A dead heat refers to ties in finishing position bets like Top 5's, Top 10's and Top 20's. When tied, your stake is usually cut by how many players are tied for those spots. If a golfer ends up tied for 10th with three other golfers and you had him to finish top 10, you won't get paid the full amount.  Instead, you will get 1/4 of the potential win, as your payout is divided by the number of competitors who tied for the position.  The minimum amount of funds you can have returned is your original stake.