Modern gambling platforms give you a wide range of sports bets to play with. One of the most popular is the accumulator bet.
In the United Kingdom, Saturday afternoons see fans of the English Premier League rush to make bets on the concurrent games taking place. In the US, fans of the NBA and NFL make similar bets, hedging one stake on multiple selections. These are known as accumulator bets, or sometimes parlay bets. They let fans place a relatively small sum on many stakes for larger payouts, though with increased risk levels.
What Is an Accumulator Bet?
An accumulator bet is a wager that takes one stake and applies it to several selections. Odds from one choice pass onto the next, so large wins can be achieved with a relatively low monetary input. Yet as choices are added, the risk increases, as if one selection fails, the whole bet does.
Many sports fans choose to make accumulators when many games are taking place at one time, perhaps on a football league day or during a World Cup. Yet they do not have to be made on a single sport or market. A person could have one choice on an EPL game, an NBA game, followed by a bet on who will win an Oscar. A quality operator like Bet Way will have several markets they can be placed on.
An accumulator is made of four or more selections. In the US, this can be fewer, and it is known as a parlay bet.
Calculating Accumulator Odds
To calculate the odds of an accumulator, you need to convert your bets to decimal odds. Multiply all of the odds together to get the total. You then need to multiply this by your stake to get your potential payout.
As an example, imagine you create an accumulator based on the day’s games in the English Premier League. You choose the teams below to win, with their respective odds.
Bournemouth 2.5
Manchester United 1.5
Arsenal 1.3
Chelsea 1.7
The equation comes out at 2.5 x 1.5 x 1.3 x 1.7. This equates to 8.29, rounded up. You decide to place a $10 stake on it. 8.29 x 10 = $82.90.
Luckily, most quality providers like Bet Way will have systems to work this out for you. All you should need to do is add your selections and stakes. You will then be able to see your potential payout before you agree to make the bet.
Specific Types of Accumulator Bets
It is perfectly possible to reduce the chance of loss by just placing two selections and combining their odds, or even three. These are known as a double and treble bet. For each selection added to a standard accumulator, it becomes known as a fold. So a four-selection bet is a four-fold accumulator, a five a five fold and so on.
All of these are important as they can often be combined with accumulators to create even bigger bets. As they wind different types of bets, some of them can still give a partial payout even if selections lose.
An example is a Trixie. This requires a bettor to make three selections, but placing one stake on three doubles and one treble. This requires at least two wins to give a payout.
Another is a Yankee. This uses four selections placed over 11 bets, which cover 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and 1 four-fold accumulator. If at least two winners come up, the person will get a payout. Operators like Bet Way will have a system to make these easier to work out.
The Pros and Cons of Accumulator Bets
The pros of an accumulator are that they can provide quite a large return from a very low amount. This is good for people who don’t want to stake a lot, but relish the chance to add a bet to multiple concurrent games. They may even take place over a time period, such as a whole tournament, adding to the excitement.
It is also good for boosting odds on favourites. They usually have lower odds, so by combining a few teams you believe are guaranteed to win, you can push up the potential total.
The downside is that this is risky. No outcome is ever guaranteed, and the more selections you add, the higher the payout becomes, but the more chance is added that a loss could arrive. This gives them a high level of variance, where wins are infrequent but come in large amounts when they finally do.
In a standard accumulator, you only need one leg to lose. This is why they are very suitable for those who like to study a sport, diving into statistics, historical game data, and a genuine love of the sport.
In all of this, bankroll management is crucial. While accumulators require little financial input, it is easy to begin chasing losses, which can lead to problem gambling. For this reason, set a budget, study the games on offer, and use your knowledge to make the best choice you can. Gambling should always be a form of entertainment, not a way to make money.
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