Understanding Rule 4 Deductions

Today’s email is about one of the least widely understood rules when it comes to having a bet on the geegeez… Rule 4 deductions.

A rule 4 deduction is the amount deducted from your potentials winnings from a bet in the event that another horse has been withdrawn from that race.

That all might sound a bit unfair, but you get your money refunded if your horse is the non runner and sometimes there isn’t even any deduction made for a non runner depending on the odds of the non runner, so it all evens itself out.

Here’s a standard table for rule 4 deductions that will let you no how much will be deducted from your winnings based on the odds of the horse that was withdrawn. (although they may slightly vary from bookie to bookie)

Rule 4 Deductions
3/10 or shorter = 75p in the £
2/5 to 1/3 = 70p in the £
8/15 to 4/9 = 65p in the £
4/5 to 4/6 = 55p in the £
20/21 to 5/6 = 50p in the £
Evens to 6/5 = 45p in the £
5/4 to 6/4 = 40p in the £
13/8 to 7/4 = 35p in the £
15/8 to 9/4 = 30p in the £
5/2 to 3/1 = 25p in the £
10/3 to 4/1 = 20p in the £
9/2 to 11/2 = 15p in the £
6/1 to 9/1 = 10p in the £
10/1 to 14/1 = 5p in the £
Over 14/1 = No Deductions

To calculate how much you would be deducted from your winnings in the event of a non runner, check the table above and find out how much of a deduction will apply.

For example if you backed a horse for £10 at odds of 5/1 you would initially expect a total profit of £50.

But the 2/1 favourite for the race has now withdrawn after you’ve placed your bet which should give your horse a better chance of winning, but it will also reduce the total you can expect to win.

In this case where the 2/1 favourite has been withdrawn, a 30% or 30p in the £ deduction would now apply.

To calculate how this will effect your profit if your horse was to win, simply take your original expected winnings, in this case £50 and deduct 30% from that figure.

£50 multiplied by 0.3 (30%) equals £15.

So in this case you would receive a £15 on your winnings leaving you with a total profit of £35 if your horse went on to win.

I hope that example has cleared up any confusion you might have had about rule 4 deductions.

And speaking of rule 4 deductions, you can view the results of the tipsters I recommend, including rule 4 deductions here: http://winnersodds.com/tipster-portfolio

Until next time,
Kenny Turnbull