Accumulator Bet Explained in 2021
Accumulator bet is a type of wager which combines several selections at once. If you ever placed a wager at a sportsbook, it is very likely an accumulator bet. It’s one of the most represented types of sports betting due to the numerous possibilities that it provides. An accumulator bet is also known as an Acca, a Parlay bet, a Multiple bet, or a Combo bet. All these synonyms refer to the same betting type. Let’s dip into this topic and see all the beauty of accumulators.
What is an accumulator bet?
Accumulator bet refers to a single wager that involves multiple picks. Although every wager with more than one selection counts as an acca, this term usually applies to the bet of at least four picks. For winning a parlay bet, all your tips need to be winner ones. If at least one of them loses, you lose the entire wager.
What is very special for accumulators is that they significantly increase the total odds of a wager. You don’t need to stake a lot of money to end up with big profits. On the other hand, by putting multiple bets together, you significantly increase the risk as well. But, the returns are way higher if you combine several tips in one wager in comparison to backing each of them individually. To calculate the total odds of an accumulator, you should just multiply all of them. If one of your selected events is canceled, you should just remove those odds from the calculation. Let’s use a simple comparison to see an accumulator explained. You have made four selections, and this is the difference in profits between a parlay and single bets.
| Acca | Odds | Stake | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pick 1 | -165 | ||
| Pick 2 | +100 | ||
| Pick 3 | -220 | ||
| Pick 4 | -115 | ||
| Total | +773 | $100 | $873 |
| Singles | Odds | Stake | Profits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pick 1 | -165 | $25 | $40.15 |
| Pick 2 | +100 | $25 | $50.00 |
| Pick 3 | -220 | $25 | $36.38 |
| Pick 4 | -115 | $25 | $46.75 |
| Total | $100 | $172.88 |
With one acca wager, you can end up with an $873 payout with a $100 stake. Total odds in this example go up to +773. However, if you put the same stake in single bets, a total playout is significantly lower, just a bit above $172. Accumulators are not restricted to any specific sport, and you may make as many selections as you want.
Types of accumulator bets
Since you can put as many selections as you want in one wager, there are countless types of accumulator bets. Of course, we don’t want to list each one of them, but we are going to mention the most popular ones.
Straight Accumulators are the easiest ones to learn. They consist of two or more picks in a single wager. A Double is an acca with two selections on a betting slip, and if both picks win, you won the bet. Following the same rules, a bet with three selections is called a Treble. You need to land all three tips to get returns.
Full cover with singles is another type which is a bit more complicated. The most basic variation of this type is a Patent, and it includes three picks. However, in this kind of accumulator, you make seven bets: three singles, three doubles, and one treble. By applying the same principle on four selections, you can create a Lucky 15 bet, which includes fifteen different wagers.
Full cover without singles are pretty similar to the previous acca type, and the main difference is that this variety does not include singles. A combo of three selections is also known as Trixie, and it consists of four wagers: three doubles and a treble. By following the same logic, a bet with four selections consists of eleven bets, and it is called Yankee.
The advantage of full cover with or without singles over straight accumulators is that even with one losing pick, you can count on some profits. Indeed, by playing Trixie, for instance, you won’t land a treble, but three other doubles are winners.
Placing an accumulator bet: Step-by-step
Placing an accumulator wager is as easy as wagering any other type of bet. However, if you are a rookie bettor and you don’t feel comfortable enough, just follow these simple steps. With just a few clicks, you can put your first parlay bet.
- Find your favorite bookie: This is the first step in this process. If you are not sure which sportsbook suits you the most, you can check sports betting reviews.
- Create an account and make a deposit: For being able to place a wager, you need to have an online account opened and funded.
- Start adding your picks: You can add as many selections as you want. Just click on the odds you want to bet on, and it will be instantly added to your betting slip.
- Place a bet: Now, you are just a click away from placing a real accumulator bet. Just enter the stake and hit a button to confirm the selection. Your betting slip will automatically multiply the odds and display your potential payout.
Usual sports for placing an accumulator bet
Combo bets are so flexible that they can accommodate any sport that is popular in the US. With such versatility on your hands, you can combine basketball, football, hockey, baseball, or soccer to your wager. No matter if your acca consists of NBA, NFL, NHL, or MLB events, you won’t come across any restrictions regards to the type of sport.
Also, there are no restrictions imposed on the different betting markets of selected games. You may have picked an Over/Under from a soccer match combined to points spread from an NFL or NBA game, but you will still be able to place a wager. Individual sports such as tennis or MMA can also be a part of parlay wagers.
All the varieties that accumulator betting provides apply to all kinds of sports. It is just a matter of your preference. If you are a football, basketball, or hockey expert, it is natural to get the most out of parlays and dramatically increase your returns. You may put some horse racing tips on your betting slip as well.
Examples for accumulator bets
Let’s apply all the above said to the practical example. We don’t want to overcomplicate so that we will go with a straight accumulator. Just as a side note, you don’t need to calculate the total odds by hand each time, they will be displayed in the betting slip.
Winning example of an accumulator bet
Consider the following 4-fold parlay. You decided to place a wager on multiple sports events:
- An NBA clash between the Lakers and the Clippers
- An NHL match Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins
- A Federer vs. Djokovic tennis match
- An NFL game between Cowboys and Steelers
Your betting slip looks like this:
| Game | Pick | Odds | Result | Outcome | Stake | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakers vs. Clippers | Over 225.5 points | -118 | 124:111 | Win | ||
| Flyers vs. Bruins | Under 4.5 goals | -220 | 0:2 | Win | ||
| Federer vs. Djokovic | Djokovic to win | -105 | 2:3 | Win | ||
| Cowboys vs. Steelers | Steelers to win | -145 | 14:23 | Win | ||
| Total | +784 | $100 | $884 |
You managed to land all four selections meaning that your 4-fold combo is a winning one. Now you can enjoy excellent profits.
Losing example of an accumulator bet
Take the above example as a reference, but assume that the nets didn’t burn in the clash between Lakers and Clippers. The game ended with a 105:100 scoreline. Your first selection is losing one; hence your 4-fold accumulator caused an overall loss of $100.
Accumulator bet for beginners: How to bet
Although it may seem that accumulators are easy to bet on, you need to be aware that they also bring a high risk of a loss. However, to avoid losing regularly, a bettor needs to adopt several useful tips. They can increase your chances of landing winner bets more frequently.
- Keep the selections down: The side od an acca is in the direct correlation with the amount of risk. Big parlays are just going to decrease your chances of snatching profits. Don’t let big payout blind you, stay sensible.
- Ignore the odds, focus on teams: Many bettors get dragged away by the odds, and they completely lose the focus of the teams in question. Although massive odds can boost the potential payout, ask yourself are they bring the value.
- Short odds are not the solution: Simply, they won’t bring you enough value in the long term. Short-priced teams won’t get you high returns, but they may have a hiccup and stun your combo.
- Look for bonuses: This tip might seem too obvious, but many bettors tend to overlook it. Several bookmakers offer acca insurance, which means that you can get your stake back in case just one pick lets you down.
- Check professional tips: With so many sports and events available daily, it often gets hard to pick the right ones. However, you can save some time and invest it in something else by signing up for “Billy’s List”.
Accumulator bet for professionals: How to bet
Professional bettors have developed many strategies to which you can apply accumulator bets. Some of them are the basic ones, while others are way more complex. We are going to list and briefly explain just a few of the most interesting ones.
Anti-Accumulator strategy suits the most for those who want to minimize the risk. Making at least one wrong selection is the main idea behind this strategy. The probability for a combo to lose increases with each pick added to the betting slip. At the same time, the chance for anti-acca to come in may get increased.
Mono accumulator betting allows you to wager on several outcomes of the same event. This strategy excludes the probability of losing the entire stake under any circumstances. Betting on a basketball match by placing three wagers on the even number of points scored by each team and in total is a classic example of mono acca.
Live accumulator betting is pretty popular in soccer when matches are taking place at the same time. You can follow the game and make your tips based on more than just the stats. In this case, the alternative betting markets can bring you excellent value for your parlays.
Accumulator bet: Try it now at one of the top 5 betting sites
You can start placing combo wagers now that we brought accumulator bets explained. Register for an online account at one of the best operators on the market and load it with some money. Apply the tips from this article and start your wagering journey with accumulator bets!
Accumulator bet, also known as a parlay bet, a combo bet, or a multiple bet allows you to add more than one selection to your bet slip. However, this term usually refers to a wager with four or more picks. Every pick you make needs to be successful to win a combo bet.
You can place a parlay bet on literally any sport that a sportsbook offers. It is most prevalent in soccer and tennis, but also highly represented in football, basketball, and hockey. The most famous league events, such as NBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL, can be combined in a parlay bet.
Bookmakers usually set the limits for the maximum number of picks per one accumulator bet. However, this limit is quite high, which inevitably brings a high risk of losing a bet. You should always stick to the lower number of picks.
It can happen quite often that an event or a game gets canceled. In that case, the bookies settle a wager on the remaining valid picks. The odds of the canceled match won’t get calculated toward the potential winnings, simple as that.
You can calculate the overall odds of an acca bet just by multiplying them all together. However, you shouldn’t bother with maths as the odds will be calculated directly in a bet slip. Thanks to this, you can always see your potential returns.
