How a Union Jack bet works
You place nine selections in a grid, numbered 1 to 9 from the top left, reading across:
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | 8 | 9 |
The bet is struck along the eight straight lines of the grid, the shape of the Union flag: three rows (1-2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8-9), three columns (1-4-7, 2-5-8, 3-6-9) and two diagonals (1-5-9, 3-5-7). As BetHQ's guide points out, that gives the positions different weights: the centre selection is in four lines, each corner in three, and each edge in two. Put a selection in the centre and it decides half the bet.
The four versions: Trebles, Trixie, Patent, Round Robin
Every version is one standard bet repeated on each of the eight lines:
| Version | Per line | Bets | What is inside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Jack Trebles | a treble | 8 | 8 trebles |
| Union Jack Trixie | a Trixie (4 bets) | 32 | 24 doubles, 8 trebles |
| Union Jack Patent | a Patent (7 bets) | 56 | 24 singles, 24 doubles, 8 trebles |
| Union Jack Round Robin | a Round Robin (10 bets) | 80 | 24 doubles, 8 trebles, 24 up-and-down pairs (48 bets) |
In the Patent, each selection's single is placed once for every line it sits on, so the centre has four singles, each corner three and each edge two: 24 singles in all. The calculator settles every one of them separately.
Some guides give a lower count for the Round Robin version. A Round Robin on three selections is 10 bets (3 doubles, a treble and three up-and-down pairs counted as two bets each), and eight of them make 80, which is the figure AceOdds publishes and the one this calculator uses.
How much does a Union Jack cost?
| Stake per bet | Trebles (8) | Trixie (32) | Patent (56) | Round Robin (80) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10p | £0.80 | £3.20 | £5.60 | £8.00 |
| 50p | £4.00 | £16.00 | £28.00 | £40.00 |
| £1 | £8.00 | £32.00 | £56.00 | £80.00 |
Each way doubles every figure. Choose Total under the stake if you would rather type a budget and let the calculator split it.
How many winners do you need?
Trebles: at least three winners on one line. Three winners scattered across the grid can pay nothing at all. With winners at 1, 2, 3 and the centre (5), only the top row pays, because every other line through the centre has a loser in it; at £1 a bet and prices of 2/1, 3/1 and 5/2 on the top row that is £42 back for £8.
Trixie: two winners on the same line pay a double. Patent and Round Robin: one winner pays its singles (or up-and-down bets), so these two return something from a single winner. In the worked example below, five winners in an X shape (the corners and the centre) fill both diagonals.
Each way, non-runners and Rule 4
Switch on Each way and every line gets a place version at the fraction of the odds on your slip; mark horses that only placed as Placed. A non-runner is settled at odds of 1.0 in every line it sits on, so a treble becomes a double on that line. Rule 4 and dead heats are set per selection under Rule 4 / dead heat. Check that your bookmaker accepts the version you want, online or in the shop, before you fill in the grid.