Eight selections, 247 bets, one unit stake. Enter the decimal odds and the stake per bet, and the calculator returns your outlay along with the return at any number of winners. A 25p unit sounds like small change until 247 bets each take their share of it and the slip reads £61.75.
247 Bets From Eight Selections
Eight selections generate 28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 four-folds, 56 five-folds, 28 six-folds, 8 seven-folds and 1 eight-fold. Two hundred and forty-seven bets, with no singles anywhere in the structure.
The four-folds alone number 70, more bets than an entire Heinz. That density is what makes a Goliath expensive at unit stakes that look trivial on their own.
A Worked Example
Eight selections at decimal odds of 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 2.0, 1.8, 2.2, 2.5 and 2.0, with a 25p unit stake.
- Outlay: 247 bets × £0.25 = £61.75. A quarter of a pound multiplied by the bet count is the whole story of this bet type.
- All eight win: return £2,958.77, profit £2,897.02.
- The eight-fold inside it: 2.0 × 2.5 × 3.0 × 2.0 × 1.8 × 2.2 × 2.5 × 2.0 = 594.0.
- At a £1 unit: the identical bet costs 247 × £1.00 = £247.00.
- One loser: 120 of the 247 bets stay live, which is a Super Heinz on the seven survivors.
- Two losers: 57 live bets. Three losers: 26.
Reading the Results Without Settling 247 Bets by Hand
Manual settlement on a Goliath means finding every winning combination among 247 lines, applying each price, and totalling the lot. Six winners from eight leaves 57 live bets to price individually, and one arithmetic slip in the middle of that produces a figure you then act on.
The calculator does the same job from the odds and the unit stake, which is the practical reason to use one. Enter the eight prices once and check the return at eight winners, then at seven, then at six, and the shape of the bet becomes visible before you place it rather than after it settles.
Read the outlay row every time you change the unit. Moving from 10p to 25p takes the total from £24.70 to £61.75 on the same eight selections.
Where 247 Bets Cost You
Bookmaker margin sits inside every price and compounds through every combination. On the bookmaker’s own numbers a 2.50 selection is a 40.0% proposition and a 1.80 selection is 55.6%, and a Goliath asks you to combine eight prices carrying that cut across 247 separate bets. The Hold / Vig Calculator shows the margin inside a single market and the Parlay Calculator shows what happens to it when legs are chained.
Then there is the outlay itself. Bettors reach for a Goliath because eight names feel like broad coverage, and coverage is the one thing 247 bets do not buy cheaply. With three losers you are left with 26 live bets, all built from five selections, fighting a £61.75 outlay funded at 25p a line.
Everything above works from the prices on your slip. The calculator has no view on whether those eight results arrive, and optimistic prices in the input fields produce an optimistic return figure and nothing more.
Further Reading
- All betting calculators: the full library of 34 free tools
- Staking and bankroll: how should you stake?
- Losing runs and variance: what to expect
How many bets are in a Goliath?
Two hundred and forty-seven, built from eight selections: 28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 four-folds, 56 five-folds, 28 six-folds, 8 seven-folds and 1 eight-fold. There are no singles, so two selections must win before anything returns. Each of the 247 bets carries the unit stake, which is why small units still produce large outlays.
How much does a Goliath cost?
The unit stake multiplied by 247. At 25p that is £61.75, at 50p it is £123.50 and at £1 it is £247.00. Even a 10p unit costs £24.70. Bookmakers show the total on the slip rather than the unit you entered, so confirm the outlay figure before placing the bet.
How many winners does a Goliath need to make a profit?
There is no fixed number, because it turns on the prices. With three of the eight beaten, 26 bets stay live from 247, all drawn from the five winning selections, and short prices among those five will not rebuild a £61.75 outlay. Enter your own odds to see the break-even point for your card rather than assuming a threshold.
What is the difference between a Goliath and a Super Heinz?
Selection count and scale. A Super Heinz covers seven selections in 120 bets; a Goliath covers eight in 247. Adding the eighth name roughly doubles the bet count and the outlay at the same unit. If one leg of a Goliath loses, the 120 bets left standing are exactly a Super Heinz on the seven survivors.