Placing single sports bets is well and good, but lets up the excitement and those potential payouts with acca bets. What are acca bets? Acca, short for accumulators, are wagers that require you to combine multiple selections into a single bet.
Ideally, I’d recommend these challenging bet types for the seasoned punter because all your selections must hit for your bet to win. But even casual bettors with a basic knowledge can get in on the action. In this guide, I’ll unpack the different bets involved and offer some useful tips.
How do accumulator bets work? Instead of placing a single bet each on several matches, you combine multiple selections into a single bet. You can bet on different teams in different markets or outcomes in various games. As you’ll find in my parlay betting explained guide, all your selections must win for your bet to be successful. If a single selection loses, your entire bet is a loser. It’s a brutal wager where the risk is high—but so are the potential rewards if your wager comes right.
With the concept of accumulator bets explained, let’s dive into how to place them:
Two questions to ask in this betting guide: why should you place an acca bet and not a regular wager? What are the downsides of this bet type? Let me answer you with a list of pros and cons:
The versatility and flexibility of the accumulator bets explained in this guide are why it's a pretty popular wager. You can place your acca wager in several ways, as I've listed below.
One of my favorite ways to place an acca wager is betting on the outcome of a game. It’s also one of the easier bet types of all the accumulator bets explained in this article. Simply pick the winner of a game—in this case, you make more than one selection. All teams in your acca bet you predict to win must, in fact, do so for your wager to stand as a winner
With the popular over under bet explained here, you’re betting on the total points and if they’ll be over or under the points set by the sportsbook. Each individual bet featured in this wager must be correctly predicted for your wager to win.
This parlay wager evens out the playing field by giving extra points to the underdog. You reckon Chelsea will cover the spread against Manchester United, and also think Leeds will beat Arsenal as an underdog in the same week? You can combine those wagers into a spread acca bet.
This is another relatively simple acca wager you can place where you need both teams in a game to score to win the bet. All selections on your bet slip must score to nail this wager. It’s a pretty popular bet type that gives you a fighting chance up to the last moments of the game. Anything can happen, resulting in your selections scoring toward the end of the match.
Things get tricky with the Correct Score acca bet that needs you to predict the exact score for your bet to win. That means every team in your selection must come right with the score you chose for your bet to win. I don't have to tell you how the stakes are much higher with this bet type as it needs in-depth knowledge of the sport, team, and players you bet on.
Here’s another acca bet type for my seasoned punters. You can wager on one of two different outcomes in the same game. Either you bet on a certain team to win or draw in a match or bet on either team to win the game minus a draw.
Let's drive this concept home by including an example of a football acca wager as highlighted in the table below.
| Match outcome | Selections | Odds | Bet Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid 1- 0 Chelsea | Real Madrid to win | 1.5 | Successful |
| Manchester United 2- 1 Arsenal | Arsenal to lose | 1.4 | Successful |
| Manchester City 1-1 Juventus | Manchester City to draw | 3 | Successful |
| Liverpool 0-0 Barcelona | Barcelona to draw | 5 | Successful |
To win from each one of these bets separately, you’d have to wager $4 and potentially win $10.90 ($1 each multiplied by the odds). However, you can place an acca bet and win the same amount from just $1 (Here, the single $1 applies to each selection).
As my accumulator bets explained guide nears the end, I want to leave you with a few expert pointers to place your accumulators like a pro.
First things first, sign up with reputable and trustworthy bookies with valid gambling licenses. Also, they must provide you with the best odds, so feel free to shop around.
According to the concept of accumulator bets explained here, these are complex wagers. Take advantage of our guides and learn all there is to know about the bet type for the best picks.
Just like you should do some research on the meaning of fixed odds, adequate research of teams, players, leagues, past performances, and injuries is the key to placing informed acca wagers. After all, knowledge is power.
As you dip your toes in acca bets, start with fewer selections that are easier to manage. The more selections you add to your bet slip the higher the rewards, but also decrease your likelihood to win.
I wouldn’t place my acca bets in unfamiliar sports, markets, and leagues if I were you. Stick to what you know to minimize risk and place more informed wagers.
The Accumulator bets explained in this guide are best if you're not afraid of taking risks and combining several wagers into one bet. All your selections need to come through to win the bet. If one fails, you lose the whole bet.
It’s a tough pill to swallow but that’s the nature of this nifty bet that requires a lot of patience, practice, and discipline to master. But hit that winning wager, and you can watch your payouts soar, making it well worth the risk. Let SportsGambler give you that much-needed strategic edge as you start placing accas.
In the strictest sense of the acca bets definition, you need a minimum of four selections for an accumulator wager. However, some bookies allow you to place two or three, and they play out the same way as the 4-leg bet.
No, all your selections in an accumulator must win for your bet to win. That’s unless the sportsbook offers you an Acca insurance bet that lets you win if one bet loses.
The beauty of accumulator bets explained in my guide, is you can place them on any sport, from football to horse racing. It all depends on the bookie you join.
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