With so many betting options and possibilities, it can sometimes be daunting or confusing just trying to learn about them, let alone place them. How is a Heinz bet different from a Super Heinz? What’s the difference between a Yankee and a Trixie, and what happens when a Yankee named Trixie tries to make a bet? Not to worry, we’re here to make sense of it all for you, starting with one of the basics: the accumulator bet.
An accumulator bet (also known as an ‘acca’) is a combination of bets all rolled into one. It is particularly popular for events with more than one race/match (for example, a day of horse racing or an MMA card) or for a weekend of football. You cannot make more than one bet on the same event, but if one of the events you have bet on does not take place (for example, a non-runner in a horse racing event), you do not lose everything. Instead, it is simply removed from the bet and all the others remain.
How does an Accumulator Bet work?
Let’s say you make a £10 four-way Accumulator bet on the football. Your bet is as follows:
- Liverpool to beat Manchester United at 3/1
- Tottenham Hotspur to beat Chelsea at 4/1
- Arsenal to draw with Newcastle United at 3/1
- West Ham to score two goals against Swindon Town at 7/2
In order for your bet to pay out, you need to win all these bets. However, if you do, the benefits are huge because whatever you win on the first bet becomes your stake on the second bet. Let’s see how this breaks down:
- Liverpool beat Man Utd 3-1, and so you win £40 (your £10 stake plus the £30 for winning)
- Spurs beat Chelsea 2-1, and you win £200 (your £40 stake, plus your £160 winnings)
- Arsenal and Newcastle draw, so now you have £800 (£200 stake, plus £600 winnings)
- The Hammers come through for you to win 4-2 and you win £3,600 (£800 plus £2,800)
You just turned £10 into £3,600!
What is an each-way Accumulator Bet?
As we’ve seen, the rewards are exceptional for an accumulator bet but if even one bet goes awry, then they all do. However, there’s a way to mitigate your risk by placing an each-way accumulator. This is comprised of two parts, a regular accumulator bet, and then a secondary bet for the selection to ‘place’, i.e. to come second, third, fourth or even fifth (how many places qualify depends on your bookmaker). The odds for placing are much lower than the odds to win (usually set at a quarter of the win odds) but if one of your selections loses but still comes close, you still get something.
Big Accumulator Bet Wins
Horse racing is an excellent source of accumulator bets because there are multiple events throughout the day. One of the most famous days of racing took place in September 1996 at Ascot. Italian jockey Frankie Dettori won all seven of the races that day. Perhaps the only person who felt that they had a better day was the lucky punter who put a £20 accumulator bet on all these races and came away with over £500,000.
Then there is Fred Craggs, who bet 50p on an accumulator bet in 2008. He picked long odds for all eight of his selections, with the eventual odds of his accumulator coming to a massive 2,000,000 to 1. Amazingly, they all came in and he walked home with £1,000,000.
You’ll find a huge amount of accumulator options on NetBet, both on the site or via our app. Take a look today, and best of luck!
