What is an Acca Bet? Accumulator Betting Explained
What is an acca bet? Simply put an acca, or accumulator, bet is a multi-part wager that provides the punter with a chance to enjoy potentially significant payouts while only fronting a modest stake. In this guide, we will define the acca bet, look at the different types of acca bets and how they work and discuss ways to employ them effectively. So if you have been asking yourself "What is an accumulator bet?" read on to find out.
An acca bet is a bet comprising multiple selections that are combined into a single wager. With an acca bet, all selections must win in order for the acca to pay out. Should just one of your selections fail to win, the entire acca bet fails. As of this writing, football attracts the most acca bets while tennis garners the 2nd most.
How Does an Accumulator Bet Work?
For those wondering how do accumulator bets work, they combine multiple selections into a single entity. Each of these selections is called a "leg" and there may be as few as 2 or as many as a dozen or more legs in one acca bet.
The main attraction of accumulator bets is that the odds multiply across legs, meaning that if your acca has 4 or 5 or more legs and they all hit, you could end up with a very significant payout from a pretty modest stake.
With an accumulator bet you can calculate your potential return by using this straightforward formula: Returns = Stake × (Odds on selection 1 × odds on selection 2 × odds on selection 3 etc). So, using that formula here is an example of how a typical football acca with 4 legs might pay out:
Your 1st leg is for team A to win at odds of 2.0. Your 2nd leg is for team B to win at odds of 1.50. Your 3rd leg is for team C to win at odds of 2.50, and your 4th leg is for team D to win at odds of 1.80. Using the formula above multiply all the odds to get 13.50. Now multiply that by your stake. If your stake was £10 your returns will be £135. Not bad.
Just remember all legs have to hit to enjoy your payoff. Should even 1 fail the entire acca collapses.
Types of Accumulator Betting
There are a lot of things to appreciate about acca bets, including the fact that they come in a variety of formats. Below we'll look at the most popular formats and provide a definition for each.
- Standard Accumulators: The standard accumulator is generally understood to be an acca with 4-8 legs. As explained already, all legs must win in order for the standard acca to pay off.
- Double: A double (or double accumulator) is the simplest type of acca bet with two selections or legs that are joined together into a two-team parlay. 2 is the smallest number of legs you can have on an accumulator and can be a good place for acca newcomers to start.
- Treble accumulator: This is essentially a three-team parlay. It works just like other accumulator bets, with odds multiplying from leg 1 to leg 3. Depending on the odds and the size of your stake the payoff from a treble could be substantial.
- Lucky 15 accumulator: The lucky 15 acca is more complex and, at the same time, more flexible than most other accas. With a lucky 15, there are 4 selections comprising a total of 15 individual wagers - 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles and 1 4-fold accumulator. The good news with the lucky 15 is that, because of the singles involved, you only need 1 selection to hit in order to see a return.
- Each-way accumulator: An each-way is a special kind of acca where you choose selections to both win and place as 1 bet. The each-way is commonly used in horseracing and golf.
Accumulator Bet Examples
If you are curious to know what is a football acca bet and how accumulator bets work in general, read on to find out.
Football Accumulator Bet Example
The table comprises 4 Premier League and Champions League matches that we will use to create a fictional 4-fold football accumulator.
Match | Selection | Odds (Fractional) | Bet Outcome |
---|---|---|---|
Arsenal Vs Brighton - EPL | Arsenal to win | 1/2 | With a £10 stake the return is £15, which becomes the stake for the next leg. |
Man City Vs Crystal Palace - EPL | Both teams to score | 4/5 | With a £15 stake the return is £27 which becomes the stake for the next leg. |
Real Madrid Vs Bayern Munich - Champions League | Over 2.5 goals | 10/11 | With a £27 stake the return is £51.30 which becomes the stake for the next leg. |
Dortmund Vs PSG - Champions League | PSG to qualify | 8/11 | With a £51.30 stake the return is £87.21 which you can use to finance a night out. |
Horse Racing Accumulator Example
What is a horse racing acca bet? In this example, we will create a fictional 4-fold horseracing acca with the events being the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Grand National, the Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot.
Race | Horse Selection | Odds (Fractional) | Finishing Position | Bet Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cheltenham Gold Cup | Brave Thunder | 5/1 | Won | With a £10 stake your return is £50, which becomes the stake on the next leg. |
Grand National | Midnight Rambler | 12/1 | Won | With a £50 stake your return is £600 which becomes the stake for leg 3. |
Epsom Derby | Velvet Crown | 3/1 | Won | With a £600 stake your return is £7,200 which becomes the stake for the final leg. |
Royal Ascot | Silver Glory | 7/2 | Finishes 6th | Because Silver Glory finished 6th this 4-fold horseracing acca collapses, meaning no return. |
Popular Sports for Accumulator Betting
Accumulator bets will work with any sport, as long as the bookmaker allows them on any sport. That said, some sports definitely attract more acca bets than others. Here are the most popular sports for accumulator betting.
- Football - Accumulator bets are popular with football bettors because there are so many matches and markets in a given week and because even casual bettors know something about football. In addition, accas allow small stakes to mushroom into big payouts.
- Horseracing: Global horseracing events like the Grand National and Kentucky Derby come along only once a year. People who regularly bet on the ponies want to optimise their potential returns from these big events featuring top horses so they choose acca bets.
- Tennis: Tennis, especially the Grand Slam tournaments, attract a lot of acca bets because there are so many matches in a short time to choose from, clear head-to-head competition and more predictable outcomes in early rounds when top players tend to cruise through.
- Cricket: Cricket attracts a lot of acca action because bettors can combine multiple match outcomes and markets from test matches, one-day internationals (ODIs), and leagues like the Indian Premier League (IPL) into accumulator bets with potentially big returns.
How to Place an Accumulator Bet
So far we've given you lots of information on how do accumulator bets work. Now let's go through how to place an accumulator bet step-by-step.
- Choose a reliable bookmaker: We would always recommend you place your accas with a bookmaker you have an account and some history with.
- Browse the sports/events you want to bet on: You can place an accumulator bet on any type of sport allowed by the bookmaker, but most people choose football, horseracing and tennis.
- Make your selections: These may include "to win", "over/under goals", "first to score" and any other market that strikes your fancy.
- Check your bet slip: Check to make sure all your selections have been entered accurately on your bet slip and then tap on the "accumulator" or "multiple" option to create your acca.
- Enter your stake: Remember, because the odds and payouts can increase rapidly in an acca bet your first bet does not have to be huge to ensure a significant payout. The slip will calculate your potential return automatically.
- Confirm your bet: Review everything associated with your bet carefully and then tap "confirm". If all legs of your acca win, you will enjoy a generous payout.
Best Bookmakers for Accumulator Bets
Many bookmakers attach special features or offers to accumulator bets to sweeten the pot a bit for those on the fence. The following bookmakers offer particularly noteworthy specials.
Bookmaker | Key Acca Feature | Sport |
---|---|---|
Sky Bet | Acca Freeze - Freeze a winning acca leg of your acca bet in progress. | Football only |
BetMGM | Golden Acca - Up to 200% profit boost. | Horseracing, greyhounds |
Bet365 | 100% Acca Boost | Football, tennis, basketball, NFL |
Paddy Power | Acca Insurance - Should 1 leg fail PP will refund your stake up to £10. | All sports except horseracing |
Boylesports | Acca Loyalty Programme | All sports |
Advantages and Disadvantages of Accumulator Bets
Accumulator bets are popular for several reasons. Nothing is without its downside and that includes accumulator bets. Here are some of the most popular pros & cons of placing acca bets.
Positives
- Higher Potential Returns: Because odds multiply with every leg there is the potential for a high payoff from a modest stake.
- Enhanced Entertainment Value: Acca bets ramp up the engagement since the bettor's acca involves multiple events
- Access to Special Promotions: As you can see in the chart above many bookmakers offer special acca-related promotions and specials.
Negatives
- Increased Difficulty of Winning: Everything has to work for you to collect on an acca bet. Just 1 wrong leg out of 6 or 7 legs can torpedo your entire acca. And the more legs involved, the more likely the acca is to fail.
- Less Flexibility After Placing the Bet: If after placing your acca, you experience buyer's remorse on one or more of your selections, there is nothing you can do. Remember, all it takes is for one of your legs to fail to bring down the whole accumulator bet.
Key Tips for Successful Accumulator Betting
There are no guarantees when it comes to betting but these tips may help improve your chances of scoring on your acca bet.
- Balance Risk and Reward: The optimal number of legs for an acca is 3 to 5. This enables you to strike a balance between manageable risk and potential reward.
- Look for Value Not Just Big Odds - "Value" in acca betting means your combined selections have a greater potential return than the odds seem to infer.
- Consider Acca Insurance Options: Acca insurance will enable you to minimise your losses in the event 1 leg of your acca fails. There is a limit though. Typically £10.
- Research All Selections Thoroughly: Wars are won and lost during the preparation stage. The same is true for accumulator bets.
Accumulator Bet FAQ
How Many Bets Do You Need for an Accumulator?
In order to qualify as an acca, your bet must have at least 2 selections (legs). There are a few bookmakers, however, who might insist on a minimum of 4 legs.
Is It Possible to Cash Out an Accumulator Bet?
It is. Some bookmakers will allow you to cash out if your early legs win but you are unsure about the remaining legs. If this option is important to you, make sure the bookmaker offers it.
Can You Combine Multiple Sports in an Acca Bet?
Of course. You can combine selections from a wide variety of sports and markets.
What Happens if a Bet is Void in an Accumulator?
If a bet is void that leg is removed from your acca reducing the number of legs and your potential payout. If your acca bet had only 2 legs to start, you will need to construct a new 2nd leg, since 2 is the minimum number of legs required for an acca.