Understand How Accumulator Bets Work
An accumulator bet, also called a parlay bet, is a wager where multiple teams are picked to win and combined onto a single ticket. Every team on an accumulator must win, or the entire ticket is lost. Accumulators are very popular with football and basketball, but can be used with any sport. Different sports can be combined onto the same accumulator bet as well.
Accumulators can be placed on as few as 2 teams, and up to 12 teams at most sportsbooks. Some books offer accumulators of up to 25 teams, but hitting one is near impossible. For a casual bettor just looking for some excitement, this might be fun. However, if you play to win, large accumulators are a bad idea.
The benefit of choosing an accumulator versus multiple side bets is the increased odds, with a chance to make a big win on a small wager. Of course, since every team on a ticket has to win, it’s much more difficult to win an accumulator than any single side bet.
Many sports betting resources post generic accumulator odds charts, representing the idea that most sportsbooks on the internet use similar odds. This isn’t exactly accurate. While most online sportsbooks share somewhat similar odds for 2-5 team accumulators, there’s some variation worth looking at. Beyond that, there is a wide range of odds offered for accumulators with 6+ teams on them. Above 9+ team accumulators, the odds can vary greatly from one sportsbook to the next. Why take 450/1 odds when you can get 1000/1 on the exact same ticket at another book? If both books are reputable, there’s no reason to give away so much potential profit. This is one of the reasons we recommend that serious handicappers have accounts at several of sportsbooks – to take advantage of the best odds you can find.
Sportsbooks With the Best Accumulator Odds
Accumulator odds vary at different sportsbooks on the net. For the most part, odds are close for 2-5 team accumulators, but there is still some variation. Once you get to 6+ teams, odds can vary a lot more. The odds offered at Sportsinteraction.com for 3-9 team accumulators are generally higher than other books.
| Teams | Bet365.com – Every Day | Most Sportsbooks |
| 2 | 2.6/1 | 2.6/1 |
| 3 | 6.5/1 | 6/1 |
| 4 | 12/1 | 10/1 |
| 5 | 25/1 | 20/1 |
| 6 | 45/1 | 40/1 |
| 7 | 80/1 | 75/1 |
| 8 | 150/1 | 100/1 – 150/1 |
| 9 | 300/1 | 150/1 – 300/1 |
| 10 | 500/1 | 300/1 – 700/1 |
| 11 | 750/1 | 450/1 – 1200/1 |
| 12 | 1000/1 | 600/1 – 1800/1 |
How to Make Accumulator Bets at Sportsbooks
Accumulator bets can be placed on games using a point spread, the money line, or any combination of both. Handicappers can also combine different sports on the same ticket.
To make an accumulator bet at a sportsbook, mark the checkbox for each game you want to bet on. Then select the ‘Parlay’/’Accumulator’ tab to combine each selection onto an accumulator. Before your bet is placed, the total payout will be displayed for review. If everything looks good, place the bet.
How to Win Big
Before we begin this section, keep in mind that accumulator bets can be difficult to win. Please do not bet with money you cannot easily afford to lose, and do not go beyond proper bankroll management ideas.
To win big with accumulator bets, the first thing to do is sign up at Sports Interation. As mentioned above, they generally have the best accumulator odds in the industry.
To win big accumulator bets, there are a few things that can be done. The obvious thing is to put together accumulators with a large number of teams, but this isn’t the best way to hit big.
Use the money line instead of the point spread. Using the point spread, odds are generally based at -110 per team. Instead of getting -110, add a couple of underdogs that have a shot at winning outright, and use the money line. There are a couple of ways to do this.
For example, if you’re putting together a 6 team accumulator, find 2-3 underdogs that have a shot at the outright win. Use the point spread for your other teams, and the money line on the dogs. Larger odds for those teams will greatly increase the payout on your ticket.
Another option is to pick 3-4 underdogs, and put them on a single accumulator using the money line. Don’t select huge underdogs at +500, but don’t pick teams that give you +110 either. Get your picks in the +130 to +210 range. A +210 team is generally about a 6 point dog, meaning it’s not expected to be a blowout. Obviously you’ll want to take into consideration all the other aspects of a game that you normally would, like who’s playing at home, injuries, quarterbacks, offenses vs defenses, etc, but in general terms, the odds will reflect close to realistic expectations that consider all of the above.
