The phrase "dead heat" means that two or more competitors in a race or competition reach the finish line at the exact same time, resulting in a tie or draw. Full definition
The polls keep changing but the top candidates of both parties are in dead heat — a mere few points away from each other. (rocketlawyer.com)
That's essentially a statistical dead heat for third place because the margin of error for the Democratic portion of the poll is 4.2 percent. (nystateofpolitics.com)
Dead heat rules apply, meaning if two players tie for the lead you would only receive half of your stake. (sportsinsights.com)