What is a Canadian Bet (Super Yankee)?

A Canadian bet - also known as a Super Yankee - is a type of multiple bet that involves five selections and covers all possible combinations of those selections in multiples of two or more with a series of 26 unique bets. 

This full cover bet offers a good balance between stake and potential returns for clever punters wishing to utilise a multiple bet.

Breaking Down the Canadian's Structure

There are 26 unique lines in the Canadian/Super Yankee bet, ensuring that punters must account for this bet costing 26 times the basic unit stake. The breakdown of bets in the Canadian is:

• 10 Doubles
• 10 Trebles
• 5 Four-Folds
• 1 Five-Fold Accumulator

Calculating Your Canadian Bet Winnings

Let's use a hypothetical example to demonstrate the possible payouts on a Canadian bet using football:

If three teams win: PSG, Barcelona and Bayern Munich but the other two do not, there are three winning doubles:

• A + B → 2.0 × 2.5 = 5.0
• A + C → 2.0 × 1.8 = 3.6
• B + C → 2.5 × 1.8 = 4.5

One winning treble:

• A + B + C → 2.0 × 2.5 × 1.8 = 9.0

In this case the sum of the returns is £22.10 but the total original stake is £26, ensuring a small loss of £3.90 overall.

Conversely, if all five teams in this example win, there are 10 winning doubles, returning £52.50:

• A×B    2.0 × 2.5 = 5.0
• A×C    2.0 × 1.8 = 3.6
• A×D   2.0 × 3.0 = 6.0
• A×E    2.0 × 2.2 = 4.4
• B×C    2.5 × 1.8 = 4.5
• B×D    2.5 × 3.0 = 7.5
• B×E    2.5 × 2.2 = 5.5
• C×D    1.8 × 3.0 = 5.4
• C×E    1.8 × 2.2 = 4.0
• D×E    3.0 × 2.2 = 6.6

There are 10 winning trebles, returning £118.70:

• A×B×C  2.0×2.5×1.8 = 9.0
• A×B×D  2.0×2.5×3.0 = 15.0
• A×B×E   2.0×2.5×2.2 = 11.0
• A×C×D  2.0×1.8×3.0 = 10.8
• A×C×E   2.0×1.8×2.2 = 7.9
• A×D×E  2.0×3.0×2.2 = 13.2
• B×C×D  2.5×1.8×3.0 = 13.5
• B×C×E   2.5×1.8×2.2 = 9.9
• B×D×E   2.5×3.0×2.2 = 16.5
• C×D×E   1.8×3.0×2.2 = 11.9

Five winning four-fold bets, returning £133.30

• A×B×C×D         2.0×2.5×1.8×3.0 = 27.0
• A×B×C×E         2.0×2.5×1.8×2.2 = 19.8
• A×B×D×E         2.0×2.5×3.0×2.2 = 33.0
• A×C×D×E         2.0×1.8×3.0×2.2 = 23.8
• B×C×D×E         2.5×1.8×3.0×2.2 = 29.7

And one winning five-fold bet, returning £59.40:

• A×B×C×D×E    2.0×2.5×1.8×3.0×2.2 = 59.4

Therefore, the total return on this bet would be £363.90 for an initial stake of £26.00.

It's also possible to work out the returns instantly by using a Super Yankee bet calculator and inserting your odds.

Canadian vs. Yankee: The Difference

The Canadian bet and Yankee bet are similar, but the Canadian has one extra selection (five) compared to four needed for a Yankee. That means the Canadian has 26 bets from five selections, while the Yankee has 11 bets from four selections. No singles are included in either bet type and they are both popular in horse racing betting.

How to Place a Canadian/Super Yankee

Placing a Canadian/Super Yankee bet online is relatively simple. Go to your operator and add the five selections you want to use to your betting slip.

Open the betting slip and look under multiples, then select the 'Canadian/Super Yankee' option and enter the unit stake – remembering that this unit stake is multiplied by 26 to find the total cost of the bet.

The Each-Way Canadian: Doubling Your Cover

Punters betting on horse racing may often choose to do an Each-Way Canadian, which doubles the number of bets to 52 and therefore doubles the stake, but offers cover for placed selections as well as winners. This is a good option when the prices of your selections merit including places.

Strategic Use of the Canadian Bet

The Canadian bet is a middle ground for punters wanting to deploy multi-bets. It's broader than a Yankee but less costly than a Heinz or Goliath bet, for example. 

It is a good option for punters who have high confidence in their five selections but want cover or protection against one or two letting them down – where an accumulator bet will fail.