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What is an Accumulator Bet | LeoVegas Blog

What Is An Accumulator Bet

One of the most popular types of bets that are placed by gamblers is the accumulator bet. This is because it brings the excitement of combining the odds of multiple selections to achieve a greater payout if your picks are successful.

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Accumulators, bet types, which are also known as accas or parlays, can seem puzzling to the novice bettor, however, they are one of the easiest ways to bet on multiple things. In this piece, we will look at what an accumulator bet is, how they work, the different types of accumulators on offer, and how to place them.

Accumulator Betting Explained

An accumulator bet, or parlay, is one single bet type of wager that is made up by combining multiple bets into one bet. For example, if you wanted to place an accumulator bet on soccer or football games, you could pick five teams to win their respective games all as one single bet, an accumulator.

As you are combining different odds, and effectively multiplying them with each other, an accumulator bet will pay out a much higher return than if you were to bet on your choices as separate selections. This is because all of your choices must be successful for your accumulator bet to be successful.

As all the selections are combined to achieve a greater value in total stake, if just one of your picks loses, the whole accumulator bet will lose too, so there is an increased risk when placing this sort of bet. However, it can also add to the excitement and thrill of the sports betting experience.

Soccer, hockey, and horse racing are amongst the most popular sports to have an accumulator bet on. One thing to note is that some bookmakers might prevent you from combining multiple other sports' bets into one accumulator.

It is also important to note that second bet on multiple selections from, for example, the same game of soccer, is not an accumulator bet – this would be a same game multi or multiplier, which is a totally different type of bet.

How Do Accumulator Bets Work?

Let’s use horse racing as a simple example to explain how an accumulator bet works. You are presented with a race card for a meeting that contains six races. You can choose to pick a selection from all six races, or from just four, (you can also pick one selection of just two horses, known as a ‘Double’, or three horses, known as a ‘Treble’)

For each race, you select a horse that you think will win, i.e.:

  • Race 1 – Top Gun
  • Race 2 – Blue Monday
  • Race 3 – Aeroplane
  • Race 4 – Going Overground
  • Race 5 – Captain Percy
  • Race 6 – Blue Ice

You will then combine all of these six selections into one bet to build a total profit for your accumulator. Because you are combining the odds for each of these horses to win, you are increasing the amount of money you could win, but also increasing the risk of at least one bet losing which will mean your accumulator loses too.

Types Of Accumulator Bets

Generally, an accumulator bet contains four or more selections, with many bookmakers allowing up to 20 selections to make up an accumulator bet.

Combining two bets into one bet is known as a ‘Double’, whilst combining three bets is called a ‘Treble’. When you have four selections in one parlay bet, this is known as a ‘Four-fold’, or ‘Four-fold accumulator’. Five bets in one parlay are called a ‘Five-fold’, or ‘Five-fold accumulator’, and so on.

Similarly, a bet containing five selections is called a ‘Five-fold’ or ‘Five-fold accumulator’. The naming convention continues with larger numbers of selections, such as a ‘Six-fold’ or a sixfold or six fold accumulator for six selections and so on.

What Is An Each-Way Accumulator Bet?

The nature of an accumulator bet means that there is a high risk that the first bet won’t win, as there can be so many elements that need to be successful for the bet to win big.

However, some of that risk can be eased by placing bets on an each-way accumulator. This type of bet is particularly popular when betting on horse racing, as there are usually more options to choose from when trying to pick a winner. The idea is to give the gambler a better chance of winning if one of the horses fails to win, but still manages to place, i.e., 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc.

It is important to note that an each-way accumulator bet is made up of two separate bets, which means you will place two small stakes of double the stake you would for a single accumulator bet. For example, if you place small stake of $1 on an accumulator, but decide to make it an each-way accumulator, your overall stake would be $2.

The first part of an each-way accumulator bet is the ‘to win’ part. If you picked four horses in different races and they all won, the bet wins. The second part of the each-way accumulator bet is ‘to place’, which acts as a bit of a safety net. If you picked four horses in different races and only two won, but two placed, you would see still a return on your initial stake.

Bookmakers will determine how many ‘places’ they will pay out for, which is dependent on the size of the field, but it is usually the top three or four places.

How To Place An Accumulator Bet

Although accumulator bets might be new to the less experienced gambler, they are still very easy to place, and you will quickly pick up the understanding of them. Let’s use placing an accumulator bet on soccer as an example for how to place an accumulator bet.

Firstly, find the soccer markets that are available to bet on, then select the type of bet you wish to place. For this example, we’re going to bet on teams ‘to win’ football matches. Simply select the teams you think are going to win their game and add them to your bet slip.

If you are using an online betting app, look under the ‘multiples’ section of your bet slip and you will see the option to choose an ‘accumulator’. Now you can enter the amount of money you wish to stake and the app will calculate what your cash return will be if all your selections are winning ones. Always double check that you have chosen the correct number of selections, then simply click ‘place bets’.

If you are wanting to place an each-way accumulator bet on a sport such as horse racing, you would follow the same principles, but when you see the accumulator option, you will also see the opportunity to place the bet as an each-way accumulator.

Accumulator Bet FAQ

How does an accumulator bet work?

An accumulator bet, which is also known as an acca or parlay, and is one single bet made up by combining multiple selections into one bet.

How is an accumulator bet calculated?

An accumulator is calculated by simply multiplying the odds for each selection by each other. This will calculate the overall odds and return for the bettors.

How do you win an accumulator bet?

An accumulator bet is won when all the selections have been successful. Just one losing single selection will result in a full losing bet or accumulator. This is why this type of bet pays much higher odds than if you were to place the selections as separate single bets.

What happens if a bet is void in an accumulator?

A void bet on an accumulator is often simply discounted so your accumulator bet will be settled based on the results of the remaining selections within the bet.

What happens if one of the accumulator bets loses?

If one of the acca bets fails to get winnings, the entire accumulator would lose.

Is a multiple bet the same as an accumulator?

A multiple bet can be considered the same as the next bet as an accumulator or parlay. However, if you chose multiple selections from the same game, this is not an accumulator. This is known as a ‘same game multiple’ or ‘same game multi’ and is a different type of bet.

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