dead heat rules confusing

dead heat rules always trip me up, especially with horse racing but i notice it’s creeping into other sports too. was betting on a golf tournament last weekend, had an each way bet, and the result ended up in a tie for third. my payout looked way lower than i expected. figured i understood how the split worked but the bookie math seems different every time.

i usually check t&cs for dead heat but it still never feels consistent. roulette’s cut and dry, but these shared placements just feel like a loophole for the house. do you guys stick to win bets only when it’s a field with a high chance of dead heat or do you hedge with multiples or something? just curious what others actually do with this.