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The two most common types of wagers in sports betting are singles and accumulators. However, there is another intriguing, less risky form of betting that serves as an upgrade of the accumulator. This is known as system betting, a form of wagering that boosts the potential profit punters can make from bets while minimizing the risk attached. Unlike accumulators, you don’t need every selection to win to get a return from a system wager.
In this article, we will explore what system betting is all about, including what it is, its types, how to place system wagers and practical examples.
Understanding Singles and Accumulator Bets
To understand system betting, you need to be familiar with single and accumulator betting. A single bet is the most straightforward wager type in the sports betting scene. It involves wagering on the outcome of a single selection. For example, you may decide to back France’s football team to win its next game during the ongoing Olympic Games. In that case, you will only win the bet and get an appropriate payout if France wins.
On the other hand, an accumulator bet (acca) is a combination of two or more selections into a single bet. Instead of placing single bets, the accumulator allows punters to combine multiple selections into a single bet. For example, you can combine France, Germany, the USA, and Australia to win their games during the Olympic basketball Preliminaries. The major benefit of doing this is that the accumulator feature multiplies all the odds in the chosen selections, resulting in a bigger payout than wagering on individual games. With this option, bettors can win a lot more with less stake.
However, accumulator bets have a significant flaw for punters —all prediction selections in the wager must prove accurate to win the bet. In a case where even one of the selections loses, the accumulator bet also loses. This is where the system bet concept comes in as an excellent alternative.
What is System Betting?
System betting is a sophisticated form of wagering that combines multiple sports selections into a single wager, much like accumulators. However, unlike accumulator wagers, the system wager contains a series of combinations within it.
Generally, system bets involve betting on three or more selections/outcomes. This combines into a series of doubles, trebles, accumulators, and even single bets. For example, the Lucky 15 system bet is a wager that combines four selection picks into 15 combination bets. This will include four singles, six doubles, four trebles, and one four-fold acca.
The appeal of the system bet is that all the selections within it don’t have to prove accurate for punters to get a payout. At its core, the system bet spreads bettors’ wagers across the different combination series, treating each combo as a separate bet. This helps mitigate risks and help improve the chances of ensuring a potential return. However, it’s essential to understand that getting a return doesn’t necessarily translate to getting a profit. The more accurate predictions are in a system bet, the higher the payout a punter will get.
Types of System Bets
Most sportsbooks offer different types of system bets that punters can explore. Each system bet type has unique appeals and often differs based on the number of outcomes selected and combinations desired. You can read more here about the best betting sites for system bets and other markets of your choice.
That said, let’s explore some of the most popular ones you will find online.
◆ Trixie
The Trixie bet is the most straightforward type of system bet available online. It contains three selections and covers four distinct wagers, including three doubles and one treble. For example, let’s say your selections include “A,” “B,” and “C.” In this case, the Trixie wager becomes “A&B + B&C +A&C + A&B&C.” You need only two selections to receive a payout from this bet.
◆ Patent
The patent system wager is similar to the Trixie option in that it involves three selections. However, the primary area of difference is that the patent bet covers all the combo in the Trixie alongside the singles, resulting in 7 total wagers. This includes three singles, three doubles, and one treble. Using the example above, you will have “A + B + C + A&B + B&C + A&C + A&B&C.” Here, you only need a single accurate selection to get a return.
◆ Yankee
Yankee is a 4-selection system wager that creates 11 bet combinations. This contains six doubles, four trebles, and one accumulator that combines all four selections. For example, let’s say your wager selection example above includes an extra outcome “D.” In this case, your bet combination series will result in “A&B + A&C + A&D + B&C + B&D + C&D + A&B&C + A&B&D + A&C&D + B&C&D + A&B&C&D.”
You only need at least two selections to prove accurate to receive a payout from a Yankee bet.
◆ Others
Besides the options mentioned above, there are many other betting options for system wagering. This typically involves more selections and a higher number of combinations. The table below shows some of the other notable mentions.
| System Bet | No of Selections | No of combo | Composition |
| Lucky 15 | 4 | 15 | 4 singles + 6 doubles + 4 trebles + 1 four-fold acca |
| Canadian (Super Yankee) | 5 | 26 | 10 doubles + 10 trebles + 5 four-fold accas + 1 five-fold acca |
| Lucky 31 | 5 | 31 | 5 singles + 10 doubles + 10 trebles + 5 four-fold accas + 1 five-fold acca |
| Heinz | 6 | 57 | 15 doubles + 20 trebles + 15 four-fold accas + 6 five-fold accas + 1 six-fold acca |
| Lucky 63 | 6 | 63 | 6 singles + 15 doubles + 20 trebles + 15 four-fold accas + 6 five-fold accas + 1 six-fold acca |
| Super Heinz | 7 | 120 | 21 doubles + 35 trebles + 35 four-fold accas + 21 five-fold access + 7 six-fold accas + 1 seven-fold acca |
| Goliath | 8 | 247 | 28 doubles + 56 trebles + 70 four-fold accas + 56 five-fold accas + 28 six-fold accas + 8 seven-fold accas + 1 eight-fold acca |
Working Example of System Bet in Action
To fully understand how the system bet works. Let’s take a look at it in action with some practical examples. The table below shows three events during the Olympic Basketball tournaments alongside a punter’s predictions and the odds offered on each pick.
| Events | Predictions | Odds Offered |
| France vs Germany | Germany to win | 1.89 |
| Puerto Rico vs USA | USA to win | 1.25 |
| Canada vs Spain | Canada to win | 2.59 |
Let’s say you place a Trixie wager with the three selections, using a $10 wager on each combination. You should note that you can always decide what bet size to put on each combination. The table below shows the potential return on the Trixie bet.
| Trixie Bet Combo | Combined odds | Potential Payout (@$10 stake) |
| Germany & USA to win | 2.36 | $23.6 |
| Germany & Canada to win | 4.95 | $49.5 |
| USA & Canada to win | 3.23 | $32.3 |
| All selections to win | 6.12 | $61.2 |
| Total | $166.6 | |
As mentioned, you only need two accurate selections to get a payout. For example, if the USA and Canada teams win but Germany loses, you still win the third combo wager and get a $32.3 payout. While this doesn’t cover the stake amount, it gives the punter back a small percentage of their wager.
How to Place a System Bet
Placing a system bet is quite straightforward. You just need to follow the steps highlighted below:
- Step 1: Sign in to your betting account in your preferred sportsbook
- Step 2: Deposit funds into your account if your bankroll is low
- Step 3: Go to the sports section and select three or more outcomes from the desired sports events and bet markets
- Step 4: Change the bet slip to system wager and choose the type you want
- Step 5: Enter the stake amount for each combination and submit the bet slip
Conclusion
System betting is an excellent way for punters to potentially win big while also minimizing the risk attached. With these wagers, you can make a wrong prediction and still get a profit. However, the downside is that punters need to stake a much larger amount here than they would on an accumulator.
Overall, system betting is an excellent option for punters when betting on outcomes they are not entirely confident will happen.