Accumulator Betting Explained

What Is an Accumulator Bet?

Like we mentioned, an accumulator bet is one where you combine many separate bets into one large bet. When your first bet is successful, the return becomes the stake for the next bet, and so on.

As opposed to a normal bet, the odds are higher as you are combining a series of wagers. In the same way, the profit margin is therefore increased. This is what makes an accumulator bet so appealing, as there is more money to be won.

An accumulator bet can be used in many different sports and markets. You can bet a series of games over a period of time, such as a championship, or more rarely on solely one game.

SPORT	MARKETS
Football	Outright winner, total goals, top goal scorer, over/under goals
American Football	Outright winner, handicap bet, first scorer, over/under points, individual awards
Formula 1	Drivers’ champion, best racing team, race winner, top rankings, fastest lap
Cricket	Outright winner, top bowler, top batsmen, man of the match, over/under match score
Tennis	Money line bet, handicap, set winner, over/under
Boxing	Outright winner, round winner, over/under, going the distance, method of victory
Golf	Outright winner, place betting, each-way betting

For example, let’s say we are betting on football. Your accumulator bet may look something like this:

Stake: €10

• Chelsea to win against Fulham with odds 5/3
• Crystal Palace to win against Everton with odds 4/1
• Aston Villa to win against Tottenham with odds 3/2
• Manchester United to draw Newcastle with odds 2/1

For you to win the accumulator bet, every condition must be met. Your earnings would be calculated by taking the stake and dividing it by the odds, in decimal form. In Ireland, betting sites use fractional odds, which are converted to decimals by adding 1.

 10 x (5/3 +1) x (4 +1) x (3/2 +1) x (2 +1). This equals 1000, hence:

• Your total earnings would be €1000
• Your profit would be €990 (€1000 earnings and deducted €10 stake)

If any of these conditions were lost, you would lose your €10 stake and not receive any earnings, hence no profit.

 What Are the Types of Accumulator Bets?

Accumulator bets are divided into types, depending on how many individual bets they consist of, known as ‘selections.

TYPE OF BET	EXPLAINED
Double	Made up of 2 selections
Treble	Made up of 3 selections
Four-Fold	Made up of 4 selections
Five-Fold	Made up of 5 selections
Six-Fold	Made up of 6 selections
Seven-Fold	Made up of 7 selections
Eight-Fold	Made up of 8 selections
Nine-Fold	Made up of 9 selections
Ten-Fold	Made up of 10 selections

Generally speaking, accumulator bets are made up of between 2 and 20 selections. Most commonly, they are four-fold, because this is the ideal balance between profit and risk.

Why Use an Accumulator Bet?

Now that we understand what an accumulator bet is, we can delve into why this should pique our interest. We have established that an accumulator bet is highly profitable, but what other advantages does it offer?

Acca Insurance

Especially if you are a new punter, Acca insurance is a great way to dip your feet into betting without feeling overwhelmed. Instead of all your selections winning, you can afford to lose one leg of your bet without losing the entire wager altogether. Most betting sites offer Acca insurance, otherwise known as Acca loyalty, so it is worthwhile checking if your bookmaker has this feature.

For instance, you may bet on the following NFL accumulator bet:

• Miami Dolphins to win against Buffalo Bills with odds 3/1
• Kansas City Chiefs to win against Los Angeles Chargers with odds 5/3
• San Fransisco 49ers to win against Dallas Cowboys with odds 5/2
• Green Bay Packers to win against New York Giants with odds 7/3

If you use acca insurance, you have an extra layer of protection. Say that the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, and Green Bay Packers win, however the San Franscisco 49ers lose against the Dallas Cowboys. In a normal acca bet, this would mean you lose the whole bet. On the other hand, with acca insurance, you will still be compensated despite losing one leg of the bet. You won’t get your entire profits, but you will be offered rewards like partial cash, free bets, or other bonuses. This depends on the betting site.

Higher Profit

Undoubtedly the biggest reason that we encourage accumulator betting is because of the high profit. You are combining many individual bets, hence there is more money to be won. In addition, the chances of winning every leg are slim, which makes the odds overall extremely high. As a result, research your bets thoroughly.

With all of this this being said, it is important to make intentional decisions, instead of making uninformed bets with the illusion of lots of cash. A good strategy is to pick selections that the betting site has assigned low odds for, because this means they have a higher likelihood of succeeding.

Thrill

If you have been betting for a long time, you may the seeking the thrill you initially experience when you first began. In sports betting, it is important to switch things up and try new ways of betting. Whether this be exploring different markets, or attempting accumulator bets for the first time, there are a range of ways to improve. Furthermore, as accumulator bets are often dependant on a number of matches, you have more time to get excited.

It is worthwhile noting that accumulator bets are risky, which is why betting sites often only encourage them when you are already an experienced punter.

Each-Way Betting

Each-way betting is common in sports like horse racing, where there is a big prize for the outright winner but also profit to be made from top placement. This could be Top 3, Top 5, Top 10, and so on.

The betting site will give you two odds: one for the winner, and one for top rankings. For example, say you are betting on Formula 1. It may look something like this:

Stake: €10

Las Vegas Grand Prix: Max Verstappen

• Odds to win 9/2, odds to place 2/1

Qatar Grand Prix: Max Verstappen

• Odds to win 7/1, odds to place 3/2

Bahrain Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton

• Odds to win 6/1, odds to place 3/1

As long as the racer you bet on either wins or places, you will make a profit. You will make the biggest profit if all the racers come in 1^st, but each-way betting this gives extra flexibility. It is useful in case you know a player will perform well, but not necessarily win the Grand Prix.