Bet types explained
The bet slip offers more than one way to combine selections. Each bet type changes how odds multiply, what you need to win and how much the bookmaker's margin costs you. This page explains the main bet types with neutral examples. Not every bookmaker offers every type; check the bet slip options at your operator.
Single
A single is one selection, one stake. If it wins, you receive stake times odds. It is the simplest bet and the one where the margin affects you only once. A single at odds of 2.00 with a stake of 10 returns 20 if it wins.
Accumulator (parlay)
An accumulator — called a parlay in North America — combines several selections into one bet. The odds multiply: three selections at 2.00 each give combined odds of 8.00. Every leg must win; one loss loses the whole bet. The margin multiplies too: if each leg carries about five percent, a four-leg acca carries roughly twenty percent. That is why accumulators look attractive but are expensive in the long run. Acca boosts and acca insurance promotions exist precisely because the product is profitable for bookmakers.
System bets
System bets cover several combinations of your selections. A "Trixie", for example, covers three doubles and one treble from three selections — four bets in total, so four stakes. You can win something even if one selection loses. The cost is higher because you pay for every combination.
Handicap
A handicap gives one side a virtual advantage or disadvantage to balance a mismatch. In a European handicap, a team starting at -1 must win by two goals for the bet to win, with a separate outcome for exactly one goal. In an Asian handicap, the draw is removed and half or quarter lines can split your stake. Handicaps are common in football, basketball (the point spread) and tennis (game handicap).
Over/under
Over/under bets — totals — predict whether a number such as goals, points or games ends above or below a line. Half lines such as 2.5 avoid a push; whole lines such as 2.0 return the stake if the total lands exactly on the number. Totals are popular because they do not require picking a winner.
| Bet type | What must happen | Effect of the margin |
|---|---|---|
| Single | One selection wins | Applied once |
| Accumulator | All selections win | Multiplied per leg |
| System | Enough combinations win | Paid on every combination |
| Handicap | Side covers the handicap | Applied once |
| Over/under | Total ends above or below the line | Applied once |
Choosing a bet type sensibly
Singles keep the cost of the margin lowest and make your record easy to read. If you enjoy accumulators, keep them small and the stake low, and treat a winning acca as luck rather than proof of skill. Read how odds and margins work in the betting overview, see market examples for football and basketball, and set limits via the limits page.