What Is a System Bet? Meaning, Types, & Examples

A system bet is a type of bet where you only need a few legs or selections of your bet to land for you to win. It's different from an accumulator, for example, which requires all your selections to return spot-on for you to win. Your chances of scoring a victory are significantly improved using this system, so read on to learn all about system bets!

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Best Betting Sites for System Bets – Top 5 Ranked

1. 888sport

2. bet365

3. BetVictor

4. bwin

5. Marathonbet

How Does a System Bet Work?

This type of wager is an upgrade on accumulator bets. If you choose to wager using this system, you're betting on multiple bets, but with only one placement.

Before deciding to place a system bet, there are two questions you have to answer: namely, how many events you want to bet on, and how many events have to win to make a profit on your stake. Once that's sorted, you'll have a clear picture of the possible bet combinations.

For instance, you could have 2 out of 3 (2/3), 2 out of 4 (2/4), 3 out of 5 (3/5), or even 4 out of 6 (4/6). Regardless of the bet type you choose, all the possible combinations are fashioned from individual bets and listed as a betting series.

We have listed the steps to placing a system bet below:

1. Select at least the minimum number of required events, which is pegged at three.
2. Select three separate events, which is the accepted minimum, up to a maximum of 8 (or, in some cases, 9).
3. Finally, click on the system tab at the top of the bet slip.

To show you how system bets work, we've selected the simplest form of system bets or full cover bets, this being the 2/3 system bet.

System Bet Example

First, select the three events that you want to wager on. As an example, let’s select three matches from the Premier League:

1. Southampton vs Arsenal (Arsenal win)
2. Liverpool vs Manchester United (Manchester United win)
3. Everton vs Chelsea (Chelsea win)

If you fancy victories for Arsenal (odds 2.2), Manchester United (odds 2.3), and Chelsea (odds 1.9), the system gives you all the possible 2-bet combinations, and three betting series are displayed on the bet slip:

• Bet 1: Arsenal Win (2.2) and Manchester United Win (2.3)
• Bet 2: Arsenal Win (2.2) and Chelsea Win (1.9)
• Bet 3: Manchester United Win (2.3) and Chelsea Win (1.9)

Assuming the matches have been played, and both Arsenal and Manchester United win but Chelsea loses, the results from the three individual tips will result in the following outcome:

• Bet 1: Arsenal Win (2.2) and Manchester United Win (2.3) Won
• Bet 2: Arsenal Win (2.2) and Chelsea Win (1.9) Lost
• Bet 3: Manchester United Win (2.3) and Chelsea Win (1.9) Lost

If you wager £10 on each bet, which would amount to £30 for all the bets, the winnings would be £51 (2.2 x 2.3 x 10). There will be a profit of £20 when you subtract the amount wagered on the system bet from the winnings.

To earn a profit from a 2/3 system bet, one of the three combinations must return as predicted. All the other betting systems are predicated on this principle as well.

With this example, you'll have discovered that system bets are just a means deployed to make 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 gamut, with strange names to boot. The good news is that we're going to explain what each of them entails.

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. This is another popular bet type because of its potential for a larger return, and is available across all sports.

Treble Bet

A treble bet is essentially a wager 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 payout 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.

Patent Bet

A patent bet is a method where 7 bets are placed on 3 events. It's used to cover all possible outcomes; thus, the bettor will make a profit even if only a single bet is won.

Trixie Bet

The Trixie bet is a three-selection bet consisting of 4 bets, namely 1 treble and 3 doubles combined from three separate events. This is one of the easiest bet types to win with.

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 an accumulator with 4 legs or events.

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, plus a four-fold and five-fold accumulator bet. To get a winning return from a Canadian bet, at least two or more bets have to come through. 

Heinz Bet

The Heinz bet is made up of 57 bets across 6 events. It includes 10 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 four-folds, 6 five-folds, and 1 six-fold. With this bet type, if you place a £1 bet, the total stake will be multiplied by 57, coming up to £57. One major advantage of this bet type is that you can make a profit with only two correct predictions.

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. 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 could be as high as 247.

Lucky 31 Bet

A Lucky 31 bet is made up of 5 selections from different events. As the name suggests, it consists of 31 bets, including 10 trebles, 10 doubles, 5 singles, 1 five-fold accumulator, and 5 four-fold accumulators. A win on any of the selections guarantees you a return on your bet. It's not too dissimilar to a Super Yankee, with the only difference being that it has 5 singles.

Super Heinz Bet

A Super Heinz bet comprises 120 bets across seven selections. There are 35 trebles, 35 four-fold accumulators, 21 doubles, 21 five-fold accumulators, 1 seven-fold accumulator, and 7 six-fold accumulators. In this type of bet, two or more selections have to be successful in order to make a profit.

Alphabet Bet

The Alphabet bet derives its name from the 26 bets that it's made up of, along with separate selections. There are 2 patents (which contributes 14 bets), 1 Yankee (11 bets), plus a six-fold accumulator (1 bet). This type of bet is complicated, and may require a high stake due to its high number of bets.

For example, if you're looking to place a stake of £1 on a bet, you would end up placing £26. This is because the stake is multiplied by the number of bets to cover all 26 bets.

Lucky 63 Bet

Last on our list but not least, we come to the Lucky 63. This 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. In order to generate a return on a Lucky 63 bet, at least one of your selections has to win.

System Bet Strategy

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:

The Yankee-Up Strategy

This strategy is well-suited for those who like to wager on multiple bets. With 7 events, you can use a Yankee (4 trebles, four-folds, and 11 bets of 6 doubles) to guarantee winnings if some selections lose. All you have to do is to make out 7 different group permutations, such as the following: 1245, 1357, 1236, 2567, 3456, 1467, 2347. Consequently, if two selections fail, you'll still win a complete Yankee and other winners in the bet. If three fail, then only winning one Yankee is still a possibility. If more fail to land, you'll lose your stake.

The X-Factor Strategy

Predicated on the draw forecast in football, this strategy is highly profitable, as the odds of a draw in football never fall below 3.0 (2/1). All you have to do is look for matches that will most likely end in an equal score. Given the fact that the odds for the selections are high, you can be assured of making a high profit even if not all of the selections land.

The Each-Way Strategy

We recommend employing this strategy for smaller bets like Trixie (3 doubles and a treble). 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. 

The High Risk Strategy

Be warned that this strategy is replete with risk, as it involves including some underdogs in your selection. 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 profit should they be successful.

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 like 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 some benefits. We've made a list of some of the advantages inherent in using system bets:

• A higher winning percentage
• Choose a betting type to suit your betting style
• Higher maximum limits than other bet types
• You're sure of a return with only two correct predictions
• Many different betting strategies can be adopted

Disadvantages of System Bets

With system bets, you're more likely to earn a profit on your wager, no matter how small. However, beyond the profit, there are a few downsides we should let you know about. Below are some of the disadvantages of system bets:

• An extensive wagering budget is required
• Not suitable for new bettors due to the complexity involved
• You're liable to make mistakes with this bet type
• Welcome bonus can't be used to wager in most cases

Useful Tools When Using a System Bet

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're likely to make, so you’ll have an idea whether placing a wager is worth it or not. In fact, we're currently working on various 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 the 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.

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 – you might just be setting yourself up for increased winnings!

Written by David Camilleri View all posts by David

David is a sports fanatic with a particular interest in stats and figures. When not writing about sports, you would probably find him playing or watching football, researching stats or sharing the latest news with anyone willing to listen.

david@thepunterspage.com

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Wayne received a bachelor’s in math from M.I.T. and a Ph.D. in management science from Yale. He taught management science and statistics at Indiana’s nationally ranked Kelly School of Business. 201-2017. He has won over 40 teaching awards, including the award as the best teacher in the M.B.A. program six times. Professor Winston has written […]

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