What is an Acca Bet? Accumulator Betting Explained

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.

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.

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.

1. Choose a reliable bookmaker: We would always recommend you place your accas with a bookmaker you have an account and some history with.
2. 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.
3. Make your selections: These may include "to win", "over/under goals", "first to score" and any other market that strikes your fancy.
4. 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. 
5. 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.
6. 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.

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.