Parlay bets strategy | How to win an acca bet

No matter how many professional punters you ask, every one of them will tell you that the only acceptable way of controlling your game and bankroll is to bet on singles. The more matches you add to your betslip, the more you rely on luck instead of intuition. However, contrary to the strict professional approach, accumulator bets remain an extremely popular way of betting for the vast majority of punters, from rookies to seasoned pros.

The reason is quite simple: An acca bet (parlay bet) may have lower chances of coming through, but it allows you to win far larger payouts. The fact that you have the possibility of significantly multiplying your initial stake, vastly outweighs the small winning percentage. What seems even more appealing, is that you can potentially win big without having to risk a lot of money.

What is an acca bet?

So, let’s try to get this whole accumulator thing explained: An accumulator bet (or acca bet) is basically any bet that combines two or more selections. In sports betting terminology, the term “accumulator betting” is found predominating on bets that contain more than three selections, as two selections are generally called “doubles”, while three choices are considered a “treble” bet. However, technically any bet can fall under a specific category; A bet consisting of four selection is called a “fourfold”, a five-selection bet is a “fivefold” and so on.

The limits you may encounter on the number of your selections, depend on each online bookmaker’s policy. Usually the highest one is a 15-fold bet, with most betting sites not allowing more than 10 selections on the same betslip. Regardless of how many selections you choose, bookies usually place those limits to make sure that an extremely lucky punter doesn’t succeed in breaking the bank.

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Acummulator Types

There are two types of acca bets:

Straight parlay: The simplest combination bet, but also the riskiest one, as all matches included on your parlay must be winning ones to get a profit. The risk is always high and losing such a bet is the most usual outcome. It’s not easy to win a fourfold or fivefold straight parlay, even if your back favorites on theoretically safe choices.

The wisest strategy when picking straight parlays is to minimize the number of matches on your betslip. Instead of building a sixfold or sevenfold, you should split them into two or three straight parlays, for example two doubles and a treble, where you should also allocate your stake accordingly.

When you bet on straight parlays, picking low odds is 9 out of 10 times not profitable. Five 1.50 odds choices amount for only 7.59 total odds. Your theoretical winning chances stand at 0.4% which possibility-wise are far lower than your projected winnings. In terms of value for money, this is not a good deal.

Multiple parlay: There are several types of multiple parlays & system bets, but one common rule: You claim some money even if one or more of your choices doesn't come through. This seems fair, as it may be hard to find three or four winning games on a single matchday. The only drawback is that your profit will be lower compared to a straight parlay, as your stake is split by the number of bets. When you place a Yankee bet you are wagering on 11 possible combinations (6 doubles, 4 triples & 1 quadruple). So, if your Yankee bet is worth €55, this means that each combination is multiplied with €5 and not your entire stake.

How to win a combo bet?

Many punters who favor accumulator bets are fond of sharing stories of times they could have won a small fortune, but for a missed match on a sixfold acca bet. That’s why there are alternative ways of gaining profit without having to risk too much. Betting systems (Trixie, Yankee, Heinz etc.) are another type of accumulator bets. All these are thoroughly described on the appropriate bookmakers.bet betting systems guide.

Apart from the “fixed” betting systems, online bookmakers allow you to built your own pattern of football accumulators and even win despite losing one or two selections. For example, when you select five matches, it’s not obligatory to bet only on a straight bet containing all five selections or choosing a Canadian system, containing 26 different bets, from doubles to fivefold. You can choose a third way, to bet only on trebles made by these five matches (10 bets) and the fivefold (1 bet).

Or the doubles (10 bets), or the fourfolds (5 bets). The best tactic when it comes to acca betting is to carefully calculate the average odds. If you follow this rule, you simply have to note how many parlays you need to win to at least protect your bankroll. This is very important when it comes to keeping your composure, especially on losing nights. This in turn leads to a logical conclusion: Try and built similar total odds parlays.

Cashing out acca bets

This kind of betting becomes more and more popular, especially if you include your acca bet selections that may start at different times. When four selections of your fivefold bet have been won and the last match starts in about half an hour, the following temptation is logically high: Will you use the cash out service and take the trimmed winnings or let your bet run its course until the end? This isn’t an easy decision and can depend on many factors. If you ultimately do cash out, don’t blame yourself or feel guilty if the last selection comes through, as the opposite could have happened just as easily.

Enhanced odds

A growing number of online bookmakers offer punters an extra motive to place bets on parlay bets. Enhanced odds is the most common bonus offer, as the bookie increases the total potential winnings. Usually the increased percentage is between 20% and 30% of the initial payout. Of course, the percentage gets bigger as you add more matches to your bet.  This seems like a profitable deal for players, however, you must remember that this is just a way bookies use to worsen your winning possibilities.

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