What is a Heinz Bet?

A Heinz bet is a large-scale combination wager made up of 57 bets from six selections, spawning the potential for big returns. The structure of the bet combines 57 bets on six selections in a variety of multiples and one accumulator. The name Heinz was applied to this bet in a nod to the company bearing the same name and their accompanying slogan 57 varieties slogan.

This specialised bet is designed for significant potential returns and used by experienced punters and below we will explain in great detail how you can understand and possibly use it.

Breaking Down Heinz's Structure

As noted, the Heinz bet is made up for 57 different bets using the six selections required for the bet. The Heinz bet explained breaks down these bets as follows:

• one six-fold accumulator
• six five-fold accumulators
• 15 four-fold accumulators
• 20 treble bets
• 15 double bets

It's worth noting, there are no singles in the Heinz bet, so for the bet to return money, at least two selections must win.

Calculating Your Heinz Bet Winnings

The Heinz bet is a complex combination bet and so to calculate winnings, most punters will deploy a Heinz bet calculator. This will show the potential returns based on the number of winning selections and their odds.

To give an idea, the following winning bets would come up, based on number of successful selections being two, four or six:

• Two winning selections = one winning double.
• Four winning selections = six winning doubles, four winning doubles and a winning four-fold accumulator.
• All six winning selections = 15 winning doubles, 20 winning trebles, 15 winning four-fold accumulators, six winning five-fold accumulators and a winning six-fold accumulator.

Heinz vs. Super Heinz: Scaling Up

The next level up from the Heinz bet is a Super Heinz, which involves seven selections and consists of 120 separate bets. A £1 Heinz bet will cost £57 (total number of unique bets) whereas a £1 Super Heinz will cost £120 on the same principle.

The risk/reward theory applies when considering scaling up to the Super Heinz as a punter. The initial outlay is more than doubled, but the potential returns are greater.

How to Place a Heinz

Placing a Heinz bet online is relatively simple. Go to your operator and add the six selections you want to use to your betting slip.

Open the betting slip and look under multiples, then select the 'Heinz' option and enter the unit stake – remembering that this unit stake is multiplied by 57 to find the total cost of the bet.

Strategic Use of the Heinz Bet

The Heinz bet is a system bet used by experienced punters. Typically, it can be used on sports like horseracing, where races are frequent across a day or weekend. On a typical Saturday, there could be 50 races in Britain and Ireland, whereby a form book student might pick out six horses for Heinz bet. Ideally, these selections will be at slightly higher odds, anything from 4-1 and upwards, to justify the initial outlay compared to the possible returns.

Particularly in horse racing, punters may consider the each-way Heinz (114 bets), when the odds facilitate this bet possibly returning a decent profit.