What is a Straight Forecast Bet?

A straight forecast bet is a wager on two contenders in an event that you believe will finish in first and second place. It’s mostly used in horse racing and greyhound racing, but the straight forecast can also be used in other sports. This guide explores how the bet works, why many bettors love it, and more.

The Straight Forecast Explained

With a straight forecast bet, your aim is not only to pick the winner of an event but also the competitor that will finish in second place. You therefore need two selections for a standard forecast bet, and they must finish in the precise order you state on the betting slip. If only one selection occupies a top two position, or if your two selections finish in first and second place in the wrong order, the bet will lose.

This is often a challenge, but in certain events, it can be quite a bit easier than you might think. Consider a modest non-handicap race with six or seven runners, where there’s a solid odds-on favourite, a clear second favourite and a handful of mere hopefuls. It wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the favourite beat the second favourite in that kind of scenario, and that would make the race an ideal candidate for a horse racing forecast.

Because it poses a stiffer challenge than simply predicting the winner (which can itself be difficult enough at times), a straight forecast will pay you more when you’re successful than a standard win bet. Unfortunately, you won’t know how much you’ll get from a winning bet until after the event, and we’ll shortly discuss why that is.

What Sports Does It Apply To?

The straight forecast is most often used in horse racing and greyhound racing and will be displayed as a standard betting option for those sports. However, it’s also possible to make a forecast bet in most other racing sports, such as Formula 1 and athletics. Some online betting sites will even let you bet on the 1-2 finishing order in non-racing sports, making it possible to look at straight forecast bet golf markets, for example.

If a forecast market isn’t shown at your favourite site for a particular event and you think it’s a bet you’d like to place, consider submitting a bespoke bet request or asking the customer service team if it can be offered. In a worst case scenario, they could only say no, in which case you’ll have to go elsewhere, but it’s worth taking a moment to ask, just in case.

What is a Reverse Forecast?

We’ve established that a straight forecast will only win if your two selections finish first and second in the order you state on the betting slip. But there’s a closely related bet called a reverse forecast (also known as a dual forecast bet) that will win if your two selections finish first and second in either order.

The reverse forecast is a regular straight forecast coupled with a second forecast that puts the same two selections in reverse order. That means it will cost you two bets instead of just one, but you’ll be guaranteed a return as long as your two selections secure the top two positions in the event. This can be a very useful bet to look at if there are two selections in an event that are closely matched but well ahead of the rest of the field as far as form is concerned.

Some bettors like to increase their chances of success even further by making additional selections and combining multiple forecasts to cover all possible eventualities. Our Combination Forecast guide discusses this approach in detail.

[light_list_how_to title=’Is a Straight Forecast Bet for You?’ description=’Like all bets, the straight forecast isn’t for everyone. So how do you know if it’s one that might suit you? Here are some of the main advantages of the bet that we think are well worth considering. If you like the sound of them, it could make sense to add the straight forecast to your betting arsenal in the future.’][light_list_how_to_item title=’Low Cost’ image=”]A straight forecast costs just one bet, and if you use a reverse forecast to double your chances of winning, it’ll cost you just two bets. Compare that with full-cover bets like the Yankee (costing 11 bets) or the Lucky 15 (which costs 15 best), and the straight forecast is refreshingly economical. [/light_list_how_to_item][light_list_how_to_item title=’Simplicity’ image=”]As you’ve seen, the straight forecast is a bet that’s easy to understand. It’s also easy to use. Simply pick your two selections in an event, decide on the order you think they’ll finish in, and if your 1-2 prediction turns out to be correct, your bet will win.[/light_list_how_to_item][light_list_how_to_item title=’Versatility’ image=”]While the vast majority of people associate the straight forecast with horse racing, it can also be used in greyhound racing, motor racing, and even football and golf tournaments. This makes the bet tremendously versatile and one that most bettors can use to at least some extent.[/light_list_how_to_item][light_list_how_to_item title=’Profit Potential’ image=”]Last, but by no means least, is the profit potential that it offers. A winning straight forecast will always pay more than a simple win bet for the same stake, and that’s because you’ve also had to correctly predict the contestant that finishes in second. This can come in very handy and provide you with a chance to pursue decent returns even in a market that’s otherwise unattractive. For example, if an odds-on shot in a horse race is priced too short to be worth betting on as a single, you could bet on it beating the second favourite in the hope of getting a nice payout if you’re right.[/light_list_how_to_item][/light_list_how_to]

How Much Will a Winning Bet Pay?

With a regular bet, you have a very good idea of how much you can expect to get back from the bookie because the odds are known in advance. That isn’t the case with a straight forecast bet. The returns for a forecast are calculated after the event has concluded. The calculation involved is notoriously mysterious and complicated but takes into the odds of the competitors, the chances of them finishing in the order they did, and more.

When the bookies have crunched the numbers (there are a few straight forecast calculator apps online that will let you do something similar for yourself), they publish a Computer Straight Forecast or CSF dividend figure. This tells bettors what their return will be for every £1 that was staked. Simply multiply the CSF figure by your stake, and that’s how much you’ll get back.

Straight Forecast vs Tote Exacta

For those of you who like pool betting, the Tote offers its own version of the straight forecast. It’s called the Tote Exacta, and there really isn’t any difference in how it works from what we’ve previously described in this article.

What is different is how returns are calculated. With the Tote Exacta, the pool of money bet on the Exacta in a given event is divided between the number of winning bets. The fewer winning bets there are, the more each one will be worth. As with a straight forecast, the published dividend will be declared to a £1 stake.

[light_list_how_to title=’How to Place the Bet Online’ description=’You can place a straight forecast bet online with most bookmakers, and the process of doing so isn’t at all complicated. To illustrate that point, allow us to quickly run you through the steps required:’][light_list_how_to_item title=’Choose Your Selections’ image=’15032′]First, head over to your favourite betting site (look at our recommended horse racing betting sites if you intend to focus on that sport) and navigate to the race or event you want to bet on. When you’ve done that, add your two selections to the bet slip. At most sites, that’s simply a case of tapping their odds. Below, you’ll see that we’ve added the two front runners in a race at Wolverhampton to our slip. It’s a good idea to add your selection for the winner first and your selection for the second place afterwards. This isn’t essential, as most bookies will let you switch the order on the bet slip, but it’s a handy habit to get into.[/light_list_how_to_item][light_list_how_to_item title=’Enter Your Stake’ image=’15033′]With your selections added to the slip, make sure that the Straight Forecast button is toggled on (you can toggle it to Reverse Forecast if you prefer) and enter the amount you want to bet into the stake window. In our example we’ve entered a stake of £1. The eagle-eyed among you might notice that the odds for Spirit Lead Me changed a little between us adding the selection to our slip and entering our stake. You don’t need to worry about such changes, as the forecast return won’t be calculated until after the race, and that calculation will be done according to the SPs of the selections, and not the odds available earlier.[/light_list_how_to_item][light_list_how_to_item title=’Review and Place the Bet’ image=”]The final step is to review your bet and submit it. The review is simply to make sure that you haven’t added a horse incorrectly, put your two selections in the wrong order or made a mistake when entering the amount you want to bet. If all of that checks out, place the bet.[/light_list_how_to_item][/light_list_how_to]

A Word About Non-Runners

It’s never nice to back a horse and then later discover that it’s been declared a non-runner. However, when it’s one of two horses that you’ve entered for a straight forecast, it can be even more disappointing. Fortunately, a non-runner doesn’t mean that you won’t still have an interest in the race. If one of your two selections is declared a non-runner (something that can even happen from the starting stalls under a 2024 BHA rule change), the bookmaker will treat the remaining horse as a selection to win the race. If you’re unfortunate enough to have both of your straight forecast selections declared non-runners, your stake will be refunded in full.

Conclusion

As you’ve seen, the answer to the question, “What is a forecast bet?” is fairly simple. A straight forecast bet is a wager on two selections to finish an event in first and second place in a particular order. The reverse forecast meaning is just as simple, as it uses an extra bet to cover the same two selections in reverse order, too. Both bets are ideal for those times when you think that just two competitors will dominate a sporting event, and if you’re right, they can be lucrative.

FAQs

What does a straight forecast bet mean?

A straight forecast bet is a bet on two selections to finish an event in first and second place. The two selections must finish in the precise order stated on the betting slip.

What is the difference between an exacta and a straight forecast?

An Exacta is the Tote’s own version of the straight forecast. It works in much the same way, but the Exacta is a pooled bet, and so the dividend paid to winners is calculated differently.

How does a forecast pay out?

If you’re asking how are forecast bets calculated, the dividend that is published for winning forecast bets is calculated using a formula that takes several factors into , including the odds of the selections at the time of the event getting underway and their finishing positions. A dividend figure is then published that tells you how much you will get back from the bookie for every £1 you have bet.

Do you get your stake back on a forecast bet?

The published dividend figure is declared for a £1 stake and includes the stake itself. To calculate your total return, simply multiply your stake by the dividend. You can also use a straight forecast bet calculator (or a reverse forecast bet calculator, if appropriate) to do this.

What is a forecast in horse racing?

A forecast in horse racing is exactly the same as in any other sport and involves picking two horses in a particular race to finish in first and second place. Forecast horse racing betting is very popular, especially in smaller races where two horses have a clear advantage according to their previous form.