Lucky 15 Terms Explained

If you’re new to betting, especially on horse racing, a Lucky 15 bet can seem confusing – there are a lot of moving parts to keep track of, and we’re not just talking about the races themselves! Not only is it made up of 15 bets, but you’ll often see bookmakers use extra terms that no one, has ever heard of… things like Rule 4, consolation, or each-way.

But getting to grips with this jargon is important because it directly affects how much you win or lose. In this guide, we explain the key Lucky 15 terminology in plain English, with examples so you know exactly how these rules impact your bet.

Lucky 15 Terminology

What is a Rule 4?

A Rule 4 is a deduction (usually quoted in pence to the £) applied to your winnings if a horse is withdrawn from a race after you’ve placed your bet.

• Why it happens: When a horse is withdrawn, the race becomes easier for the remaining runners. To keep things fair, bookmakers reduce payouts on bets already placed.
• Example: You back a horse at 5/1, but another strong runner is withdrawn. A Rule 4 deduction of 20p per pound is announced. If your horse wins, instead of £6 back on a £1 stake, you’ll get £4.80.
• Impact on a Lucky 15: Any line in your Lucky 15 that includes the affected horse will be paid out at the reduced rate.

See below for how our calculator sets these parameters, making it super simple for you to adjust your Lucky 15 winnings or odds calculations.

What is a One-Winner Consolation?

A one-winner consolation is a bookmaker bonus that boosts your payout if only one of your four selections wins in a Lucky 15.

• How it works: Normally, one winner just pays out the single bet. With the consolation, the bookmaker doubles the odds.
• Example: You back a horse at 3/1. If it’s your only winner, the bookmaker pays it as 6/1 instead. Your £1 single becomes £7 instead of £4.
• Impact: This makes Lucky 15s less risky than Yankees or accumulators, where one winner often means you lose most of your stake.

What is an All-Winners Bonus?

An all-winners bonus is a bookmaker reward for landing all four selections in your Lucky 15.

• How it works: If every selection wins, the bookmaker adds a percentage to your total return. This is usually 10%, but can vary.
• Example: Your Lucky 15 pays £300. With a 10% all-winners bonus, you’ll actually receive £330.
• Impact: It makes the top-end payout of a Lucky 15 more appealing, even though it will still be less than a £15 accumulator.

Again, our calculator enables this All Win Bonus so you simply need to choose the % – but you can also enter a custom number if your bookie has some super specific terms.

What is an Each-Way Lucky 15?

An each-way Lucky 15 doubles your bet, covering both win and place outcomes for each selection.

• How it works: Instead of 15 bets, you’re placing 30… 15 win bets and 15 place bets.
• Example: You stake £1 each way, so £2 per line. The total bet is £30. If a horse finishes 2nd or 3rd (depending on race terms), the place part of the bet still pays.
• Impact: It costs more, but it keeps your bet alive longer, especially if your horses are longer odds and more likely to place than win.

See below for the each way selector on our calculator and then the place odds (which we will get to in a second).

What is “Stake per Line” / “Stake per Bet”?

Stake per line is the amount you put on each individual bet within the Lucky 15.

• How it works: If you choose £1 per line, the total bet is £15 (because there are 15 lines). If you choose £2 per line, the total is £30.
• Impact: Always check your stake before confirming. Many new punters think they are staking £1 in total when they are actually staking £15.

Although you might think this is fairly standard stuff, it in fact becomes super complicated as this is the area I see most new bettors make mistakes, they think that this is OVERALL, not PER BET. That is wrong. It’s per bet / selection so keep the number low here… See below for our calculator in action.

What are “Singles, Doubles, Trebles and Fourfolds”?

A Lucky 15 is made up of different bet types:

• Singles: One bet on one selection. (4 singles total)
• Doubles: Two selections combined. (6 doubles total)
• Trebles: Three selections combined. (4 trebles total)
• Fourfold: All four selections combined. (1 fourfold total)
• Example: If Horse A and Horse B both win, the double pays out alongside the two singles.

What is “Fractional vs Decimal Odds”?

Fractional odds (like 3/1) and decimal odds (like 4.00) are two ways of showing the same thing.

• Fractional odds: 3/1 means you win £3 for every £1 staked.
• Decimal odds: 4.00 includes your stake, so a £1 bet pays £4.
• Impact on Lucky 15s: You can use either, but fractional is more common in UK horse racing. A Lucky 15 calculator helps convert automatically.

You can switch between fractional and decimal odds on all the best Lucky 15 calculators, this is because bookies can give you odds in variety of different formats and it all gets quite confusing…

What are “Place Terms”?

Place terms decide what counts as a place in each-way betting.

• Example: In a race with 8 runners, place terms might pay the first 3 horses at 1/5 of the win odds.
• Impact on an Each-Way Lucky 15: If your horse comes 2nd, you’ll still get a return at the place odds.

Always check the terms of your bookmaker to see if you are actually getting place odds or not before entering them into a calculator as you may get wildly different results from expected. See our calculator below to see how this works…

All Lucky 15 Terms Explained

Term	Meaning	Example	Impact on Bet
Rule 4	Deduction if a horse is withdrawn	20p per £1 deducted from winnings	Reduces payout on affected lines
One-Winner Consolation	Bonus if only one selection wins	3/1 paid as 6/1	Improves safety net
All-Winners Bonus	Extra % if all 4 win	10% added to £300 = £330	Boosts top-end payout
Each-Way Lucky 15	Win + Place version	£1 EW = £30 stake total	Keeps bet alive if horses place
Stake per Line	Amount per bet	£1 per line = £15 total	Total stake higher than many expect

Summary

The Lucky 15 is packed with jargon, it combines horse racing terminology and betting terms that you may never have heard before. But once you understand the terms, it’s actually pretty straightforward. A Rule 4 affects payouts, a one-winner consolation gives you a safety net, an all-winners bonus boosts your returns, and an each-way Lucky 15 doubles your chances.

Hopefully you can avoid surprises and make smarter decisions by simply learning this terminology. If you’re placing a Lucky 15, always check the small print, and use tools like a Lucky 15 Calculator to see how bonuses, deductions, and place terms impact your returns.