The Different Bet Types Explained
There are many different types of bets you can place on sporting events. Here’s an explanation of the more popular bets.
Win
A bet where you will only win if your chosen selection wins, whether it’s on a football team or a horse.
Place
A bet where you will only win if your chosen selection wins or finishes within a certain number of positions determined by the bookmaker (theses can be different per bookmaker, so please do check before placing your bet)
Each-Way
A combination of win and place bets of equal size. Each-Way bets may be placed on a single event or on two or more selections in a multiple bet. Each-Way multiple bets are settled on a win-to-win and place-to-place basis.
Single
A bet on an individual selection or outcome.
Multiple Bet
A double, treble or an accumulator. A series of win singles that are linked, where all the return from the first selection is automatically staked on the second selection as a win single and so on until all selections have won, thus giving you a winning slip, or until one selection lets the slip down and loses in which case the whole bet is a loser.
Double
A bet on two selections; both of which must win.
Treble
A bet on three selections. Again, all three of which must win.
Accumulator
A bet on four or more selections; all of which must win. Accumulators are more commonly named after the number of selections they contain - fourfold, fivefold or sixfold accumulator and so on.
Full Cover Bet
A bet consisting of all possible doubles, trebles and accumulators across the number of selections you want to bet on. There are a lot, including: Trixie, Yankee, Canadian or Super Yankee, Heinz, Super Heinz and a Goliath.
Trixie
A bet on three selections, consisting of four separate bets: 3 doubles and a treble. A minimum two selections need to win.
Yankee
A bet on four selections and consisting of 11 separate bets: 6 doubles, 4 trebles and a fourfold accumulator. A minimum two selections need to win.
Canadian or Super Yankee
A bet on five selections and consisting of 26 separate bets: 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 fourfolds and a fivefold accumulator. A minimum two selections need to win.
Heinz
A bet on six selections, consisting of 57 separate bets: 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 fourfolds, 6 fivefolds and a sixfold accumulator. A minimum two selections need to win. It is named a Heinz due to the '57 varieties' advertising slogan of the baked beans!
Super Heinz
A bet on seven selections, consisting of 120 separate bets: 21 doubles, 35 trebles, 35 fourfolds, 21 fivefolds, 7 sixfolds and a sevenfold accumulator. A minimum two selections need to win.
Goliath
A bet on eight selections and consisting of 247 separate bets: 28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 fourfolds, 56 fivefolds, 28 sixfolds, 8 sevenfolds and an eightfold accumulator. A minimum two selections need to win.
Full Cover Bets With Singles
Patent
A bet on three selections, consisting of 7 separate bets: 3 singles, 3 doubles and a treble. Equivalent to a Trixie plus 3 singles. Only one winning selection needed to guarantee a return.
Lucky 15
A bet on four selections, consisting of 15 separate bets: 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles and a fourfold accumulator. Equivalent to a Yankee plus 4 singles. Only one winning selection needed to guarantee a return.
Lucky 31
A bet on five selections, consisting of 31 separate bets: 5 singles, 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 fourfolds and a fivefold accumulator. Equivalent to a Canadian plus 5 singles. Only one winning selection needed to guarantee a return.
Lucky 63
A bet on six selections and consisting of 63 separate bets: 6 singles, 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 fourfolds, 6 fivefolds and a sixfold accumulator. Only one winning selection needed to guarantee a return here too.
Alphabet
A bet that has six selections - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, usually on Horse Racing or Greyhounds. Selections 1, 2, and 3 form a patent. Selections 4, 5, and 6 form a second patent. Selections 2, 3, 4, and 5 form a Yankee. Selections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 form a sixfold accumulator. The total number of bets in an alphabet is therefore 26 [2 patents at 7 bets each, plus 1 yankee at 11 bets, and one accumulator at one bet - (7+7+11+1=26)]. Only one winning selection needed to guarantee a return.
'Any To Come' (ATC) or 'Conditional Bets'
Bets that include conditional bets, i.e. if part of the bet produces a sufficient return then a predetermined amount may be placed on one or more of the other selections. ATC and 'conditional bets' are normally not accepted on Ante-post selections.
Up-and-Down
An example of a 'conditional bet' or ATC bet. A bet on two selections, consisting of two single bets. If one selection wins then the original stake is placed as an additional single bet on the second selection. If both selections win, each original stake is placed as a single on the other selection: essentially giving twice the winnings for just two stake units. The downside of only one winning selection is that both original stakes are lost.
Usually played for 'single stakes about (SSA)' meaning stakes identical to the original ones are placed on selections if there are one or more winners. 'Double stakes about (DSA)' means twice the original stake is placed on selections if there are one or more winners. Please note that an odds-on winner does not supply enough money for 'double stakes about' so the whole amount available is used.
Round Robin
A bet on three selections, consisting of 10 separate bets: 3 doubles, 1 treble and 3 up-and-down bets (each of 2 separate bets). It may be a Trixie to which 3 up-and-down bets have been added. One winning selection will guarantee a return.
Flag
A wager on four selections and consisting of 23 separate bets: 6 doubles, 4 trebles, 1 fourfold and 6 up-and-down bets. It may be a Yankee to which 6 up-and-down bets have been added. Only one winning selection needed to guarantee a return.
Super Flag
A bet on five selections, consisting of 46 separate bets: 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 fourfolds, 1 fivefold and 10 up-and-down bets. It may be a Canadian to which 10 up-and-down bets have been added. Again, only one winning selection needed to guarantee a return.
Rounder
A bet on three selections A, B and C consisting of 3 singles and 3 ATC doubles to the original singles stakes. One example: £1 win A, ATC £1 double BC; £1 win B, ATC £1 double AC; £1 win C, ATC £1 double AB.
Roundabout
As a Rounder except the ATC doubles are to twice the stake. For example, £1 win A, ATC £2 double BC etc. Please note here that in the event of an odds-on winner the complete returns (less than £2 in this example) from the winning single are bet on the appropriate double.
Speciality Bets
Union Jack
A bet on nine selections that are often placed in a 3 by 3 grid on a purpose-designed betting slip, consisting of 8 trebles. If the selections A to I are placed:
A B C
D E F
G H I
then the 8 trebles are (horizontally) ABC, DEF, GHI, (vertically) ADG, BEH, CFI, (diagonally) AEI, CEG. All three selections in a treble must win to get a return. It is possible to get five or even six winners from the nine selections and yet still win (example - A, B, E, F, G do not give a winning treble in example 1, and A, B, D, F, H, I do not produce a return in example 2, as shown below).
Example 1
A B C
D E F
G H I
Example 2
A B C
D E F
G H I
Please nore that selection E appears in 4 of the trebles; A, C, G and I appear in 3 trebles; B, D, F, and H appear in only 2 trebles.
Forecasts
Forecasts are bets on a single event that require the correct forecasting of the finishing order of (usually) the first two or three finishers in the event.[1] Returns on correctly predicted finishing orders are calculated by industry sources via computer software that uses the starting price of all participants in the event, and are usually declared to a £1 stake unit on (mainly) horse and greyhound races.
Straight Forecast
A straight forecast (SF) is a bet requiring the naming of two selections to finish 1st and 2nd in the correct order in a certain event. Requires a single unit stake. Often available on horse and greyhound races with three or more runners. Equivalent to the USA exacta or perfecta, or the Canadian exactor.
Reverse Forecast
A reverse forecast (RF) is a bet requiring the naming of two selections to finish 1st and 2nd in either order in a certain event. It is the same as two straight forecasts on selections a and b: a 1st, b 2nd and b 1st, a 2nd. Requires two unit stakes. Equivalent to a "boxed" exacta/perfecta in North America, where the quinella is a similar wager that requires only one unit stake.
Combination Forecast
A combination forecast is a bet on three or more named selections to choose two of the selections to finish 1st and 2nd in the correct order in a certain event. It is the same as the number of straight forecasts on selections a, b ... n given by the formula n(n − 1) and therefore requires this number of unit stakes. E.g. 3 selections - 6 bets; 4 selections - 12 bets; 5 selections - 20 bets; etc. Equivalent to boxing an exacta/perfecta with more than two runners in North America.
Tricast
A tricast is a bet that requires three named selections a, b and c to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order in a certain event. Requires a single unit stake. Accepted on horse races where 8 or more horses are declared and at least 6 run, and on greyhound races of 5 or more runners that form part of the bookmakers' main service. In North America, this wager is known as the trifecta (USA) or triactor (Canada).
Combination Tricast
A combination tricast is a bet on three or more named selections to choose three selections to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order in a specified event.[1] Requires multiple unit stakes given by n(n − 1) (n − 2) where n is the number of selections. E.g. 3 selections, 6 bets; 4 selections, 24 bets; 5 selections, 60 bets; etc. In North America, this is a "boxed" trifecta.
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcoarment/2035055311/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
