How does a multiple bet work?

how does a mutiple bet work

Popular with many players at most bookmakers, multiple bets are used every week by punters who want to play it safe and allow themselves a small margin of error on their bets. But what is a multiple bet really and how does it work? Here are some answers to help you become a multiple-betting king!

❓What is a multiple bet?
💡Example of multiple bets
💰What are the winnings for these bets?
📊Possible predictions for these bets
📈Different types of multiple bets
💡About sports betting

Multiple betting: definition

Also known as system bets on some sports betting sites, multiple bets have always appealed to fans of betting. To put it simply, this type of bet allows you to accumulate several predictions on the same bet slip. The big difference compared with an accumulator bet is that multiple bets can give you a win even if you don't get all the predictions right.

There are many different types of multiple bets which all have different combinations. Perhaps the most simple is to cover doubles or trebles. This can be done from any number of selections. For example, if you have four football teams that you think will win but are a little doubtful about one of them, then a trebles from four selections multiple covers you in case only three of them win. More on this later.

A more complicated set of multiples are Lucky bets (Lucky 15, 31 and 63) which cover every line from singles upwards on four, five and six selections respectively. You can also place bets with four, five and six selections called a Yankee, a Canadian and a Heinz which only cover doubles and upwards. If you have one winning selection in a Lucky, you’ll get a return of some money but not on a Yankee, Canadian or Heinz.

An accumulator bet is a type of multiple bet which can have any number of selections, though most bookmakers limit it to 20 maximum. With an accumulator, you have to have all selections win for the bet to be successful so 19 winning selections and one loser in a 20-team accumulator will still be a losing bet. If you want to know how to bet on football accumulators then click on this guide for help.

Example of multiple bets

A working example is always a helpful way to learn and a multiple bet is no different. To do this, let's take four random football matches on which you are going to make a multiple bet:

Bet 1: Manchester City - Chelsea, Manchester City win at odds of 1.50
Bet 2: Tottenham - Arsenal, draw with odds of 2.50
Bet 3: Aston Villa - Newcastle, Aston Villa win at odds of 1.75
Bet 4: Liverpool - Manchester United, Liverpool win at odds of 2.00

Let's use this as an example of our trebles from four selections multiple that we mentioned earlier. Three winning selections from the four will gain us a return but how do we calculate the lines and the returns?

Here are the possible winnings with this trebles from four multiple bet:

Bet 1 x Bet 2 x Bet 3 = 1.50 x 2.50 x 1.75 = total odds 6.56
Bet 2 x Bet 3 x Bet 4 = 2.50 x 1.75 x 2.00 = total odds 8.75
Bet 3 x Bet 4 x Bet 1 = 1.75 x 2.00 x 1.50 = total odds 5.25
Bet 4 x Bet 1 x Bet 2 = 2.00 x 1.50 x 2.50 = total odds 7.50

You choose to bet £1 on each of the combinations, for a total stake of £4.

What are the winnings for multiple bets?

This is a very important question if we are to understand once again what is at stake with multiple bets. If we go back to our example above, here's what you could win with a trebles from four multiple bet. The results of the matches are as follows:

Bet 1: Manchester City - Chelsea, Manchester City win
Bet 2: Tottenham - Arsenal, draw
Bet 3: Aston Villa - Newcastle, Aston Villa win
Bet 4: Liverpool - Manchester United, Manchester United win

In this example, you have predicted the correct results for bets 1, 2 and 3. As a result, you will win the sum of the odds for these matches, i.e. £6.56 (1.50 x 2.50 x 1.75). If you had opted for an accumulator, you would have come away empty-handed because of the wrong prediction for the Liverpool - Manchester United match.

Your chances of winning a return are higher when you play a multiple bet as it allows for losing selections. The big difference comes if you manage to pick all the right results.

Let's retake our example, this time with Liverpool beating Manchester United, and keeping the other winning results. You will then accumulate the total odds of the 4 multiple bets in winnings, i.e. £6.56 + £8.75 + £5.25 + £7.50 = £28.06 in your pocket.

If you had opted for an accumulator, the total odds would have been quite different, with 1.50 x 2.50 x 1.75 x 2.00 = £13.12 multiplied by the same £4 stake would return a total of £52.48!

This difference is justified by the margin of error given to your multiple bet, which allows you to have a losing selection in your bet, but with a smaller total win than the combined bet.

What predictions are possible for multiple bets?

You will have a wide choice of possible bets to fill in your multiple bet. You can bet on the eventual winner of the match, the number of goals, the score of the match, the scorers of the match, etc.

The different types of multiple bets possible

You will have several choices depending on the bets offered by the bookmaker. These are some of the most popular multiples but it is worth remembering that the more selections you pick, the more some of these bets cost to place as the lines add up.

Doubles: Find at least two winners from however many selections you make. For example, with five selections, there are 10 different doubles.
Trebles: As above, make as many selections as you want with a return on three or more winners. On five selections, there are 10 treble combinations.
Four-folds: Four plus winners are required for a return. There are five four-folds on five selections.
Lucky 15/Yankee: Four selections are required. There are 15 lines in a Lucky 15, four singles, six doubles, four trebles and a four-fold with one winner needed for a return. A Yankee has 11 lines made of six doubles, four trebles and a four-fold with two winners required for a return.
Lucky 31/Canadian: Both have five selections. 31 lines in a Lucky 31 made up of five singles, 10 doubles, 10 trebles, five four-folds and a five-fold. A Canadian is 26 lines made up of the doubles and above.
Lucky 63/Heinz: Six selections make up these multiples. A Lucky 63 is six singles, 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 four-folds, six five-folds and a six-fold. The Heinz is 57 lines, losing the singles.

All you have to do now is try your hand at multiple bets and increase your chances of winning safely!