A system bet is an exciting way of betting on multiple legs without needing to guess all of them correctly to get something in return, as with an accumulator. Depending on the size of your stake and the odds in question, you might be able to land some handsome winnings!
To learn more about what a system bet is in detail, see our in-depth guide below for all the different types available, the advantages and disadvantages they offer, and more!
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What Is a System Bet?
A system bet can be seen as an upgrade on accumulator bets. Similar to an accumulator, you must place your stake on a minimum of three events. However, you do not need every selection to win, since a system bet takes different combinations of the legs you have chosen, creating several ‘smaller bets’ within the bet slip.
Even if you do not make a profit, you may still win a considerable percentage of your stake back; unlike what happens with an accumulator, which automatically voids your entire bet slip if one of the bets is unsuccessful.
With system betting you can bet on up to eight events at a time (some betting sites even allow more). In the next few sections of this article we've included a practical example, as well as an explanation on each type of system bet.
How Does a System Bet Work?
We have listed the steps to placing a system bet below:
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Select a number of multiple events, which is pegged at a minimum of three.
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The bets must be from separate sports events, up to a maximum of 8 (or, in some cases, 9).
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Finally, click on the system tab at the top of the bet slip.
To show you how system bets work, we've selected below the simplest form as an example: the Trixie.
System Bet Example
First, select the three events that you want to wager on for the Trixie bet.
For this example, we went with three matches from the Premier League. When placing system bets on football, bets should ideally be chosen from a single gameweek:
If you fancy victories for Arsenal (odds 6/5), Manchester United (odds 3/2), and Chelsea (odds 9/10), the system gives you all the possible two-bet combinations and three betting series, which are displayed on the bet slip as below:
Assuming the matches have been played, and both Arsenal and Manchester United win but Chelsea loses, the results from the three individual bets will result in the following outcome:
If you wager £10 on the system bet, which would amount to a total stake of £40 (stake x number of bets), the winnings would be £55 (6/5 × 3/2 × 10). There will be a profit of £15 when you subtract the total amount wagered (£40) on the system bet from the winnings.
While all other betting systems work the same way, they vary depending on the odds available and the number of legs chosen.
With this example, however, you'll have discovered that system bets are just a way of making the most of one’s stake. See another relevant example below.
Types of System Bets
System bets aren't only limited to betting combinations. There's a whole range of options, each larger than the last. To help broaden your understanding, we're explain what each of them entails below.
Double Bet
The double bet is an easy one. As you might have guessed, it's a combination of two different selections in a single wager, both of which must win for you to get a return. Available for all sports, this is another popular bet type because of its potential for larger returns.
Treble Bet
A treble bet is essentially an accumulator made from the combination of three different selections. It follows the same principle as the double bet, but this bet type consists of three events instead of two. All of the selections have to win to get a pay out from your wager.
For instance, if you fancy a Liverpool, Everton, and Wolves win, all three teams would have to win their respective games for you to win your bet.
Trixie Bet
The Trixie bet is our first system bet – it’s a three-selection bet consisting of 4 bets, namely 1 treble and 3 doubles combined from the three separate events.
We suggest starting your system betting journey with a Trixie as it is relatively simple, and will give you a good understanding of what’s to come.
Patent Bet
A patent bet is a method where 7 bets are placed on 3 events. It's used to cover all possible outcomes(including singles) – thus, you'll land some winnings even if only a single leg is won.
Yankee Bet
The Yankee bet was conceived in the United States, and is made up of 11 combinations from 4 events. These combinations comprises 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and a final accumulator with all 4 legs.
Lucky 15
The Lucky 15 bet functions in much the same way as a Yankee bet. The key difference is that 4 single bets are added, giving you a better chance of making a profit or at least recouping some of your original stake.
Canadian Bet
In a Canadian bet, there are 26 bets on 5 events. It's sometimes referred to as a Super Yankee bet since it's considered an upgrade on the Yankee bet. This bet type consists of 10 double bets, 10 trebles, 5 four-fold and a five-fold accumulator bet.
Alphabet Bet
The Alphabet bet, as the name implies, is made up of 26 bets from 6 separate events. There are 2 patents (which contribute 14 bets), 1 Yankee (11 bets), plus a six-fold accumulator (1 bet).
Don’t forget that, as systems get bigger, so do the stakes. For example, if you're looking to place a stake of £1 on an alphabet bet, you would end up with a total stake of £26. This is because the stake is multiplied by the number of bets to cover all 26 bets.
Lucky 31 Bet
A Lucky 31 bet is made up of selections from 5 different events. As the name suggests, it consists of 31 bets, including 5 singles, 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 four-fold accas and 1 five-fold accumulator. A win on any of the selections guarantees you a return on your bet.
It's not too different to a Canadian bet, with the only variation being that the Canadian bet includes 5 singles.
Heinz Bet
The Heinz bet is made up of 57 bets across 6 events. It includes 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 four-folds, 6 five-folds, and 1 six-fold.
With this bet type, remember that if you place a £1 bet, it will be multiplied by 57, coming up to a total stake of £57.
Lucky 63 Bet
The Lucky 63 bet is very similar to a Heinz bet, with the main difference being that Lucky 63 is a complete coverage bet, including singles. A Lucky 63 bet is a 6-selection wager consisting of 6 singles, 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 four-folds, 6 five-folds, and 1 six-fold.
Super Heinz Bet
A Super Heinz bet comprises 120 bets across seven selections. There are 21 doubles, 35 trebles, 35 four-fold accumulators, 21 five-fold accumulators, 7 six-fold accumulators and 1 seven-fold accumulator.
Goliath Bet
This is one of the more complicated wager types. As the name ‘Goliath‘ implies, the numbers here are quite staggering, consisting of 247 possible combined bets from 8 events. These are 56 trebles, 70 four-folds, 56 five-folds, 28 six-folds, 8 seven folds and 1 eight fold.
It's possible to make a huge return with a small stake using this system. While this sounds like a very appealing proposition, be wary, as every line requires a stake. Even at £1, your total stake will cost you £247.
How to Win With System Bets
Below is an overview of each system bet put in practice.
The table shows you how many corrects bets you need to predict correctly within a system bet to ensure that you make a profit. The last column shows your potential winnings if you manage to get every one of your bets correct.
For the sake of the below examples, the odds for all events were set at 18/10 and the stake was set at £2 per bet.
| System | events to break even or make profit | stake | if all are correct | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double bet | |||||
| Treble bet | |||||
| Trixie bet | |||||
| Patent bet | |||||
| Yankee bet | |||||
| Lucky 15 | |||||
| Canadian bet | |||||
| Alphabet bet | |||||
| Lucky 31 | |||||
| Heinz bet | |||||
| Lucky 63 | |||||
| Super Heinze bet | |||||
| Goliath bet |
Top 4 System Bet Strategies
For a new punter, the thought of having to learn or fashion a strategy for system bets (or full cover bets) can be intimidating. We've explained the most popular system betting strategies below:
1. The X-Factor Strategy
Predicated on the draw forecast in football, this strategy can be highly effective, as the odds of a draw in football never fall below 2/1. All you have to do is look for matches that will most likely end in an equal score. With the individual odds being relatively high, there’s a higher possibility of you making a positive gain if a small number of your selections fail to land.
2. The Each-Way Strategy
We recommend employing this strategy for smaller bets like the Trixie (3 doubles and a trebles). It’s also available for each-way betting, meaning you can make each-way full cover bets. However, the number of wagers will be doubled.
3. The High-Risk Strategy
Be warned that this strategy is, well, a risky one, as it involves including some underdogs in your selection – this would add some high odds into the mix.
Due to this, we advise that you focus on events where upsets happen regularly. It's always good to take the usual favourites into account, but a few risky selections could return considerable winnings should they be successful.
4. When To Use a System Bet
There are no restrictions on when to use system bets. That being said, they're often used by bettors in markets with extremely high odds, such as those for popular sports on the best betting sites for football, horse racing, and tennis. Additionally, it's always advisable to select favourites with high odds in order to maximise the margin of profit.
Advantages of System Bets
System bets comes with many interesting benefits. We've made a list of some of the advantages inherent in using system bets:
- A higher winning percentage
- Various betting types to suit different betting styles
- Higher maximum limits than other bet types
- Many different betting strategies can be adopted
- Winnings still possible even if you get one of the bets wrong
Disadvantages of System Bets
Beyond the advantages, there are a few downsides we should let you know about regarding system bets:
- An extensive wagering budget is required
- Not suitable for new bettors due to the complexity involved
- Welcome bonus can't be used to wager in most cases
Useful Tools for System Bets
If you aren't an experienced punter, it's understandable that you'll find the whole concept of system bets challenging. However, there are tools online you can use to help you plan your wagers.
System bet calculators are particularly handy in this regard to help you determine how much return you could win, so you’ll have an idea whether placing a wager is worth it or not. In fact, we have an extensive list of system bet calculators of our own to help you work out your combinations. With these at hand, you won't have to worry about what bets to combine and when to do so.
Don't forget about our odds converter tool, which is particularly useful if you don't have a solid understanding of how odds work, given that there are different odd systems. With this, you can convert from one odd type to another.
System Bets FAQs
You can combine as many sports as you want! However, if you’re looking to place each-way bets, only a few sports allow this.
No, they’re not. ‘Full cover bet’ is just another term for a system bet.
No system bet can guarantee winnings. Results are totally dependent on the outcomes and odds of whatever you wager on.
Since they are a little more complicated than other types, system bets are recommended for experienced bettors.
There are no restrictions with system bets, but we recommend trying them out on football at first.
Yes, you can. Our recommended betting sites listed above all have excellent mobile platforms.
ThePuntersPage Final Say
System bets are an attractive proposition if you're looking to maximise your stake. Although they may seem a little confusing in the beginning, it's just a matter of understanding how they work and gaining more experience. Don’t hesitate to try them out as another alternative to spice up your betting experience!