# How do early price and starting price work on each-way bets? > An early price is fixed when you bet and a starting price is set at the off; the place fraction then applies to whichever price you took. Worked example. Source: https://eachwayatlas.uk/each-way/early-price-or-starting-price/ Updated: 2026-11-07 An early price is fixed when you place the bet, and the starting price (SP) is the price at the off. In both cases the place fraction applies to the price you took, so the place part follows whichever price settles your bet. Operators publish their rules on early prices and SP in their terms. ## Facts: two ways to take a price **Early price against starting price · source: operator rules, not yet recorded · checked 7 November 2026** | Feature | Early price | Starting price (SP) | |---|---|---| | When the price is fixed | When you place the bet | At the off of the race | | Can it change after you bet? | Not for your bet | Yes, until the off | | What the place fraction applies to | The early price you took | The starting price | **Early-price and SP rules by operator · candidates, licence to be confirmed · checked 7 November 2026** | Operator | Rule on early price | Rule on SP | Date read | |---|---|---|---| | bet365 | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | | Paddy Power | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | | William Hill | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | **The short version:** the price you choose decides the number the place fraction multiplies. ## Why does the choice matter on an each-way bet? The place part is priced from the win price, so any change in that price moves both parts. A price that shortens before the off lowers your return on the place part as well as on the win part. That is why the entry on [early price](https://eachwayatlas.uk/glossary/early-price/) and the one on [starting price](https://eachwayatlas.uk/glossary/starting-price/) both lead here. Read the price format first on [how to read odds](https://eachwayatlas.uk/each-way/how-to-read-odds/). **The short version:** a price move changes the win part and the place part together. ## Example: a £3 each-way bet at an early 6/1 The bet costs £6. The place fraction is an invented 1/4, and the horse is placed without winning, so only the place part pays. Taken at the early 6/1, the place part returns £3 + (£3 × 6 × 1/4) = £7.50. **Place-part return when the horse is placed and does not win · invented price moves, derived by formula · checked 7 November 2026** | Price used | Place profit | Return | Result against £6 stake | |---|---|---|---| | Early price 6/1 | £4.50 | £7.50 | +£1.50 | | SP 4/1 (shortened) | £3.00 | £6.00 | £0.00 | | SP 8/1 (drifted) | £6.00 | £9.00 | +£3.00 | The two SP prices are invented. They show that the same bet gives a different return depending on which price settles it. **The short version:** the early price gave a fixed £7.50, while SP could give less or more. ## Can you keep the better of the two prices? Some operators publish a guarantee that pays the higher of the two prices. We explain how that works on [Best Odds Guaranteed](https://eachwayatlas.uk/extra-places/best-odds-guaranteed-explained/), and we compare published policies on [Best Odds Guaranteed policies](https://eachwayatlas.uk/data/best-odds-guaranteed-policies/). We have not yet recorded the policy of any operator, so we do not say which operators offer it or on which races. **The short version:** whether you can have the better price is an operator rule, so read it before you rely on it. ## How we checked The arithmetic is derived by the formulas shown. The rules of at least three operators on early price and SP are Not verified as of 7 November 2026, and each will be added with its URL and reading date. See [how we check](https://eachwayatlas.uk/about/how-we-check/). 18+ only. Gambling can be harmful. **The short version:** the formulas are ours and the operator rules are still to be read. ## What changed 7 November 2026: first version, with invented price moves. Return to the [each-way hub](https://eachwayatlas.uk/each-way/).