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Tote Swinger | Ultimate Tote Swinger Betting Guide [2024]

When it comes to pool betting and colossus, with tote betting you have lots of options, and while some of them are quite hard to win (i.e. Scoop 6, Quadpot), some offer better winning chances, like Tote Swinger.

In fact, we can easily say that when compared to tote exacta and tote trifecta bets, it is much easier to win a Tote Swinger bet. And based on the size of the pool, the payouts can be quite satisfying too.

If you are not sure about what is a tote swinger bet or how does it work at online bookies, this guide is for you: Below, we explain this horse racing term in detail and tell you everything you need to know.

The summary of the article

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Tote Betting on William Hill

➤ William Hill is an agent for the Tote and accepts bets at Tote odds on horse racing in Great Britain and selected pools in the Republic of Ireland and other countries where their acceptance is advertised.
➤ The bets accepted at horse race meetings in Great Britain are the Scoop 6, Jackpot, Placepot, Quadpot, Trifecta, Exacta, Swinger, win, place and any other new bet introduced by the UK Tote.
➤ Where the UK Tote offers a pool facility for horse race meetings taking place outside Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland bets will be accepted.
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First things first: What is a tote swinger?

Some horse betting terms may sound weird at first but most of them have a logic behind. This is also the case for tote swinger bets: It simply means “anything goes”. As you know, tote betting comes in all shapes and sizes. Some are very easy to understand: In a Tote Win/Place bet, for example, you just need to guess the first and second horses of the race.

By increasing the number of horses and outcomes, you can make the payout bigger but also quite complex, such as a Trixie bet, Yankee bet, Patent bet, Alphabet bet, and forecast bet. In short, you really have lots of options when it comes to horse racing bets and some are simpler than others.

The good news is; tote swinger bets are one of the simpler ones. Simply put, you pick at least two horses and bet that they will be in the top three. Unlike a Tricast bet, the finishing order is not important: As long as your picked horses finish in the first three, you win this bet. In this regard, tote swinger is similar to trifecta box betting. So, if you are asking how do you win on a tote swinger, the answer is simple: Pick two horses in a race and if both of them finish the race in the top three, you win.

So, what do you win? Well, tote bets are not like regular bets: The bookmaker creates a pool by using the wagers of the bettors and all winners get a share of this pool. The actual payout differs based on the size of the pool and the number of bettors – sometimes it is small and sometimes it is quite big. We will explain this topic in detail below, don’t worry. First, let’s show you how to place a tote swinger bet.

How does a tote swinger work?

This is not a guide about how to bet on horses, but in order to explain tote swinger bets, we need to talk about how to place one too. The steps listed below will work on all horse racing sites, as tote swinger is actually a simple bet to place.

Step 1
Check our list of the new horse racing betting sites UK, pick one, and become a member.
Step 2
Make your first deposit or use a free horse racing bets no deposit bonus, if available.
Step 3
Switch to the horse racing section and look for tote bets.
Step 4
Pick a race and pick two horses.
Step 5
After picking the second horse, the betting slip will display your available bet options. “Tote swinger” will be one of them: Choose it.
Step 6
At this point, you will also be able to see the size of the tote swinger pool too. Your selections are already added to the slip: Click the “place bet” button to finish the process.

The final look of your bet slip will be like this: 

Tote Swinger bet example

At some UK horse racing betting bookmakers, it is also possible to place a tote swinger live bet too: The steps you need to follow are the same but the bet must be placed before that race ends.

How much does a tote swinger cost?

This depends on how many horses you pick when live betting. As can be guessed from the explanation above, you cannot pick less than two horses.

  • In this regard, the minimum stake per line is 0.50 GBP. Some bookies have reduced the minimum stake per line to just 1p.
  • Since there must be at least two horses, the minimum total cost of a tote swinger bet is 1.00 GBP.
  • However, as we will explain below, you can pick more horses, up to 12 in total and benefit from different offers for this. 
  • And the more you pick, the more you pay. In any case, the actual cost of the bet will be displayed on your slip. 

Single or combination tote swinger?

You need to select at least two horses to place a tote swinger bet at your sports betting exchange, but this does not mean that you can select only two horses. In fact, you can pick up to 12 horses in tote swinger bets and claim that any of them will finish in the top three. In this regard, there are two types of tote swinger bets: 

1. Straight swinger: The classic option, you just pick two horses and that’s it. 

2. Combination swinger: So, what is a combination tote swinger? You pick more than two horses and create a “combination”. As long as two of your picks finish the race in the top three, you win the bet. 

Obviously, combination bets offer higher winning chances, but they cost higher too. To give you an idea: 

  • A 1 GBP tote swinger bet with two horses will cost 1 GBP
  • A 1 GBP tote swinger bet with five horses will cost 10 GBP

To be honest, staking one pound on five horses, or any currencies you bet with, seems to be the “sweet spot” but as always, the choice is yours: Decide according to your budget.

Tote swinger rules

We explained the basic rules of tote swinger bets above, but there are still two more things you need to know: What happens if there is a non-runner or the race gets canceled? 

➤ If there is a non-runner: If you selected only two horses, your bet will become void and you can get a refund (this does not happen in other sports). If you picked more than two horses, your bet is still valid but the bet on the non-runner horse becomes void: That horse will be removed from your slip automatically. 

➤ If the race is canceled: If the race is canceled for any reason (i.e. weather) all bets will be declared void and everyone gets a refund.

About tote swinger dividends & calculations

There is no Tote jackpot in swinger bets, there is only a pool. This pool is created by using the wagers of bettors playing at the same mobile betting sites on all races that have at least 6 runners (horses). Therefore, the size of the pool is different each and every time: Sometimes it is big and sometimes small. 

This pool is divided into three. This is because there are three possible winning combinations in a tote swinger bet. Each of these combinations gets one-third of the pool:

  1. 1st + 2nd (in any order)
  2. 1st + 3rd (in any order)
  3. 2nd + 3rd (in any order)
  • Let’s say the pool is 1.000 GBP and you win the tote swinger bet with the third combination.
  • The third combination gets approximately 333 GBP from the pool.
  • But this is not just your payout: There are other bettors who won with the third combination too.
  • Therefore, 333 GBP will be shared among these winners and everyone will get a share, which is called a “dividend”. 
  • The final results of these calculations will always be different in each race, so to get accurate results, you can also use a tote swinger calculator – they are freely available online. 

Tote swinger tips & strategies for beginners

Tip

👉 Make sure to use bookmaker bonuses and opt for the best payment methods: The right bonus (i.e. UK free bets) can give you a free bankroll or boost your current bankroll (i.e. reload offers UK). 

👉 As always, do your research and make sure to track horses & jockeys throughout the season. The more you know about their performances, the better your predictions will be. Check for banker bets (*) of the day: The favorite horses are more likely to finish in the top three. 

👉 Do not focus only on tote swingers: Learn everything about horse betting. Start with our guides about the Tote placepot and what does sp mean in betting, for example. 

👉 Check our other articles and guides about horse betting: They all contain useful information that can help you. For example, some of the ideas in our superfecta strategy guide can also be used for tote swinger bets. 

(*) Banker bets: The selection that is most likely to win. In other words, the art of picking the favorite horse.

Should you try a tote swinger bet?

PROS

  • Easier to win when compared to other tote bets
  • Suitable for beginners
  • Can pay very big amounts based on the pool size

CONS

  • The payouts are not always satisfying
  • Pool calculations can be complex

FAQ about tote swinger bets

In terms of payouts, no, there are other kinds of tote bets that pay a lot more. In terms of winning chances, yes, you are much more likely to win tote swinger bets.

The profit will be determined according to the size of the pool and if it is not that big, the payouts won’t be big too. However, if the pool is big, tote swinger bets can pay as much as other types of tote bets.

No. The reason you see it mostly on UK bookmakers is that horse racing is more popular in this country. Any bookie can offer tote swinger bets.

If that bookie offers horse racing bets, the tote swinger will likely be part of this service too. However, this is not a general rule and you may not be able to find tote swinger bets on every UK bookmaker.

It is impossible to give an exact figure because the size of the payout depends on the size of the pool: The bigger it is; the more dividends will be available.

Place your tote swinger bet with a bonus

Now you have learned tote swinger meaning, how does it work and how you place the bets at crypto bookmakers or any other kind of bookies: It is time to make some practice. We already checked all horse racing betting sites UK and picked the best ones for you: Choose one right now, become a member, and place your first tote swinger bet with a bonus. We are sure that you will start winning in no time!  And if you like tote swinger bets, make sure to take a look at our pool betting sites article too: We offer the best UK horse racing betting options to you!