Speculate to Accumulate: How To Bet on Football Accumulators
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Nothing quite beats the thrill of a football accumulator. The chance of a big win, the dilemma of the cash-out, the waiting with baited breath for that one last result to come up…it’s no wonder football accumulators, or “accas”, are amongst the most popular types of bets for fans who like a flutter.
As anyone who has been through the ups and downs of accumulators will testify, winning is often easier said than done - especially with longer accas. But with the right football predictions, sensible strategy and a bit of good fortune along the way, they can be a good way of getting strong value from your football betting.
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How Do Football Accumulators Work?
Football accumulators are combination bets that link more than one betting outcome to the same betting line. So rather than betting on Manchester United to win, Arsenal to win and Birmingham City to lose as three separate bets, you might choose to bet on all three outcomes as an accumulator bet. If all three come up, you’ve won your bet - and accumulators often allow “cash-outs”, an instant settlement offer to close the bet, until the results are known.
Accumulators can also combine a large number of different outcomes on one betting line. The more bets on the accumulator, the larger the potential return will be if every outcome comes good. Naturally, the more legs you add to your acca, the more difficult it becomes to get the win, so it’s a balancing act for punters to weigh up when choosing how to proceed with their bets.
Accumulator bets are usually found under the ‘multiples’ or ‘accumulator’ section of your online betting slip. Firstly, choose your bets as if you were selecting individual bets on multiple different betting markets, adding these to your betslip.
Depending on your online bookmaker of choice, you will see odds quoted in real-time for combining bets into one line, which will be at enhanced odds compared to backing each outcome individually.
Simply enter your stake in the accumulator section after choosing your outcomes to get quoted on the odds for an accumulator bet. If you like what you see, you can confirm your bet in the usual way to set up the accumulator.
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What Are The Advantages of Football Accumulators
Arguably the key benefit of an accumulator is the enhanced odds you’re paid when your results come in. Accumulator odds are much longer than backing individual results because each result is contingent on all the others. This means the true odds of winning an accumulator are much greater than winning on each event individually, so you’re being rewarded fairly for the enhanced true odds of winning that kind of bet. It’s a straightforward way of getting paid much larger returns when your results come in - punters appreciate the chance of bigger wins that accas can deliver.
Accumulators allow you to take a moon-shot bet that could deliver significant returns - something akin to a lottery win - at odds that are much more favourable than playing any lottery. Some players like to set up huge accumulators for the weekend, for example, combining loads of different match results. This makes for more exciting action as events unfold, with the potential for landing some big wins every now and again. Others are more strategic in their approach, choosing 3-way or 4-way accas to keep their bet as tight as possible, while still benefiting from enhanced odds. Or maybe you’ll set up an accumulator with one eye on the cash-out, viewing the chance to grab more frequent smaller wins as a better strategy for ending up in the black.
With the right picks, winning more often than you lose is possible - just beware of the impact of rogue results, and don’t be shy of a cash-out every now and then when the going’s good.
What Are The Downsides to Football Accumulators
While the enhanced odds on accumulators make them a pretty appealing prospect, there’s one main drawback to be aware of here. Your accumulator needs every result to come good in order to pay out, and so your entire bet is vulnerable to any one point of failure. So while a 3-part, 5-part, 10-part accumulator might pay out at mouth-watering amounts, there’s always that risk that you might fall short on one single outcome.
Cash-out options are the only way you can mitigate against this risk, aside from accumulating fewer bets on one line. This is offered by a number of major bookies, allowing you the chance to settle your bet early for an agreed amount. The offer from the bookie will obviously be for a lower amount that you might expect if your bets come good. But the advantage here of settling now for a guaranteed win that might evaporate as your accumulator progresses means many players choose to take advantage of this up-front win and move on.
The Best Way to Win a Football Accumulator
The best way to win any accumulator bet is to pick wisely, and to be strategic in managing your cash-out offers. A strategy that runs big money accumulators to the end can pay off if your research is good, but as any football fan knows, anything can happen in 90 minutes. A more balanced approach that sees you strategically accepting cash-out offers along the way means you’ll win more often than you would in letting bets run, though at necessarily lower amounts than would otherwise be the case.
There is also something to be said for choosing less risky individual bets to make up your accumulator. For example, if you can see Chelsea winning or drawing but not losing, backing them on a Win or Draw bet will contribute less to your accumulator than backing them to win or draw outright - but if the net result is a bet that is more likely to come good, you can still bump up the odds of your accumulator here with a lower overall risk profile.
It’s down to individual preference, and your risk appetite, as to how you choose to play it. But either way, with the possibility of some seriously big returns on accumulator bets that go right, it can be a wise betting strategy to use football accumulators to bolster your winning potential.
