Bet types explained with worked examples
Every sportsbook offers the same family of bet types under slightly different names. This guide explains them with worked numbers so you can check the bet slip yourself: singles, doubles and accumulators, system bets, handicaps and the effect each choice has on your risk. Any stakes shown are in neutral units.
Singles
One selection, one stake. A single of 2 units at 1.90 returns 3.8 units if it wins and loses 2 units if it does not. Singles are the easiest bets to track and the ones where the margin of each market hurts you least, because you pay it only once.
Doubles and accumulators
An accumulator multiplies the odds of its legs. Three selections at 1.80, 2.00 and 1.50 give combined odds of 5.40, so a 2-unit stake returns 10.8 units. The catch: all three must win, and the margins multiply as well. If each leg carries about 5 %, the accumulator carries roughly 15 %. Accumulators are entertainment with a bigger potential return, not a smarter way to bet.
System bets
A system bet splits one ticket into several combinations so that not every leg has to win.
| Name | Selections | Bets inside | Total stake at 1 unit each |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trixie | 3 | 3 doubles + 1 treble = 4 | 4 units |
| Patent | 3 | 3 singles + 3 doubles + 1 treble = 7 | 7 units |
| Yankee | 4 | 6 doubles + 4 trebles + 1 four-fold = 11 | 11 units |
Remember that the stake is per line: a Yankee "at 1 unit" costs 11 units.
Handicaps and lines
A handicap adds or subtracts goals, points or games so that two unequal sides can be priced closer together. European handicaps use whole numbers and keep a draw outcome. Asian handicaps use half and quarter lines: half lines remove the push, quarter lines split the stake across two neighbouring lines. Over/under markets work on the same principle with a total instead of a difference.
Choosing a bet type
Ask two questions before you confirm a slip: how many results must go right, and how many times do I pay the margin? A single answers "one and once". An accumulator answers "all of them and every time". Systems sit in between and cost more lines. Match the choice to your unit plan rather than to the size of the potential return.
See how these apply in practice: Football betting guide · Basketball betting guide · Tennis betting guide · Cricket betting guide.