The Basics of the Lucky 31 Bet in Sports Betting
A Lucky 31 bet is a system bet based on five selections. It involves placing 31 individual bets in various combinations. This means a Lucky 31 still pays out even if some of the five selections lose. In this article, we’ll take a look at the Lucky 31 bet in detail, as well as giving you some Lucky 31 bet examples to explain the concept.
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The Theory: How The Lucky 31 Bet Works
How does a Lucky 31 (L31) bet work? The first thing you need to do is put five (5) selections into your betslip. This will then unlock the L31 bet option.
A Lucky 31 bet involves placing 31 individual bets based on your five selections. This means your stake amount will be multiplied by 31 to cover all bets. For example, if your original stake is €1, the stake you need for your L31 bet would be €31.
A Lucky 31 bet is made up of the following:
- 5 singles
- 10 doubles
- 10 trebles
- 5 four-fold accumulators
- 1 five-fold accumulator
So, for selections A, B, C, D, and E, you’ll get the following permutations:
A, B, C, D, E
AB, AC, AD, AE, BC, BD, BE, CD, CE, DE
ABC, ABD, ABE, ACD, ACE, ADE, BCD, BCE, BDE, CDE
ABCD, ABCE, ABDE, ACDE, BCDE
ABCDE
As you can see, this bet is quite complicated. Your winnings will be determined by the odds of each selection, as well as which ones win or lose. To work this out, many smart bettors use a Lucky 31 bet calculator. You can try predicting different outcomes and calculate your exact returns using the Lucky 31 bet calculator on this page.
Examples
A Lucky 31 bet can work for any sport, provided you have five selections. Here, we’ve given you three examples to show you how the payouts can vary on this bet type depending on the results. All of these bets are for a €5 unit stake (total stake €155).
Example 1
| Selection | Odds | Result |
| Chelsea | 1.90 | WON |
| Newcastle United | 2.60 | WON |
| Leeds United | 3.20 | WON |
| Manchester City | 1.42 | LOST |
| Arsenal | 1.57 | LOST |
In this outcome, three of the five selections have won. This gives you a total return of €214.24 for a €59.24 profit. This pays out on 3 singles, 3 doubles, and 1 treble.
Example 2
| Selection | Odds | Result |
| Chelsea | 1.90 | WON |
| Newcastle United | 2.60 | WON |
| Leeds United | 3.20 | LOST |
| Manchester City | 1.42 | WON |
| Arsenal | 1.57 | WON |
In this outcome, four of the five selections have won. This gives you a total return of €319.65 for a €164.65 profit. This pays out on 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and 1 four-fold accumulator.
Example 3
| Selection | Odds | Result |
| Chelsea | 1.90 | WON |
| Newcastle United | 2.60 | WON |
| Leeds United | 3.20 | WON |
| Manchester City | 1.42 | WON |
| Arsenal | 1.57 | WON |
This bet would pay out a total of €1,358.54 for a total profit of €1,203.54. As all five bets have won, the bet pays out on all 31 permutations.
Conclusions
The Lucky 31 bet is a popular system bet based around five selections. By placing 31 individual bets in varying combinations, it acts as insurance should some of your selections lose. However, by placing 31 bets, you are also increasing your stake by 31x. This is why it’s best to consider this bet as a way of spreading risk, but also with a greater outlay. We therefore recommend placing a Lucky 31 bet when you are confident in most, but maybe not all, of your selections.
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FAQS
What’s the difference between a Lucky 31 bet and a Canadian bet?
A L31 bet includes the five singles as part of the bet, whereas a Canadian bet does not. This means there are 26 individual bets in a Canadian bet, not 31.
What is the main advantage of a Lucky 31 bet?
The main advantage of a L31 bet is spreading the risk as some of your selections can lose and you can still receive a pay out. However, to place this bet, you do need to increase your stake by 31x.
Can you place a Lucky 31 bet each way?
Yes, it is possible to place each way bets on a L31, but this would double your required stake (so it would be 62x your unit stake, not 31x). Not all bookmakers offer each-way L31 bets so check the terms and conditions before signing up.
Which sports can I use a Lucky 31 bet on?
You can use this bet on all sports, provided you have five selections on your betslip.
What is the difference between a Lucky 15 and a Lucky 31 bet?
The main difference between a Lucky 15 and this bet is the number of selections. In a Lucky 15, you are placing 15 bets from four selections. In a L31, you are placing 31 bets from five selections.