What Is a Lucky 31 Bet? Costs, Returns and How It Works

vvLast updated: 6 November 2026

What is a Lucky 31 bet? It's five selections covered in every combination, which makes 31 bets: 5 singles, 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 fourfolds and a fivefold. A 20p Lucky 31 costs £6.20, and one winner gets you something back, though usually less than you staked.

What Is a Lucky 31 Bet?

A Lucky 31 bet is a full-cover bet on five selections in different events, split into 31 separate bets that cover every single, double, treble and fourfold plus the fivefold. A 20p Lucky 31 costs £6.20. Because five of the bets are singles, just one winner gives you a return.

A Lucky 31 bet in horse racing means five horses in five different races. At Midnite it's racing only, listed in the special multiples rules next to the four-horse Lucky 15.

That's the Lucky 31 bet meaning: every combination of your five horses. The races are on Midnite's horse racing page, and five worth a view usually means a big Saturday card.

The Midnite Take: Lucky 31 Bets: Five Picks and a Whole Lot of Combinations

By Dave Learmont, Creative Copy Lead at Midnite

Five selections might sound manageable. Turn them into a Lucky 31, though, and suddenly you're dealing with 31 separate bets.

Here's how it works: five singles, ten doubles, ten trebles, five fourfolds and one fivefold. Every possible combination is covered.

The advantage over a straight fivefold is that you don't need all five selections to win to receive a return. Even one winning selection can produce a payout.

But there's a trade-off. A £1 unit stake means £31 in total, so the overall cost matters.

It's called a Lucky 31. The maths, at least, doesn't rely on luck.

How Does a Lucky 31 Bet Work?

A Lucky 31 splits five horses into every possible combination, each one a separate bet at the same stake:

• 5 singles: each horse on its own
• 10 doubles: every pair of horses
• 10 trebles: every group of three
• 5 fourfolds: every group of four
• 1 fivefold: all five together, the same as a five-horse accumulator

The singles are why one winner returns something. If only one horse wins, its single pays and the other 30 bets lose.

That single carries a 31st of the total stake, so the horse has to win at longer than 30/1 for the return to beat what you put on. Each extra winner brings more of the multiples into play.

How Much Does a Lucky 31 Cost?

A Lucky 31 costs 31 times your stake per bet. An each-way Lucky 31 costs 62 times, because every bet is doubled.

How much is a 20p Lucky 31? £6.20, or £12.40 each way.

How much is a 50p Lucky 31? £15.50, or £31 each way.

Lucky 31 Example: What You Get Back

Here's a 20p Lucky 31, £6.20 in total, where two of the five horses win at 2/1 and 3/1 and the other three lose:

Two winners from five, and here it still loses money. That's £3.80 back on £6.20, a loss of £2.40. The other 28 bets all include a loser and return nothing.

Add a third winner at 4/1 and the same £6.20 returns £23.80: three singles (£2.40), three doubles (£9.40) and a treble (£12.00). If the 2/1 horse is the only winner, you get £0.60 back.

To work out a Lucky 31 by hand, add one to each winner's return per £1 (a 2/1 winner returns £3, so 4), multiply those together, take away one, and multiply by the stake per bet. Here that's 4 × 5 = 20, minus 1 is 19, and 19 × 20p = £3.80. Take the starting price and each line settles at the price the horse goes off at.

Each-Way Lucky 31

An each-way Lucky 31 bet is 62 bets: one Lucky 31 on your horses to win and a second on them to place, at the same stake per bet. A winner counts in both halves. A horse that only places counts in the place half, at a cut of its price.

At Midnite, a non-handicap with eight or more runners pays three places at 1/5 the odds. So a 5/1 shot that finishes second counts at evens in the place half, and as a loser in the win half.

Our each-way guide has the place terms for every race size.

Lucky 31 vs Lucky 15, Canadian, Heinz and Lucky 63

Full-cover bets differ in two ways: how many selections they take, and whether singles are in.

A Canadian bet, also called a Super Yankee bet, is a Lucky 31 without the five singles, so it needs two winners for any return. A Heinz bet covers six selections with no singles, and a Lucky 63 bet is a Heinz plus six singles. Midnite's bet slip offers the Lucky 63 too.

The Lucky 15 is the four-horse version with singles, and the Trixie covers three horses in four bets. Midnite's special multiples include the Lucky 15 and the Lucky 31 on horse racing, and the other rows are here for comparison.

Non-Runners, Consolations and Bonuses

If one of your five horses is a non-runner, Midnite removes that leg and recalculates the bet on the rest, under its horse racing rules. The single on the non-runner is void and its stake returned, each double with it becomes a single on the other horse, each treble a double, each fourfold a treble, and the fivefold a fourfold. Lines without that horse don't change.

Some bookmakers add a consolation or bonus to Lucky bets, with terms that vary by firm. Midnite's racing rules list no consolation or bonus for full-cover bets. Its bet slip shows a Max Return figure instead, the most the bet can pay. Our guide to the small print on racing betting sites covers how those terms work.

How to Place a Lucky 31 on Midnite

Three choices make a Lucky 31: five horses, the bet type and the stake per bet.

• Pick five horses in five different races from the horse racing section.
• Open the bet slip and select Lucky 31. It shows up with the other multiples once five horses are in, but it isn't applied until you choose it.
• Enter your stake per bet, and select Each Way first if you want the each-way version.
• Check the total and the Max Return before you place it.

Our guide on how to bet on horse racing covers the basics.

Bet Responsibly

A 20p stake looks small until it's multiplied by 31. Keep the total to money you can afford to lose across the whole afternoon, not just one race.

In your account's Safer Gambling menu you can cap what goes in daily, weekly or monthly with deposit limits, set a Net Spend Limit on deposits minus withdrawals, or take a Cool Off of 24 hours to 30 days. Every tool is listed in the Responsible Play hub, and GamCare offers free, confidential support. 18+.

FAQs

Is Lucky 63 the Same as a Heinz Bet?

No. Both cover six selections, but a Heinz is 57 bets with no singles, while a Lucky 63 is 63 bets: the same 57 plus six singles. So a Heinz needs two winners for a return, and a Lucky 63 can pay from one, for six more bets' worth of stake.

What Is a Lucky 31 Bet Calculator?

A Lucky 31 bet calculator works out what a Lucky 31 costs and pays. It multiplies the stake per bet by 31 (62 each way), then settles every winning line at its odds and adds them up. On Midnite, the bet slip shows a Max Return figure before you place the bet.

Five Horses, Every Combination

A Lucky 31 bet explained in one line: five horses, 31 bets, and a return from one winner, if not always a profit. When you've picked your five, head to Midnite's horse racing, and our horse racing betting terms cover the rest of the card.

Midnite is licensed and regulated by the Great Britain Gambling Commission. 18+, please gamble responsibly.

Away from the racecourse, Midnite is principal partner of Wolves, Middlesbrough and Sheffield United for 2026/27, is on Southampton's training kit, partners the World Snooker Tour and is the NFL's official sports betting partner in the UK and Ireland.

[Sponsorship footnote for What Is a Lucky 31 Bet: from the Notion Sponsorship Hub and the partners' announcements, checked 29 Oct 2026, so re-check on the publish day.]

About the author

Jordan Willmott is Sportsbook Experience Senior Manager at Midnite, where he leads the team behind sportsbook operations and propositions, from bet settlement and price boosts to the range of markets and specials available across every sport on site. He has spent 13 years in sportsbook and trading, previously in similar roles at BetVictor, Sporting Index and Sky Betting & Gaming. He writes here on how markets are built, made available and settled once the whistle goes. Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn.