your exchange lay remains unchanged. That ‘BOG uplift’ turns the bet from a small cost into a solid profit on those occasions.

For each way bets, BOG (where offered) applies to the WIN part only; the PLACE part is not upgraded.

Step-by-step

1) Use the BOG Matcher to identify selections where the bookmaker offers BOG and back/lay prices are tight.
2) Place the back bet at the bookmaker (day-of-race fixed price with BOG active).
3) Lay the same horse in the WIN market on the exchange.
4) Keep the qualifying loss small. If your horse wins at a higher SP, BOG upgrades your bookmaker payout while the lay result is unchanged.

Open BOG Matcher

Example: equalised qualifier, then BOG uplift

Back £20 @ 4.00; Lay @ 4.10 (2% commission)

Lay stake ≈ £19.61; liability ≈ £60.78.

Equalised result either way ≈ -£0.78 (a small qualifying loss).

If SP is higher and the horse WINS (e.g., SP 5.00): bookmaker pays at SP → winnings £80.00.

Net with BOG uplift ≈ £19.22. Without BOG you would have ≈ -£0.78. BOG turns the qualifier into a profit when the SP is bigger.

When BOG is most useful

• Day-of-race markets with healthy liquidity, where your lay matches cleanly.
• Selections that may drift slightly towards the off (you still need tight prices at placement).
• Races without conflicting exclusions (e.g., some operators remove BOG on certain specials).

Terms to check

• Coverage: UK/IRE racing only; ante-post usually excluded.
• Activation time: many operators switch BOG on from a stated time on the day of the race.
• Stake types: singles only; multiples, forecasts or place-only may be excluded.
• Promotions: some brands exclude BOG when other concessions apply (e.g., extra places or certain boosts).
• Opt-in and caps: some require an opt-in and/or cap BOG-enhanced winnings per selection or per day.

Bookmaker coverage

Below is a concise summary of typical Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) activation times and payout limits by operator. Terms change; always verify on the bookmaker’s site before placing a bet.

• 888sport - BOG active from 08:00 on race day; daily payout cap around £25,000.

• Bar One Racing - Start time not specified; indicative payout limit about £10,000 per race.

• bet365 - BOG generally from 08:00 on the day of the race.

• Bet600 - BOG from roughly 10:00 on race day; guide cap circa £500 per selection.

• Betano - BOG from approximately 09:00; daily payout guide around £10,000.

• Betfred - BOG from 08:00; note that certain ‘Super Extra Place’ races are excluded.

• BetGoodwin - Active from about 10:00; guide cap near £1,000 per selection.

• BetVickers - From around 11:00; guide cap ~£100 per day.

• BetVictor - BOG from 09:00; daily payout cap commonly ~£10,000.

• Betway (opt-in) - From 09:00; daily payout guide ~£25,000; extra-place races typically excluded.

• BetZone - From around 10:00; daily payout guide ~£2,000.

• BoyleSports - From 08:00; typical daily max payout ~£50,000.

• bwin - From 08:00; daily payout guide ~£20,000.

• CopyBet - Activation time not specified.

• Coral - From 08:00; daily max payout often ~£50,000.

• Fafabet - Around 08:30 activation; guide cap ~£250 per bet.

• Geoff Banks - Start time not specified; typical staking guideline up to £200 win or each-way per race.

• Grosvenor - From 09:00; payout cap often ~£25,000.

• Hollywoodbets - Activation time not specified.

• Ladbrokes - From 08:00; daily payout guide ~£10,000.

• LiveScore Bet - From 10:00; daily payout guide ~£50,000.

• Paddy Power (opt-in) - From 08:00; daily payout guide ~£1,000.

• Party Poker / Party Casino - From 08:00; daily max payout commonly ~£50,000.

• QuinnBet - Around 10:00 activation; cap roughly ~£150 per race.

• Sky Bet - From 09:00; daily payout guide ~£50,000; Money Back races, Extra Places and some boosts are usually excluded; membership conditions may apply.

• Sportingbet - From 08:00; daily payout guide ~£20,000.

• talkSPORT BET - From 09:00; daily payout guide ~£10,000.

• Unibet - From 08:00; daily payout guide ~£25,000; Extra Place and Money-Back races usually excluded.

• Virgin Bet - From 10:00; daily payout cap often ~£50,000.

• William Hill (opt-in) - From 08:00; daily payout guide ~£25,000.

Frequently Asked Questions

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