Take SP is an exchange setting that turns any unmatched part of your bet into a bet at the exchange's starting price when the market reaches the jump, instead of cancelling it. On Betfair that price is the Betfair Starting Price (BSP), worked out at the jump. You know the rest of the bet will go on, unless it is below the exchange's minimum for starting price bets, but not the price it will get.
Take SP vs cancel vs keep
An exchange bet carries a setting for any part still unmatched at the jump:
| Setting | What happens to the unmatched part at the jump | Price you get |
|---|---|---|
| Cancel (lapse) | Cancelled, so only the matched part is a bet | None for that part |
| Take SP | Becomes a starting price bet | The starting price, unknown until the jump |
| Keep | Set out in the exchange's own rules | Set by the exchange's rules |
The setting never touches the matched part. The exchange's terms say which setting applies if you choose none; a cancelled part is a lapsed bet, and unmatched bets covers all three.
A worked take SP example
With illustrative prices, you ask to back Runner 2 for $90 at $5.80; by the jump $35 is matched and the other $55 is set to take SP. Before commission:
| Outcome | If Runner 2 wins | If it loses |
|---|---|---|
| Cancel: $35 at $5.80 only | +$168 | -$35 |
| Take SP, starting price $5.00 | +$388 | -$90 |
| Take SP, starting price $6.60 | +$476 | -$90 |
The matched $35 wins 35 x (5.80 - 1) = $168. The converted $55 wins 55 x (5.00 - 1) = $220 at a $5.00 starting price, or 55 x (6.60 - 1) = $308 at $6.60, so the totals are 168 + 220 = $388 and 168 + 308 = $476. Take SP made sure all $90 was on, at a price that could land either side of your $5.80.
Converted lays: stake or liability
Exchanges set in their rules how a converted lay is sized. With illustrative prices, an unmatched $25 lay at $4.60 carries 25 x (4.60 - 1) = $90 of liability. If the starting price is $6.00:
| Converted lay sized by | Lay stake | Liability |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping the $25 stake | $25 | 25 x (6.00 - 1) = $125 |
| Keeping the $90 liability | 90 / (6.00 - 1) = $18.00 | $90 |
Check which one your exchange uses before you rely on take SP to finish a hedge or cap a loss.
Where take SP does not apply
- Markets with no starting price. Take SP needs a market where the exchange works out one, which is mainly racing.
- Tiny remainders. An exchange can set a minimum size for starting price bets, and a converted bet below it may be cancelled instead.
- A bookmaker's SP. A bookmaker's starting price bet settles at the official starting price its terms name; for NSW TAB race meetings, Racing NSW says the official SP comes from the NSW Official Price (checked October 2026). Starting price betting covers SP at bookmakers.
Betfair starting price explains how the exchange's own price is struck.
Your price against the close on the Terminal
The Terminal shows prices from 40+ bookmakers across racing and sports with Betfair back and lay alongside, read on a repeating cycle. On racing, its closing lines record the last prices before the jump, so you can set the price you took against where the market finished. B337 places no exchange bets, so a take SP setting is yours to choose. Bookmaker names are trade marks of their owners. B337 is not affiliated with them. For laying itself, start with lay betting.
Risk: Betting involves risk. A take SP bet is on at a price you do not know when you choose it, a converted lay can carry more liability than you planned, and there is no guarantee of profit. See responsible gambling for limits and support.