What is an accumulator bet? | Complete guide to acca betting and expert tips to maximise your returns
Accumulator bets are some of the most popular and highest-yielding bets you can find at any betting site. Below, we’ll answer the question what is an accumulator bet is, and give you some tips on how to use them to your advantage in sports betting.
How do accumulator bets work?
An accumulator bet (also called an acca bet) is when four or more individual bets are combined into one. If all bets hit, you’ll earn a much bigger payout than if you bet on each of them individually. However, if none of them hit, you’ll lose the entire bet.
For example, let’s say you have an accumulator bet with four selections, meaning four individual bets selected to combine for the accumulator bet. If the first selection hits, the amount you won becomes the wager placed on the second selection. If you win the second selection, the total amount you won gets placed as the wager for the third selection, and so on.
The rules of an acca bet
Each selection (also called ‘folds’ or ‘legs’) of an accumulator bet has to be mutually independent, meaning the bets can’t come from the same event. However, in American sports betting, SGPs (same-game parlays) have become quite popular.
Parlays are essentially the American and Canadian version of accumulator bets. There is no difference between an accumulator bet and a parlay apart from the fact that parlays don’t allow users to bet on the folds or bet on them each way (more on each-way acca bets later).
What are doubles and trebles in sports betting?
An accumulator bet that has less than four selections is either a double (two selections) or a treble (three selections). An acca bet with four selections is referred to as a four-fold accumulator bet. An acca bet with five is referred to as a five-fold accumulator bet, and so on.
What are the advantages of accumulator bets?
Accumulator bets allow you to bet very little and earn a potentially large payout with a little luck. That’s because the payout multiplies with each winning selection. And since there’s no limit to how many legs you can add to an acca bet, there have been instances of people winning millions of pounds from simple £5 accumulator bets with many selections.
What are the disadvantages of accumulator bets?
The disadvantage of acca bets is simple. If you miss only one selection, you lose the whole bet. This makes the odds of losing high, which of course balances out the fact that winning accas typically have high payouts.
However, there are special types of acca bets that offer exceptions, such as acca bets that get their stake back if they lose only one selection. This is called acca insurance. However, not all bookies offer it.
How to calculate the odds for an accumulator bet
When building an acca bet, you’ll see the possible winnings calculated in your bet slip. If you want to calculate them yourself, you can do so easily with a calculator or a sheet of paper and a pen if you’re good at maths.
All you have to do is multiply the stake by the odds of each selection. Here’s an example of an accumulator bet to illustrate the maths:
Let’s say you put £3 on an acca bet with four legs, and the odds for each leg are 1.3, 1.7, 2, and 4. To calculate the payout, you’d multiply your stake of three quid by the odds like so:
£3 x 1.3 x 1.7 x 2 x 4 = £53.04
Since your initial stake wouldn’t count towards the profit made, you’d subtract £3 from £53.04, making £ your total return £ 50.04.
When in doubt, you can also use an accumulator bet calculator to do the maths for you. It’s a good idea to bookmark an accumulator bet calculator in your browser so you can refer to it when you need to.
Acca insurance and using cashout for accumulator bets
Standard acca bets are often called straight line accumulators. You might sometimes see promotions for acca insurance, which gives you your stake back if only one fold misses.
Another way to prevent losses from an accumulator bet is through a cashout feature if your sportsbook offers it. This allows you to cashout your bet before all of the events in your acca have been decided.
How to place an accumulator bet
Building an acca bet is easy and only requires a minute. Keep in mind that each bookie is different, but here are some general steps to follow:
- Sign up for an online sportsbook
- Make a deposit
- Decide what sport(s) you want to bet on
- Choose the wagers you want to make
- Set your stake in the acca box
- Confirm the bet
- Collect your winnings if your acca bet hits
Example of an Accumulator Bet on William Hill
Let's walk through a real example of placing an accumulator bet on William Hill, one of the UK's most popular betting sites.
Looking at the bet365 interface, we can see a selection of upcoming football matches from various leagues with their corresponding odds. In this example, a punter has created a five-fold accumulator by selecting:
- Macarthur FC to win against Newcastle Jets (home win) at odds of 13/10
- Sheffield Utd vs Coventry to end in a draw at odds of 12/5
- Grimsby to win against Colchester (away win) at odds of 11/5
- Tranmere vs Cheltenham to end in a draw at odds of 23/10
- Strasbourg to win against Lyon (home win) at odds of 8/5
The bet slip shows these five selections clearly, with the bet type indicated as “Five Fold(s)” at the bottom. The combined odds for this five-fold accumulator are displayed as 213.71/1, which is quite substantial.
In the bet slip, we can see the punter has placed a £10 stake on this accumulator. With combined odds of 213.71/1, the potential returns are calculated at £2,147.06 (including the original stake). This is shown clearly at the bottom of the bet slip with the “Place Bet £10.00” button and “Returns: £2,147.06” displayed below it.
What makes accumulators so appealing is precisely this multiplication effect. Each individual selection has relatively modest odds, but when combined in an accumulator, they create the potential for a significant payout from a small stake.
William Hill also offers an ‘Edit Bet' feature, allowing you to modify your accumulator even after some events have started or finished. Their ‘Cash Out' option lets you secure a profit or cut your losses before all events conclude, giving you more flexibility with your accumulator bets.
Note that this Acca Boost cannot be used in conjunction with the William Hill sign up offer.
Acca bets in horse racing vs sports betting
You may notice a difference if you compare the acca options offered for a sport like football to the options available in an acca for horse racing. Here’s a quick overview.
What is an accumulator bet in horse racing?
When betting on horse racing, you’ll find the option for each-way betting. This lets you bet not only on the outcome of the race, such as where the horse you back will place, but also whether they will place at all or not in the first three or four to reach the finish line.
Football accumulator tips
Since football acca bets don’t offer the option to bet each-way, you have to be sure of your selections—very sure. After all, one miscalculation will render the other selections useless no matter how close you were to winning your entire acca bet.
Always keep an eye out for promos and specials. You may be able to find offers for boosted odds or boosted profit on a specific acca or single bet. And stay up to date on the latest rumors and news. As you know, one player being out could have a major impact on a match.
Types of selection bets commonly used in horse racing
It’s common in horse racing for punters to put together massive selection bets that are made up of accumulator bets. These multiply the potential odds while offering a payout if only some of the selections hit.
Trixie
A Trixie is a selection bet that is a clever way to hedge some of your bets while of course hoping that all of your selections hit. It consists of three doubles and a treble. If each event is a letter, it would look like this:
Three doubles (X+Y, Y+Z, and X+Z,) and treble (X+Y+Z)
If only one of the doubles hits, you’d still get a payout. If all three hit, you’d get a much bigger payout.
Yankee
A yankee is a much larger selection bet that also hedges its bets. It consists of 11 legs, made up of 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and a four-fold acca bet. As you can imagine, the payout is massive if all legs hit. If just two selections hit, you’ll still get a return, although much lower than the entire potential payout.
Canadian
A Canadian is also called a super Yankee. It consists of 26 bets made up of five selections. These are made up of 10 doubles, 10 trebles, five four-fold accas, and five-fold acca. A Canadian bet doesn’t contain any singles. At least two selections must hit in order to get any returns.
Patent
The patent is a 3-selection bet containing 7 bets. It’s made up of 3 singles, 3 doubles, and a treble. It’s got a higher probability of return than most of the other popular selection bet options.
Lucky 15
The Lucky comes in two forms, Lucky 15 and Lucky 31. The lucky 15 is a selection bet with four selections, 4 trebles, 6 doubles, 4 singles, and a four-fold acca bet. Some bookies will offer profit percentage bonuses on lucky 15 bets.
Lucky 31
The lucky 31 consists of five selections including 31 bets in total, which are 10 trebles, 10 doubles, 5 singles, five 4-fold accas and one 5-fold acca. If one of your five legs wins, you’ll still get a payout for that leg. You’ll sometimes see promos around these which could be 2x odds for the entire bet, or percentage profit boosts.
Heinz
The Heinz consists of 57 bets, including 15 doubles 20 trebles, 15 four-fold acca bets, and a six-fold acca bet. The potential payout for this is extremely high. However, keep in mind that since it doesn’t include any singles, at least two selections must hit in order to get a return.
Other selection bets
You might find other variations not listed above as well. This depends on which sportsbook you use because not all offer an option where you can select one of these special betting options and plug in all of the legs.
Best Betting Sites for Placing Accumulator Bets
When looking for the best place to place your accumulator bets, several UK bookmakers stand out for their features and offers. Here are some of the top options:
bet365
bet365 offers some of the most competitive odds for accumulator betting and has an excellent ‘Edit Bet' feature. Their ‘Bet Builder‘ also allows you to create same-game accumulators, which isn't available at all bookies. The ‘Cash Out' and ‘Partial Cash Out' options give you flexibility to secure profits early.
William Hill
William Hill is known for their ‘Acca Freedom' promotion, which allows you to boost your odds or insure your bet against one losing selection. They also offer ‘Acca Boosts' that can increase your returns by up to 70% on winning accumulators.
SBK
SBK offers a modern approach to accumulator betting with its peer-to-peer betting exchange, which often results in better odds than traditional bookmakers. Its clean mobile app makes building accumulators quick and straightforward, and it's known for having lower margins on its odds.
10bet
10bet has made a name for itself with its ‘Create Your Bet' feature and generous accumulator bonuses. They offer ‘Acca Boost' which increases returns on winning accumulators by up to 60%, depending on how many selections you include.
Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes offers the ‘#GetAPrice' feature for custom accumulators and their ‘Odds Boost' option, which you can use once per day. They also have regular ‘Acca Insurance' promotions that return your stake as a free bet if one selection lets you down.
Unibet
Unibet provides ‘Uniboost' which allows you to boost the odds of your accumulator. Their ‘Cash Out' feature is one of the more responsive in the industry, and they offer competitive odds across a wide range of sports for accumulator betting.
| Bookmaker | Acca Features | Sign up |
|---|---|---|
| bet365 | Edit Bet, Bet Builder, Partial Cash Out | Place a bet |
| William Hill | Acca Freedom, Acca Boosts up to 70% | Place a bet |
| SBK | Better odds via betting exchange, Low margins | Place a bet |
| Ladbrokes | #GetAPrice, Daily Odds Boost, Acca Insurance | Place a bet |
| Unibet | Uniboost, Responsive Cash Out | Place a bet |
Comparison Table of Bookmakers for Accumulator Bets
When choosing a bookmaker for your accumulator bets, consider which features matter most to you. If you value the ability to edit your bet after placing it, bet365 might be your best option. If you're looking for the biggest potential boosts to your winnings, William Hill's 70% boost could be appealing. For those who prioritise getting the best odds, SBK's exchange model often provides better value.
Acca bet FAQ
What is an accumulator bet good for?
Accumulator bets allow you to increase the potential return on a bet by multiplying the odds. However, if one selection loses it normally results in a loss on the entire bet
What happens if a bet is void in an accumulator bet365?
Since bet365 doesn’t offer acca insurance, you’ll lose the bet outright if any of the folds in your acca don’t win.
What is an acca bet used for in horse racing?
When punters want to combine multiple bets into one to increase the odds, they can do so with an acca bet.
What’s the difference between an acca bet and a parlay?
Parlays are the American and Canadian versions of acca bets. There’s no difference apart from not being able to bet each-way or place bets on the folds.
Conclusion
Accumulator bets offer punters the excitement of potentially turning small stakes into significant winnings by combining multiple selections into one bet. While they're certainly higher-risk than single bets, the thrill and potential returns make them one of the UK's most popular betting options.
Whether you're a seasoned bettor looking to maximise your returns or a newcomer curious about acca betting, the key is to choose a bookmaker that offers the features that matter most to you—be it acca insurance, boosted odds, or the ability to cash out. Choose one of the recommended bookmakers above, place your first acca bet, and experience the unique excitement that comes with having multiple stakes in play.
