Sports betting can be a little intimidating to those not in the know as the jargon can be a bit confusing, but we’re here to clear everything up for you.
Accumulators (or accas for short) are one of the most popular bet types across all sports and for a variety of reasons. Here we take a deep dive into what accumulators are and how they work.
An accumulator is a specific type of bet in which you can combine multiple outcomes into a single bet, in order to achieve potentially very high returns (depending on the prices and the number of selections).
Betting on these singular outcomes won’t provide massive returns but combining them into one bet will multiply the odds significantly.
Football punters often choose accumulators because you can select any number of outcomes for a potentially large return, whilst offering a comparatively small stake.
Loads of different markets are available for these, such as scoreline, number of yellow cards, first goalscorer, number of fouls and so on.
There are many different options however and you may, for example, want to place an accumulator consisting of the weekend’s Premier League results.
Accumulators can combine selections from across different sports too, the possibilities are essentially limitless. Crucially, all selections/legs in an accumulator need to win for the bet to return anything.
The accumulator along with the Lucky 15 and Lucky 31 bets are among the most popular bets with horse racing punters.
Also, you can place this bet on any of these betting sites.
Horse racing accumulators work much the same as in other sports. Cheltenham Festival accumulators are often very popular and many will combine Willie Mullins’ biggest chances into an accumulator, especially on the first day.
Whenever there are a lot of horses available at very short odds but you fancy them all to win, betting on the individual outcomes doesn’t provide a significant return for most. By combining them into an accumulator, the potential profit is exponentially greater.
It’s also possible to place an each-way acca, which splits your bet into two parts; a win bet and a place bet.
So if you placed a four-horse accumulator and all four won, both your win and place bets land. If they all place, the win bet loses but the place bet is successful.
Some bookmakers will offer promotions which can include price boosts, money back if one selection loses or loyalty bonuses. In some cases, bookmakers will allow you to make changes to your selections after that bet has been placed.
Accumulators require a minimum of four selections although you can add up to twenty horses if you are feeling confident!
Most punters who use accumulators tend to combine multiple selections at very short prices and the more legs included, the greater the odds of the bet.
It’s a popular bet type because you can combine lots of likely outcomes, which individually wouldn’t provide much profit, into a low stakes bet with significant potential profit.
A £5 bet on a 16/1 four-fold accumulator would return £85 (5x16 and your £5 stake) and it would require large stakes in order to generate that much profit by betting on the outcomes individually.
Total returns would be €359 plus €1 stake = €360
If you have a few strong fancies and the odds are fairly short, it is always worth a go at an accumulator as the returns for a small stake can be very rewarding. It is worth remembering though, that due to the increased number of selections, risk is higher as it only takes one bet to lose for the bet to be void.
A safer option for an acca is to choose an each-way accumulator bet if your fancies are decent prices. The chances of your horses being placed is higher although it means your stake will be higher. Returns on an each-way acca can still be very good for a modest stake.
If you have four fancies which are strong favourites, it makes much more sense to add the horses to an accumulator bet than to place a bet on each horse separately. This is because you are able to yield a profitable return from one winner.
There are different types of multiple bets - a Lucky 15 or a yankee are alternative options. Ensure that you choose the bookmaker with the best odds to maximise your chances of a decent return.
As mentioned above if your fancies are big prices and warrant an each way bet, then it is well worth placing an easy way accumulator.
We have a whole host of betting information to keep you informed on horse racing and betting - you will be an expert in no time if you follow the information below on types of bets and handicapping.
