What does Best Odds Guaranteed mean?

Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) means that if you take an early or fixed price on a horse and the starting price turns out to be bigger, the bookmaker pays you at the bigger starting price. If your taken price is bigger, you keep that. You always get the better of the two.

Is Best Odds Guaranteed worth it?

Yes. It removes the downside of a price drifting after you bet, so it can only ever increase your return, never reduce it. Over many bets it adds real value at no cost, which is why it is one of the most useful offers to look for.

When does Best Odds Guaranteed apply?

It typically applies to UK and Irish horse racing, on win and each-way singles and often multiples, from early in the morning (or when early prices are posted) until the race starts. Terms vary by bookmaker, so always check the specifics.

Does BOG work with each-way bets?

Usually yes. With most bookmakers the better-of-price applies to both the win and the place parts of an each-way bet, though the place terms themselves (fraction and number of places) stay as taken. Check the bookmaker's rules.

Best Odds Guaranteed Explained: How BOG Works and Why It Matters

Of all the concessions bookmakers offer, Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) is the one that matters most for everyday punters, because it puts money back in your pocket at no cost and no risk. Here is exactly how it works.

What Best Odds Guaranteed means

When you back a horse at a fixed price before the race, that price can move. Sometimes it shortens, sometimes it drifts out to a bigger starting price (SP). Best Odds Guaranteed settles the argument in your favour:

If you take a price and the SP is bigger, you are paid at the bigger SP. If your taken price is bigger, you keep your price.

You always get the better of the two. There is no scenario where BOG costs you anything, which is what makes it so valuable.

A worked example

You back a horse at 6.0 (5/1) with a £10 win single under Best Odds Guaranteed.

If it drifts and starts at 8.0 (7/1), you are paid at 8.0: £10 returns £80 instead of £60. The extra £20 is BOG working for you.
If it shortens to 4.0 (3/1), you keep your 6.0: £10 still returns £60.

Same bet, two outcomes, and BOG only ever moves the return up.

When it applies

Terms vary by bookmaker, but the common pattern is:

UK and Irish horse racing (and often greyhounds), usually not overseas racing.
On win and each-way singles, and frequently on multiples too.
From early in the morning, or whenever early prices are posted, until the off.
On fixed-price bets, not bets already struck at SP or on the exchange.

The terms to watch

BOG is genuinely punter-friendly, but read the small print:

Maximum payout / stake caps. Some firms cap the extra BOG pays, or limit it to a maximum stake per bet.
Excluded meetings or markets. Antepost, certain festivals or specials may be excluded.
Account restrictions. Some bookmakers limit or remove BOG for certain accounts, or exclude bets placed with free bets and some promotions.
Early-price windows. A few only apply BOG from a set time, not the moment the market opens.

How to use it well

Take an early price on a horse you think might shorten. If it shortens you have beaten the SP; if it drifts, BOG protects you, you cannot lose on the price.
Combine it with shopping around. Take the biggest early price you can find that also carries BOG, and you have the best of both worlds.
It pairs naturally with a value approach: when you have identified a price that looks too big (see value betting), BOG ensures a late drift never punishes you for being early.

Best Odds Guaranteed will not turn a bad bet into a good one, but it squeezes extra value out of every good one. Always look for it, and always check the terms. For how taken prices differ from SP in the first place, see our guide to the starting price.

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