Best Odds Guaranteed, often shortened to BOG, is a promise from a bookmaker to pay out at the highest available starting price if it turns out to be bigger than the odds a bettor took when placing the bet. It applies mainly to fixed-odds bets on events where the price can move significantly between the time of the bet and kick-off, and it only ever pays an upgrade in one direction.
What Is Best Odds Guaranteed?
Best Odds Guaranteed works by comparing two numbers once an event starts or finishes: the odds a bettor locked in when the bet was placed, and the official starting price set by the bookmaker at kick-off. If the starting price is higher, the bet is settled at that higher price instead of the original one. If the starting price is lower, the bet still settles at the original, higher price the bettor already had, so there is no downside to taking the promotion.
For example, a bet placed on a team at odds of 3.00 that drifts out to 3.40 by kick-off under Best Odds Guaranteed would settle at 3.40, even though the bettor only committed to 3.00 when the bet was placed. If the same selection instead shortened to 2.60 by kick-off, the bet still settles at the original 3.00, since the guarantee never reduces a price a bettor has already locked in.
How BOG Compares to Standard Fixed Odds
A standard fixed-odds bet settles at the exact price shown when the bet was confirmed, regardless of how the market moves afterward. Best Odds Guaranteed adds a one-way upgrade on top of that fixed price: the bettor keeps the right to their original odds but also gains the chance of a better price if the market drifts before the event starts.
This is a different mechanic to an odds boost, which raises the price on a specific selection the bookmaker has chosen to promote, rather than tracking how the wider market moves on any eligible bet.
Bookmakers offer Best Odds Guaranteed largely as a customer-acquisition tool, since it removes some of the hesitation around fixed-odds betting on markets known to move sharply before an event starts. It costs relatively little on average, because prices drift in both directions over time, and the guarantee only pays out on the share of bets where the market happened to move in the bettor’s favor.
Which Markets Best Odds Guaranteed Usually Applies To
Best Odds Guaranteed most commonly applies to horse racing and greyhound racing, where a published starting price exists as a standard reference point. In football, the same idea appears on a smaller scale, usually limited to specific markets such as match odds on selected competitions, rather than applying across the full football coupon.
- Match odds (1X2) on selected leagues or cup competitions named in the promotion.
- Outright and futures markets settled against an official opening or closing price.
- Markets explicitly listed in the bookmaker’s promotional terms, since Best Odds Guaranteed is rarely applied site-wide.
What to Check Before Relying on BOG
Because Best Odds Guaranteed depends on comparing two prices rather than paying a fixed enhancement, it is worth confirming a few details before treating it as guaranteed value.
- Which markets and competitions the guarantee actually covers, since it is rarely offered on every football market.
- What reference price the bookmaker uses to determine the “starting price,” since this can differ between operators.
- Whether the guarantee applies only to single bets, or also to multiples and each way bets.
- Any maximum stake or maximum payout the promotion caps the upgrade at.
Key Takeaways
- Best Odds Guaranteed pays out at the higher of the price taken or the official starting price, whichever is bigger.
- It only ever upgrades a bet upward; a lower starting price does not reduce the original odds.
- It differs from an odds boost, which raises a bookmaker-chosen selection rather than tracking market movement.
- Best Odds Guaranteed is most established in horse racing and applies more narrowly in football, usually to specific leagues or markets.
- Checking which markets and reference price apply matters, since coverage varies by bookmaker.
