What is a Trixie Bet?

A Trixie bet is a type of system bet (one that combines multiple selections from different events) based on three different selections.

It consists of four separate multiple bets - three doubles and one treble - and offers the bettor a form of insurance because there will be a return although not necessarily a profit as long as two of the three selections are successful.

This is less risky than a straight treble which requires a winner in all three legs to avoid a losing wager.

Understanding the Trixie's Structure: 3 Doubles and 1 Treble

The four bets within a trixie are as follows:

• Double 1: Selection A and Selection B to win.
• Double 2: Selection A and Selection C to win.
• Double 3: Selection B and Selection C to win.
• Treble: Selection A, Selection B and Selection C to win.

All three selections need to win for all of the bets within the trixie to get a return.

If two of the selections are victorious the treble and two of the doubles will be unsuccessful and only one of the doubles will generate a return.

Calculating Your Trixie Bet Winnings

A hypothetical trixie bet example on international football could be as follows:

• England to beat Germany at 2/1
• Spain to France at 3/1
• Brazil to beat Argentina at 4/1

• Double 1: England and Spain to win
• Double 2: England and Brazil to win
• Double 3: Spain and Brazil to win
• Treble: England, Spain and Brazil to win

This wager generates five different outcomes which are listed below with the assumption of a £1 unit stake and a total outlay of £4 due to the four different wagers:

All three teams win

England (2/1) and Spain (3/1) double achieves a return of £12, England (2/1) and Brazil (4/1) double achieves a return of £15, Spain (3/1) and Brazil (4/1) double achieves a return of £20, England (2/1), Spain (3-1) and Brazil (4/1) treble achieves a return of £60.

This adds up to total returns of £107 and a profit of £103 (£107 minus the original £4 staked).

England and Spain win but Brazil fail to win

England (2/1) and Spain (3/1) double achieves a return of £12, Spain (3/1) and Brazil (4/1) double unsuccessful, Spain (3/1) and Brazil (4/1) double unsuccessful, England (2/1), Spain (3-1) and Brazil (4/1) treble unsuccessful.

This adds up to total returns of £12 and a profit of £8 (£12 minus the original £4 staked).

England and Brazil win but Spain fail to win

England (2/1) and Spain (3/1) double unsuccessful, Spain (3/1) and Brazil (4/1) double achieves a return of £15, Spain (3/1) and Brazil (4/1) double unsuccessful, England (2/1), Spain (3-1) and Brazil (4/1) treble unsuccessful.

This adds up to total returns of £15 and a profit of £11 (£15 minus the original £4 staked).

Brazil and Spain win but England fail to win

England (2/1) and Spain (3/1) double unsuccessful, Spain (3/1) and Brazil (4/1) double unsuccessful, Spain (3/1) and Brazil (4/1) double achieves a return of £20, England (2/1), Spain (3-1) and Brazil (4/1) treble unsuccessful.

This adds up to total returns of £20 and a profit of £16 (£20 minus the original £4 staked).

At least two of the three selections fail to win

England (2/1) and Spain (3/1) double unsuccessful, Spain (3/1) and Brazil (4/1) double unsuccessful, Spain (3/1) and Brazil (4/1) double unsuccessful, England (2/1), Spain (3-1) and Brazil (4/1) treble unsuccessful.

This adds up to total returns of £0 and a loss of £4 (£0 minus the original £4 staked).

A quick way to work out the winnings would be to use an online odds calculator which are widely available.

Trixie vs. Accumulator: The Key Advantage

The advantage of a trixie bet to a standard accumulator bet is that it spreads risk by ensuring a payout if only two selections are successful.

In a standard accumulator, only one selection has to fail for the entire stake to be lost.

The disadvantage is the larger number of bets, four instead of one. If a £1 unit stake is applied the maximum loss on an accumulator would be £1, but the maximum loss on a Trixie would be £4.

How to Place a Trixie

Placing a Trixie is a simple exercise.

Come up with three selections, select the Trixie option and unit the unit stake. Don’t forget there are four bets so a £1 unit stake means a total outlay of £4.

The Each-Way Trixie and Patent Comparison

An Each-Way Trixie is simply a Trixie with a win and place aspect to each selection. This increases the number of bets to eight but spreads the risk further by offering the prospect of a return as long as at least two of the selections either wins or is placed.

It is more widely used in horse racing betting where the odds are generally larger than in other sports events like football, tennis and cricket.

The Patent bet is similar to the Trixie because it contains three selections. However, it also includes three single bets, so it brings the total number of bets to £7.