Bet Accumulator
There is the treble - this is a single bet placed on 3 different selections. All 3 selections must be correct for the bet to win.-There is the fourfold - this is a single bet placed on 4 different selections. All 4 selections must be correct for the bet to win. In an accumulator bet, all the selections must be correct in order for the bet to win. Accumulator betting is one of the most popular forms of sports betting because it presents punters with an opportunity to win big pay-outs, even with the smallest of stakes. Well, because you can now combine bet builders with your existing bets, meaning an accumulator that’s made up of both standard bets and bet builders. If you come across a market that looks too short for you, dip into the bet builder and see if you can create a single-fixture bet builder to add to your accumulator, or to use as a single.
FootyStatsLet’s face it, we have all been there. It’s Saturday morning. A new day, with plenty of football and immense opportunity. “Today will be the day!”, you pledge to yourself as you ultimately begin to waste more money on accumulators. The problem is, we are forward-thinking dreamers. We have all—at one time or another—imagined landing that mega accumulator, the 100/1 (or higher) total long-shot that plays into the bookmaker’s hands.
But, it’s possible?! Sure, as is the lottery. Like with the lottery, we are influenced by the fact that someone will win it and are reminded of this fact with clever marketing. The same thing is happening when you view large accumulator wins on Twitter. You and your cognitive bias will remember the wins, as it reinforces your own beliefs, but just know that the odds are well and truly stacked against you. If people were to post all accumulator defeats on Twitter, you would spend hours looking for the winning bet slips.
I’m painting quite a bleak picture of accumulators here, but it’s not all that bad. There’s value to be found and money to be made once you start to respect the probability that’s on offer and combine solid research with doubles, trebles, and Bet Builders. Millions of bettors use accumulators for fun, and that’s absolutely fine. If that’s you, please, continue to enjoy them whilst betting responsibly. I’ll agree that they do make watching the football results on a Saturday much more interesting. However, if you want to get out of the rut of losing these bets and start benefiting, then please stick around for the rest of this article as it’s time to start making accumulators work for you, not the bookmakers.
How Odds Are Calculated, Bookmaker Bonuses
Personally, I use decimal odds as I find it’s easier and quicker to see the value. When you’re looking at a list of single bets, the best way to work out a close price that the bookmakers will offer as an accumulator is to multiply all of the decimal odds together. Let’s take this example below:
- Home Win at 1.80
- BTTS:YES at 2.00
- +9 Corners at 1.80
You could expect odds of ~6.48 for this treble. However, bookmakers will often offer higher prices with the more individual bets added. What’s also new, is accumulator bonuses. Bet365, for example, will offer a % of your odds as a bonus. This bonus will increase as you keep adding bets. This is very smart from the bookmakers and encourages more bets to be added to your accumulator, which in turn diminishes the probability of the bet actually winning. What seems like a friendly gesture from the bookmakers is really them shifting the advantage even further in their direction.
It’s important to get a grip on probability early on, as it will really help you when it comes to betting on multiples. As an example, if you combine a few teams at the weekend and receive odds of 125.00. The implied probability of this bet winning is 0.8%. Less than 1% chance of winning.
More Research, More Wins
The number one reason for your accumulator ending in defeat is lack of research. If you want to start taking betting seriously and making a nice income on the side, you must entertain basic research. It can improve your chances massively. The following tools can be used to find teams, competitions, and fixtures with betting on:
Match Search: The Match Search will allow you to filter through thousands of upcoming games for the stats that suit the accumulator you have in mind. Within seconds, you can view all fixtures for today, sorted by the BTTS (Both Teams to Score) occurrence across the season. If you’re looking to put together a BTTS accumulator, this moment of research will give your bet a much better chance of winning than your previous shot in the dark. The detailed filters on this page allow you to completely customise the kind of fixtures you see.
Team Search: The Team Search works in a similar way to the Match Search, but will filter for a single team. Where the Match Search will look at combined averages for both teams, with regards to a single fixture, this tool will look through and filter the stats for a single team, regardless of their next opponent. This goes hand in hand with detailed research, as you can start to compile a list of teams that consistently score plenty of goals, teams that always conceded in the second half, or even teams that have never lost a game in the first 45 minutes. It’s all possible with Team Search.
League Search: The League Search, as you might expect, works in a similar way to the previous two tools, but filters for the average league stats. I love this tool, especially for finding leagues where there’s a high average number of goals. If you’re from the UK (like me), we like to think we know our stuff about the English game. Whilst we might, the fact remains that English football is highly unpredictable, unlike other competitions.
Maximising Bet Builders
In 2018, Bet365 launched the Bet Builder tool. It allows you to combine multiple single bets from the same fixture into a single bet, like so:
- FT Result: Away Win (1.44)
- +1.5 Match Goals (2.00)
The bet builder will combine these into a single bet for us, with the odds of ~2.50. I have only used two markets here, but the possibilities are endless. You can get really creative and extract more value from a single fixture by using the bet builders, especially in the leagues where “Specials” are supported. If you get to view these fixtures early enough, you will see markets for free-kicks, throw-ins, and shots on target.
Why are bet builders important when trying to make money from accumulators? Well, because you can now combine bet builders with your existing bets, meaning an accumulator that’s made up of both standard bets and bet builders. If you come across a market that looks too short for you, dip into the bet builder and see if you can create a single-fixture bet builder to add to your accumulator, or to use as a single.
Think In Singles. Accumulate Later.
As I mentioned at the top of this article, the bookmakers love those who jump on their dedicated website or app and just throw money at accumulators every Saturday. The issue here is that bettors are going into this with an “accumulator-first” approach. However, to give yourself the best chance, you should take a step back and plan out your bets in singles. I personally open a simple Google Spreadsheet and log the bets I plan to make, along with the odds and my desired market.
Then, when you have done all of the necessary research, you can start to think about merging some of these singles into multiples. How you do this can be up to you. You can either combine bets with the same market into the same accumulator, so 4x BTTS, for example. Another way is to completely randomise this process. I find the latter to give me more peace of mind, simply because of the level of research I have already put into the fixtures. You should be confident enough to mix and match them.
Summary
Thanks for reading. I hope this guide has helped you understand just why the bookmakers love those that consistently lump on long-shot multiples. They make a killing from this and design their applications to actively encourage it, offering bonuses and sweeteners.
- Stop Chasing Large Returns.
- Use BetBuilders to Maximise Value from Single Games.
- Think in Singles. Then Ponder Multiples.
- Research Helps, Even At The Basic Level.
Do you often bet on multiples? Did you find this guide helpful or would you like to suggest something for us to add? You can get in touch on https://twitter.com/footystats_org.
Do you enjoy betting, but are looking for bigger thrills and greater payouts? You may want to give accumulator bets a try. An accumulator bet allows you to multibet over a wide range of sports, games and contests, and once you’ve mastered the ropes, you’ll find it an exciting and rewarding experience. We’ve put together all you need to know about placing accumulator bets below.How to Place an Accumulator: Best Acca Offers In March 2021
| Bookmaker | Promotion Offered | Claim the offer |
|---|---|---|
bet365 | Open Account Offer | >'}'> |
| Up to £100 in Bet Credits for new customers at bet365.Min deposit £5. Bet Credits available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. The bonus code can be used during registration, but does not change the offer amount in any way. | ||
| Betfred | Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets + 60 Free Spins | >','operator':'betfred-sportsbetting'}'> |
| New UK & NI customers only. promo code ‘SPORTS60’. Deposit & place first sports bet of £10+ in one bet transaction, at odds of Evens (2.0) +. settled within 60 days. First bet must be on Sports. £30 in Free Bets credited within 48 hours of bet settlement, 7-day expiry. Payment restrictions apply. SMS validation may be required. Max 60 Free Spins on Justice League Comics. 7-day expiry.Full T&Cs apply. | ||
Ladbrokes | BET £5 GET £20 IN FREE BETS | >','operator':'ladbrokes-sports-betting'}'> |
| 18+ New UK+IRE customers only. Paypal and certain deposit types and bet types excluded. Min £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds1/2=4x£5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days on sports stake not returned, restrictions apply. T&C apply, begambleaware.org. | ||
William Hill | Bet £10 Get £30 in free bets, Credited as 2 x £15 bets | >','operator':'william-hill-sports-betting'}'> |
| 8+. Play safe. New customers using Promo code H30 only, Min £10/€10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15, free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply. | ||
Betfair | GET UP TO £100 IN FREE BETS | >','operator':'betfair-sports-betting-2'}'> |
| New customer offer. Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. T&Cs apply | ||
| Coral | GET £20 IN FREE BETS WHEN YOU BET £5 | >','operator':'coral-sports-betting'}'> |
| 18+ Eligible UK+IRE players. Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cash-out, restrictions & T&Cs apply | ||
| Paddy Power | £20 RISK FREE BET | >','operator':'paddy-power-sports-betting'}'> |
| New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any sportsbook market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using Cards or Apple Pay will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. Paddy's Rewards Club: Get a £10 free bet when you place 5x bets of £10+. T&Cs apply. | ||
What Are Accumulator Bets?
Also known as ‘accas’ or ‘multiples’, accumulator bets combine several betting selections into a single wager. This could be as little as 2 or 3 selections and there is no upper limit; you can bet on 10, 20 or even 30 selections if you wish. However, bear in mind that an accumulator bet only wins when all individual selections win. Because of this, the potential payouts can be considerably higher than with a regular bet. The more selections you add, the higher the odds will be, and as such, small bets of a few pounds can lead to significant sums of money being won! There have even been astonishing examples of people winning six or seven-figure sums from a bet of £1 or less. That’s right; your loose change could make you a millionaire with an accumulator bet!Different Varieties of Accumulator Bets
Here’s a guide to help you understand the correct betting terminology for different types of accumulator bets, based on the number of selections.| Number of selections | Bet type |
|---|---|
| 2 | Double |
| 3 | Treble |
| 4 | Four-fold |
| 5 | Five-fold |
| 6 | Six-fold |
| 7 | Seven-fold |
| 8 | Eight-fold |
How to Place an Accumulator Bet
Creating an accumulator is simple; you simply need to add selections to your betting slip one by one. It’s common to place a football accumulator made up of matches taking place over a weekend or midweek round of games. To do that, locate the football section of your betting site and find the relevant league or competition. If betting in a retail shop, there are usually dedicated coupons available for accumulator betting.Football Match Result Accas
Most people fill their football accumulators with selections from the match result betting market, although that is not the only type of bet that can be used. There are three possible outcomes in the football match result market:- Home win
- Draw
- Away win
Other Types of Acca
Football match result markets are not the only kind of bet you can make into an acca. You could use other football markets such as Over/under 2.5 goals or Both Teams to Score. Just be aware that some bets can’t be combined into accas as the outcomes are dependent to some extent on each other. For example Both Teams to Score and Over 1.5 goals could not be combined into a double as, if both teams score, there will automatically have been over 1.5 goals in the match. If football’s not your favourite sport to bet on, you can alternatively place an acca on just about any sport. The most popular other sports for accas include tennis, rugby and American sports. Here are a couple of betslips with alternative accas. The steps to follow are exactly the same: find your betting coupon, pick your selections, add your stake to the betslip and confirm the bet.Calculating Your Accumulator Bet Winnings
The odds for accumulator bets are calculated by converting the fractional odds of each selection into decimals and then multiplying them together. This is not easy to do manually, especially with odds like 1/7 or 4/9 from our example above, which are not round numbers.| Selection # | Match | Selection | Fractional odds | Decimal odds | Cumulative decimal odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea vs Sunderland | Chelsea | 1/7 | 1.14 | 1.14 |
| 2 | Liverpool vs Middlesbrough | Liverpool | 1/7 | 1.14 | 1.31 |
| 3 | Leicester vs Bournemouth | Leicester | 4/5 | 1.8 | 2.35 |
| 4 | Hull vs Tottenham | Tottenham | 6/10 | 1.6 | 3.76 |
| 5 | Burnley vs West Ham | Draw | 12/5 | 3.4 | 12.79 |
| 6 | Arsenal vs Everton | Arsenal | 4/9 | 1.44 | 18.47 |
What Are System Bets?
A system bet is made up of many different smaller bets, combining all the different kinds of multiple that can be made using the same betting selections. Let’s go back to our example above, where we had six betting selections in our accumulator. Those selections can actually be combined into different kinds of multiple, in addition to the acca itself. For example, a double that could be created from our selections is Chelsea + Liverpool, while another double is Chelsea + Leicester. All in all, those 6 selections can be combined into 15 different doubles:- Chelsea/Liverpool
- Chelsea/Leicester
- Chelsea/Tottenham
- Chelsea/Draw (Burnley v West Ham)
- Chelsea/Arsenal
- Liverpool/Leicester
- Liverpool/Tottenham
- Liverpool/Draw (Burnley v West Ham)
- Liverpool/Arsenal
- Leicester/Tottenham
- Leicester/Draw (Burnley v West Ham)
- Leicester/Arsenal
- Tottenham/Draw (Burnley v West Ham)
- Tottenham/Arsenal
- Draw (Burnley v West Ham)/Arsenal
| N° of selections | Bet name & n° of bets | Bet name & n° of bets (including singles) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Trixie – 4 | Patent – 7 |
| 4 | Yankee – 11 | Lucky 15 – 15 |
| 5 | Canadian – 26 | Lucky 31 – 31 |
| 6 | Heinz – 57 | Lucky 63 – 63 |
| 7 | Super Heinz – 120 | N/A |
| 8 | Goliath – 247 | N/A |