In what was arguably the most exciting episode in the fourth season of The Walking Dead, the body count rose and the main characters dropped like flies.

In this series, there’s no rest for the wicked so there’s no time to mourn the dead. Some people celebrate it though—especially those who bet on Hershel Greene to die first.

As a refresher, read up on our previous betting odds feature and how we noted—using the betting odds at that point of the season—that the old man will be the first to meet his maker.

After Season 4 Episode 8, the sportsbooks are right yet again after Hershel’s neck got slashed by the governor, who himself died as well in later on in Too Far Gone.

Let’s take a look again at the betting odds before Episode 8:

The Walking Dead Betting Odds - Next Character to Die:
 Hershel Greene (1.2)
The Governor (13.0)
Tyreese (7.0)
Beth Greene (11.0)
Sasha (15.0)
Glenn Rhee (17.0)
Michonne (21.0)
Carol Peletier (41.0)
Maggie Greene (51.0)
Daryl Dixon (67.0)
Carl Grimes (81.0)
Rick Grimes (101.0)

Clearly, the betting lines were insinuating that in the Death’s pecking, the oldest of the prison crew was at the top. And true enough, Hershel was the first to die, which meant that those who did bet on him earned 20 per cent of whatever they wagered on.

For those who still don’t understand those numbers, here’s the formula:

X (Amount of Bet) times Betting Odds = Total Payout

This indicates that if Rick decided to shoot the Governor during the calm before the storm—or the Negotiation Before the Bedlam— the Governor’s backers would have won a payout thirteen times of what they bet!

As with any death, the key part for anyone is moving on. And it looks like the sportsbooks have moved on already… with betting odds and lines for the next to die in “The Walking Dead” already available:

"The Walking Dead" Betting Odds - Next Character to Die (Midseason Break)
 Maggie (1.85)
Michonne (2.2)
Carl (7.0)
Rick (21.0)
Daryl (13.0)

From the latest betting lines, it appears that it is Maggie (1.85) who is next in line … Although it’s a near toss-up between two ladies as Michonne is priced at 2.2.

Will one of Maggie or Michonne indeed die first? They are the favourites, but the writers could pull the rug underneath the viewers and deliver a real shocker: kill the underdogs in Rick or Daryl maybe?

Then there’s the real value bet in Carl (Bet $100 and get a $700 payout!), whom we all want to see die since time immemorial.