How to Bet on Football Accumulators
One of the various ways to bet on football is placing accumulator bets. This type of bet can make even the most ordinary games from lower leagues exciting. Plus, there’s a chance of raking in huge long-term profits if you win accumulator bets.
But football bets of this kind can be tricky. This multiple-selection betting type requires that a qualifying bet wins all its legs. One losing selection could cost you your entire stake.
This article discusses football accumulators (acca) and how to place them. Read on to learn more about accumulators—from their different types to some of the most helpful football accumulator tips.
SportsBetting.com’s football accumulators guide also aims to shed light on the advantages of placing football accumulators. Strategies for bettors who already enjoy football accumulators or want to try this betting type are also discussed in detail.
Winning accumulators takes more than just luck and a whole lot of strategizing and sports betting knowledge. With SportsBetting.com’s guide, acca enthusiasts can get a solid betting edge.
What Is a Football Accumulator Bet?
Accumulator bets, also known as acca, involve betting on multiple selections combined in a single stake. Also known as parlays in the US, accumulators are popular among bettors because backing many matches can be exciting, and the rewards are higher.
But high potential returns involve high risks. To cash out this type of bet, you have to win all your acca selections.
The more acca selections you add, the higher the potential payout. These selections are also called “legs.”
Compared to single bets, accumulators pay higher odds, as these odds are bundled together, creating more value for bettors.
Many people combine their sports betting skills and luck in guessing the outcome of several football matches. So it’s no surprise that football has become associated with accumulators.
Other sports where accumulators are popular include horse racing, cricket, rugby, basketball, and tennis. But while the idea of combining selections from multiple sports into a single acca can be tempting, most tipsters won’t recommend this.
Unsure of whether to proceed with your football accumulator on sports betting sites? SportsBetting.com offers parlay protection when you place a bet of at least $10 on five or more selections on any sport.
If one selection loses, we will refund the stake up to $50 in free bet credits.
How Do Accumulator Bets Work?
As the name of the bet suggests, with accumulators, your winnings accumulate with each correct leg.
To understand how accumulator bet odds are calculated, you should think of how each selection or leg of your bet comes in and pays out. Then, the winnings from that selection are placed into the next leg of your bet.
Let’s use an example of football matches in the Premier League:
- West Ham (West Ham United FC) to beat Leicester City FC at 2/1
- Man City (Manchester City) to beat Leeds (Leeds United) at 2/7
- Liverpool FC to beat Aston Villa FC at 1/2
- Crystal Palace FC to beat Chelsea FC at 7/1
If your stake is $10 on an accumulator bet on the teams listed above, each leg must prove correct for your bet to win.
If all the selections come in, this is how you can calculate your winnings:
- Compute your winnings for the first selection by multiplying your bet by the numerator and dividing the answer by the denominator.
- So a $10 bet on West Ham to beat Leicester at 2/1 gives you the potential winnings of $20. Add your $10 initial stake, and you get $30.
- The $30 becomes your stake on the next leg (Man City to beat Leeds) and pays out $8.57 plus the $30 initial stake, or $38.57.
- $38.57 becomes your stake on the Liverpool vs. Aston Villa matchup, where you have the potential winnings of $19.29, plus the initial stake of $38.57, or $57.86.
- In the last leg, if Crystal Palace beats Chelsea at 7/1, your initial stake of $57.86 could give you a potential payout of $462.88 ($405.02 + $57.86).
With a successful accumulator bet, your $10 could become $462.88!
Types of Accumulator Bets
Accumulators may be classified according to the number of selections you place.
Number of Selections | Type of Accumulator |
2 | Double |
3 | Treble |
4 | Four-fold accumulator |
5 | Five-fold accumulator |
6 | Six-fold accumulator |
7 | Seven-fold accumulator |
8 | Eight-fold accumulator |
Picking teams to win is a conventional way of building your acca. But if you have a low success rate, you might want to consider going beyond outright winner selections.
There are alternative ways to bet on accumulators, including the following:
Each-Way Accumulators
Through each-way accumulators, bettors can still win if their selection doesn’t win outright but manages to place.
This type of bet involves two stakes: one on the selection to win and another on the same selection to place.
For example, in horse racing, the horse you back finishes in the top 3 or top 4 of the race. With an each-way bet, you still win. Sportsbooks determine which place or rank should be included in a selection.
This type of accumulator betting increases the chances of your acca paying out. But each-way accumulators also decrease the total amount you stand to win.
If one of your selections doesn’t push through due to uncontrollable circumstances, like bad weather or a horse not running, the leg is removed from your accumulator, and the odds are adjusted accordingly.
These circumstances are referred to as “non-runners.”
“Draw No Bet”
This type of bet ensures that your stakes are unaffected in case a draw happens. A “draw no bet” selection can mitigate the risks associated with accumulators.
For instance, a matchup between Newcastle United FC and Burnley FC has three outcomes (Newcastle wins, Burnley wins, or the match ends in a tie).
With this type of bet, a tie between both teams does not affect your initial stake.
In the event of a draw, the specific selection is not considered, and the stake rolls over to the next selection. While “draw no bet” selections can reduce your potential payouts, they can also prevent losses should the match end in a draw.
Both Teams to Score
This type of bet can be of great value to your accumulator bet, especially in a selection where it is hard to determine which team will win.
To win a “both teams to score” stake, the football clubs simply need to score at least one goal. So matches with scores of at least 1-1 equate to a winning stake if you choose this type of bet.
A variation of this betting type is “both teams to score in both halves,” in which both clubs need to score in each half of the match and within 90 minutes of play.
Handicap
In handicap betting, the playing field is leveled through handicap points assigned to the teams in a matchup. Handicap accumulators may sometimes give you bigger returns when you make three selections, compared to six selections with a match odds multiple (a single bet involving multiple selections on different odds).
Handicap accumulators are recommended when you bet on leagues with one-sided affairs weekly, where matches are usually dominated by one side. These leagues include the Serie A, La Liga, Premier League, and even the Champions League.
When placing handicap accumulators, don’t forget that betting on fewer selections allows you to focus on the right ones to put in your handicap multiple bets. Fewer legs mean lower chances of one leg letting you down.
Totals
If the minimum odds (min odds) assigned to your favorite team aren’t to your liking, you may want to consider totals betting, or betting on over/under goals.
Instead of picking an outright winner between Manchester United and Arsenal, choosing whether the teams' total goals would go over or under a set score from bookmakers may be more advantageous.
When you include an over/under in your selection, you increase your chances of seeing great returns. With totals, the possible outcomes are limited—the number of goals will be either under or over the total score you choose.
Tips for Winning a Football Accumulator Bet
To win an accumulator bet on football, you need skill and strategy more than luck. First, we need to identify which bettor demographic would benefit most from accumulators.
Accumulator bets work to the advantage of bettors who like to lengthen the odds instead of backing separate events at shorter odds. These individuals get chances of higher returns for small stakes.
It should be noted that many variables can affect your selection and ultimately make it more challenging to win an accumulator.
Whether you’re a rookie accumulator bettor or a seasoned one, here are some betting tips for creating your own acca betting strategy and boosting your chances of winning a football acca bet:
- Research all the selections you are backing to get the best chances of winning. Determine which data is most important (from the underdogs to the star players’ stats) and consider this when you place a bet.
- In football betting, stick to the home teams if possible, as they have an advantage over teams on the road.
- Don’t back favorites if they are short-priced. While safe, these bets cannot give you huge gains in the long run.
- Update yourself on both teams' stats and their form (head-to-head stats, injuries, suspensions, league positions, and news about star players).
- Bet on competitions, sports, or teams with which you are more familiar.
- Build a balanced football acca where you avoid low- and high-risk bets.
- Don’t just go for bookies with the best odds. Look for one with acca insuranc.
- Go for value bets. Check the fixtures and odds and determine which ones you want to back. One tip is to look for odds that are priced close to evens (almost 50/50).
- Avoid building your acca during the early kick-offs. Timing is vital to avoid losing your bets before most of the matches have even kicked off.
- Go for higher stakes but fewer acca selections to avoid higher risks.
- If you don’t win the first time, be patient. Wagering on football can be tough, as the sport is difficult to predict. What’s key is to try again and bet smarter the next time.
- Take advantage of promo codes, coupons, and first deposit bonuses from bookies. You can use these to try again in case your first few accumulator bets don’t go your way.
- Place your bets with a secure bookmaker who will guarantee easy cashouts.
- Sign up and start placing those football accumulators today!