Using the goliath calculator
The goliath calculator opens at 10p a bet with eight sample prices. Type your own odds (5/2, 3.5, +250 or evs) and mark each selection Won, Lost or Void. Choose Per bet for the unit stake on your slip, or Total to type what you spent and let the calculator divide it by 247. Switch on Each way to set the place terms and mark placed horses, and open See every bet to check any of the 247 lines.
247 bets: what is inside a Goliath
A Goliath covers eight selections in different races in every combination of two or more, with no singles.
| Bet | Number |
|---|---|
| Doubles | 28 |
| Trebles | 56 |
| Four-folds | 70 |
| Five-folds | 56 |
| Six-folds | 28 |
| Seven-folds | 8 |
| Eight-fold | 1 |
| Total | 247 |
It is one step up from a Super Heinz (seven selections, 120 bets), which is itself one up from a Heinz (six selections, 57 bets).
Goliath cost at 10p and £1
| Stake per bet | Win only (247 bets) | Each way (494 bets) |
|---|---|---|
| 10p | £24.70 | £49.40 |
| 50p | £123.50 | £247.00 |
| £1 | £247.00 | £494.00 |
If you start from a budget, choose Total and the calculator divides it for you: £24.70 total is 10p a bet win only, and £49.40 total is 10p a line each way. Bookmakers set their own minimum unit stake for multiples, so check yours before going below 10p.
Every line is settled on its own, which is why the top of the bet is so large. With all eight sample prices winning, the eight-fold alone is worth £21,829.50 at 10p.
Why a Goliath needs small stakes
Every penny on the unit stake is multiplied by 247, or 494 each way, and most of those bets need a lot to go right. 163 of the 247 bets are four-folds or bigger, so they need at least four winners. The number of bets that pay grows with each winner: 1 with two winners, 4 with three, 11 with four, 26 with five, 57 with six, 120 with seven and all 247 with eight.
With the sample prices at 10p a bet (£24.70 staked), three winners at 2/1, 5/2 and 7/2 return just £8.70. A fourth winner at 9/2 lifts that to £62.60, and a fifth at 4/1 to £383.85, the worked example below. At the top end the numbers get large even at short prices: a £1 Goliath with all eight winning at evens returns £6,544.
Each way, the place lines can carry the bet on their own. A £1 each way Goliath (£494 staked) with all eight horses placing at 4/1, on 1/4 odds, returns £6,544 from the place lines although none of them won. Those are the best cases. With three winners or fewer, the 247 stakes are hard to win back, which is why a small unit stake matters. Set a budget first; our responsible gambling page has tools to help.