The Basic of the Parlay Bet in Sports Betting
Also known as an accumulator or acca, a parlay bet links two or more selections into the same bet. This increases the odds, but it also increases the risk as all selections must win for the bet to pay out. Parlays are particularly popular in football and horse racing, while many bookmakers offer acca boosts on particular markets or events. In this page, we’ll take a look at the parlay bet in more detail and give you some specific examples to show you how it works.
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The Theory: How a Parlay Bet Works
A parlay bet is a single wager that combines two or more selections (sometimes called legs) into one high-payout ticket. However, all selections must win for the bet to win (although some bookmakers do have special offers should your parlay lose based on just one selection). Therefore, this adds risk, but it also massively increases returns.
Parlays are incredibly popular in sports like football, NBA, tennis, and horse racing. Think of it like stacking wins. You might fancy Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Juventus all to win on a particular matchday. Instead of betting on them separately, you can group them into one parlay so the final odds are multiplied. By doing this, a standard 3-leg parlay might turn a €20 win had you bet on each outcome with singles into over €100. It is no surprise that parlays are most often used to extract greater value out of heavy favourites.
You can also have parlays on the same game. For example, you can back Arsenal to win, Bukayo Saka to score the first goal, and for there to be Over 6.5 corners in the match. This is more commonly known as a Bet Builder. Some bookmakers offer promotional Bet Builders and parlays that they have curated themselves.
The maths, though, can be tricky, especially when you increase the number of legs. This is why most bettors use our parlay odds calculator.
Parlays are exciting and powerful, but they do require strategy. However, if you get it right, parlay betting can turn modest wagers into major returns with a bit of luck and good planning.
Examples
Here are three examples of a parlay bet to help you understand how they work.
Football Parlay (3 Legs)
You back the following football matches with a €20 wager:
- Arsenal to win @ 2.00
- Bayern vs Bremen O2.5 Goals @ 1.90
- BTTS in Juventus vs Napoli @ 1.80
The parlay calculator gives you:
- Combined Odds:
2.00 × 1.90 × 1.80 = 6.84 - Total Return: €20 × 6.84 = €136.80
- Profit: €116.80
The bet calculator parlay turns a modest €20 into a nearly 7x return if all 3 legs win.
NBA Parlay (4 Player Props)
You stack 4 NBA prop bets with a €10 wager:
- Jayson Tatum O25.5 pts @ 1.95
- Gilgeous-Alexander 30+ pts @ 2.40
- Nikola Jokić triple-double @ 3.00
- Celtics -6.5 spread @ 2.10
The parlay calculator gives you:
- Combined Odds:
1.95 × 2.40 × 3.00 × 2.10 = 29.484 - Total Return: €10 × 29.484 = €294.84
- Profit: €284.84
Even with a small wager, the parlay calculator odds tool shows how powerful combos can be.
Horse Racing Parlay (3 Races)
You back three horses in different races with a wager of €15:
- Horse 1 @ 3.50
- Horse 2 @ 4.00
- Horse 3 @ 6.00
The parlay calculator gives you:
- Combined Odds:
3.50 × 4.00 × 6.00 = 84.00 - Total Return: €15 × 84 = €1,260.00
- Profit: €1,245.00
With all three horses winning, the parlay bet calculator shows a massive return on a stake of just €15.
Conclusions
The parlay bet may seem complicated at first, but it’s relatively straightforward. This is why it is one of the most popular bets around. By combining markets into a single bet, you greatly increase your potential winnings. However, you also increase your risk as all bets must win for the parlay to pay out. The more legs you add, the more risk you take on, while the maths also gets more complicated. This is why many people use a parlay bet calculator to help them construct the best parlay bet.
Betting Calculator Tools
FAQS
Do I need to win all legs in a parlay bet?
Yes. If one selection loses, the entire parlay fails. This is why accurate planning with a parlay calculator is crucial. Note that some sportsbooks do give you your stake back if only one leg lets you down, but this tends to be for accas with 4 legs or more.
How many legs can I add to a parlay?
Most often, a parlay bet has between 2 and 15 legs. The more legs you add, the higher the risk, but the higher the potential reward.
What are the advantages of a parlay bet?
The main advantage of a parlay bet is it significantly increases your potential winnings, although the trade-off is higher risk as every bet in your parlay needs to win for it to pay out.
Which sports are best for parlay bets?
While you can place a parlay on most sports, football, horse racing, tennis, and basketball tend to be the most popular. You can also place parlay bets across multiple sports on the same ticket.
What happens if a game is cancelled?
Normally, if a game is cancelled, any associated bets come off your parlay. For example, if you have placed a bet on 4 teams to win on a particular matchday and one match is cancelled, your acca will become a 3-legged one, not a 4-legged one.
Can I cash out a parlay bet?
Most bookmakers do allow you to cash out a parlay early, but we recommend reading the T&Cs carefully before placing your bet. Also check the buyout price as this can be steep.