Goliath Betting Term Meaning

A Goliath is a wager placed on eight selections and consisting of 247 bets. These bets are 28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 four-folds, 56 five-folds, 28 six-folds, 8 seven-folds, and 1 eight-fold accumulator.

The Goliath is one of the largest combination bets you can place. It’s a favoured bet for ardent horse racing punters but as with all bet types, it can be used on any other sport if desired. There are no single bets in a Goliath, so the punter needs a minimum of two correction selections to get a return. 

With this being a 247-bet wager, it is unlikely that you will return a profit with less than three or four winning bets.

How to place a win only Goliath bet


Firstly, you have to pick eight selections. It doesn’t matter about the order in which they are added to the bet slip as each individual selection has equal weight on the return. In this example, we’re going to pick 8 horses from the day’s racecards:

  1. Lucky Clover @ 3.00
  2. Archer @ 5.00
  3. Southern Belle @ 1.80
  4. Warm Igloo @ 8.00
  5. Rouletto @ 4.50
  6. Wildheat Drummer @ 2.00
  7. Sultan Tut @ 2.20
  8. Ranger’s Help @ 11.00

When the selections have been added to the bet slip, look for the ‘System Bets’ or ‘Combinations’ tab and select ‘Goliath’. 

Goliath Example


Below is a sample of the combinations involved (the numbers correspond to the list of horses above).

Bet TypeNo. of betsCombinations
Doubles 28 1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 1x5, 1x6, 1x7, 1x8, 2x3, 2x4... etc
Trebles 56 1x2x3, 1x2x4, 1x2x5, 1x2x6, 1x2x7, 1x2x8… etc
Four-folds 70 1x2x3x4, 1x2x3x5, 1x2x3x6, 1x2x3x7, 1x2x3x8… etc
Five-folds 56 1x2x3x4x5, 1x2x3x4x6, 1x2x3x4x7, 1x2x3x4x8… etc
Six-folds  28 1x2x3x4x5x6, 1x2x3x4x5x7, 1x2x3x4x5x8...etc
Seven-folds  8 1x2x3x4x5x6x7, 1x2x3x4x5x6x8, 2x3x4x5x6x7x8… etc
Eight-fold  1 1x2x3x4x5x6x7x8

As there are 247 separate bets, the amount to stake per bet depends on the punter’s bankroll and the betting limits (if any) at the bookmakers.
  • £0.10 per bet = total cost is £24.70
  • £0.50 per bet = total cost is £123.50
  • £1 per bet = total cost is £247

Calculating a Goliath bet payout


With 247 active bets, the payout from a Goliath can be huge if the majority of the selections win. To provide a complete overview of how the payouts increase progressively, let’s begin with the minimum number of winners required to get a return.

Bet No.Horse’s nameOddsResult
1 Lucky Clover 3.00 Won
2 Archer 5.00 Won

The winning bet is 1 double (1x2):
  • 1x2 = 3.0 x 5.0 = 15.0
Based on a £1 per bet stake (£247 total), the total return is £15, so a £232 loss.

Bet No.Horse’s nameOddsResult
1 Lucky Clover 3.0 Won
2 Archer 5.0 Won
3 Southern Belle 1.8 Won

The winning bets are 3 doubles (1x2, 1x3, 2x3) and 1 treble (1x2x3):
  • 1x2 = 3.0 x 5.0 = 15.0
  • 1x3 = 3.0 x 1.8 = 5.4
  • 2x3 = 5.0 x 1.8 = 9.0
  • 1x2x3 = 3.0 x 5.0 x 1.8 = 27.0
Total return is £56.40 = £190.6 loss.

Bet No.Horse’s nameOddsResult
1 Lucky Clover 3.0 Won
2 Archer 5.0 Won
3 Southern Belle 1.8 Won
4 Warm Igloo 8.0 Won

The winning bets are 6 doubles (1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 2x3, 2x4, 3x4), and 4 trebles (1x2x3, 1x2x4, 1x3x4, 2x3x4) and 1 four-fold (1x2x3x4):
  • 1x2 = 3.0 x 5.0 = 15.0
  • 1x3 = 3.0 x 1.8 = 5.4
  • 1x4 = 3.0 x 8.0 = 24.0
  • 2x3 = 5.0 x 1.8 = 9.0
  • 2x4 = 5.0 x 8.0 = 40.0
  • 3x4 = 1.8 x 8.0 = 14.40
  • 1x2x3 = 3.0 x 5.0 x 1.8 = 27.0
  • 1x2x4 = 3.0 x 5.0 x 8.0 = 120.0
  • 1x3x4 = 3.0 x 1.8 x 8.0 = 43.2
  • 2x3x4 = 5.0 x 1.8 x 8.0 = 72.0
  • 1x2x3x4 = 3.0 x 5.0 x 1.8 x 8.0 = 216.0
Total return is £586 = £339 profit.

If all 8 selections won, so each bet paid out, the total return would be £383,162.78 (minus the £247).

There is the potential to make a lot of money by placing Goliath bets, but there is also the possibility of losing a lot as well. We recommend using betting calculators at the bookmakers to work out your returns based on the odds of your selections. 

For instance, with some well-researched bet selections which include several that you would class as bankers, and then only 1 or 2 longshots, the Goliath bet could be a good choice. 

Goliath Bet FAQ

What is a Goliath bet?

A Goliath bet is a wager placed on eight selections and consisting of 247 bets. These bets are 28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 four-folds, 56 five-folds, 28 six-folds, 8 seven-folds, and 1 eight-fold accumulator.