Accumulator Bet Explained
Never placed an accumulator before? Read the full Squawka Bet explainer on what an accumulator bet is, how to place one, how to cash out your acca and plenty more.
Ever asked yourself ‘what is an acca bet?’ Well, look no further for an explanation. Put simply, accumulator bets are bets that combine multiple selections – so you can get on a handful of different teams to win, or a handful of different outcomes in different games. In order for your bet to win, you’ll need all your selections to be successful – one loss, and your bet becomes a loser. Read on for our full accumulator betting guide here.
How Accumulator Bets Work
What is an accumulator bet? An accumulator bet works like this – by combining selections from different matches and markets, you can create a cross-game bet, where every single one of your selections needs to win in order for your bet to be a winner.
Different from something like a Lucky Bet, where all permutations are covered, accumulator bets need to be won on every leg – although some bookmakers will offer accumulator insurance to cover you if you’re let down by just one leg.
By combining the odds of several bets, you’ll be able to get much longer odds than you will on a single bet – but be wary that accumulator bets are much harder to win, too.
To see what an accumulator bet looks like, check our betslip below from a Premier League Win-Draw-Win accumulator bet. Not sure what this means? Not to worry, keep reading on to learn more about accumulator betting.
Types of Accumulator Bets
There are many different types of accumulator bets. If you wish, you can combine picks from different markets, but many punters look to use the same market across multiple games to build their accumulators. Equally, many bookmakers will offer coupons on specific markets so you can easily select several bets at once to place on an accumulator.
Win Accumulator
The most popular style of accumulator is betting on the result of games. This is sometimes referred to as a full-time result market, or Win-Draw-Win. Here, you’re simply selecting which team will win the game or if it will end in a draw.
This allows you to combine several favourites to win for big returns, as you’re much more likely to win big if betting on six favourites than you are on one. It’s not difficult to see why they are popular, as these bets are easy to follow and the easiest to research by basing on recent form and quality of squads.
Both Teams To Score Accumulator
Rising in popularity in recent years have been both teams to score bets. These are pretty simple to understand – you need both teams within a match to score for the selection to be successful, meaning you need every team to find the net on your bet for it to be a winner.
The reason that these bets are so popular is that they can still be open until the final moments of a game. Even if a team is losing 5-0 – which would leave your full-time result accumulator looking dead in the water – they could score a last minute consolation to make your both teams to score bet a winner!
Over/Under Goals Accumulator
In a similar vein to the both teams to score accumulator, you’re looking for goals on your Over/Under accumulators. The most popular goal line is 2.5, meaning that you’re betting on either over 2.5 goals – or under 2.5 goals to be scored within a match.
Of course, you can go for a different money line, but you’ll get much shorter odds on over 1.5 goals to be scored in a game than over 2.5 goals to be scored in a match. The popularity of these bets is down in no small part to the variety on offer and versatility when it comes to the markets.
Correct Score Accumulator
Longer odds are available for punters willing to branch out to correct score accumulators. In these bets, you’re looking to get the exact correct score right – whether you think a team may ease to a 5-0 win, scrape a 3-2 victory or play out a goalless draw.
The issue with these bets is that they are very difficult to predict given the huge number of different outcomes available, in comparison to a market such as full-time result or both teams to score. That does mean however, you’re likely to get some very big returns if you can land a correct score accumulator.
Double Chance Accumulator
A double chance bet allows you to bet on one of two different outcomes within the game. So you may bet on a team to win or draw a game, or you can bet on either team to win the fixture and no draw to played out.
These provide a good opportunity to go against a favourite that you don’t expect to win, knowing you can fall back on the draw if your chosen underdog doesn’t manage to pull off an upset. Be aware though, backing favourites with a draw in a double chance bet can mean very short odds indeed.
Draw No Bet Accumulator
A Draw No Bet selection is slightly different to a Double Chance bet, as rather than paying out as a winner if the game finishes in a draw, the bet is simply removed from your accumulator with no extra winnings added.
That means you can get longer odds on your underdog team if that’s the way you’re choosing to go – or it means if you’re a favourite backer that you have the added safety of knowing your accumulator isn’t completely lost if your team only manages to draw the game.
Some Draw; No Bet odds available on Sky Bet
Anytime Goalscorer Accumulator
Anytime goalscorer accumulators are also difficult to land as you need every player on your selection to find the net – and as the odds suggest, this isn’t the easiest bet to get right.
Although you’re more likely to land a winner betting on the likes of Erling Haaland and Harry Kane to find the net, it’s worth checking the form of certain strikers too in order to see which forwards are on a hot streak in front of goal at the moment.
Tips for Accumulator Betting
Part of what makes football the beautiful game is the unpredictability of the sport, but by following some key rules, you can make sure to enjoy accumulator betting responsibly and hopefully bag some profit!
We provide accumulator tips for the following markets – which you can find by clicking on the links below:
But in terms of some tips for placing your own bets, we have some key guidelines that you should follow before placing your bet:
Research and Analysis
First thing’s first – make sure you’ve done your research. This doesn’t just apply to accumulators – you should always do your research for any bet that you place and make sure that you haven’t missed out on a vital piece of information – such as a key player being injured for one of the teams you’re betting on to win in 90 minutes.
Bet on familiar leagues and teams
It stands to reason that your research is more likely to be easier and more thorough if you’re betting on leagues that are familiar to you. It’s always tempting to check the odds on the Bolivian Reserves League – but in all honesty, how much do you know about these leagues? Sticking to those teams you know well and know the form of is much more likely to yield success than betting blindly.
Avoid unrealistic odds
In a way, accumulator bets can be rather precarious. You may have seven winning teams out of eight on a long odds accumulator – but if that final team lets you down, then your bet is a loser. As such, if a team are out at long odds to win a game, there’s probably good reason for that and by combining lots of realistic, short odds bets, you can still earn yourself a big pay-out on a betting acca without plumping for long-shots and underdog picks.
Bet Responsibly
This is another tip is relevant not only for accumulator bets, but for any bets that you place. Always make sure that you set your limits and use the tools at your disposal with your chosen bookmaker to ensure that you are never betting more than you can afford. These tools include deposit limits, account freezes and plenty more. Visit GambleAware.org for more information on how to bet responsibly.
How to Calculate Accumulator Bet Winnings
Although it’s potentially difficult to understand at first glance, the way that odds on accumulator or multiple bets are worked out is relatively simple.
To find the odds of your entire bet, you just multiply your bet stake by the odds of your first selection. Then, you can repeat that step by multiplying the potential winnings by your second selection.
Once you’ve done this for every leg of your bet, you’ll be left with the final odds. Every bookmaker will work this out for you – but it’s good to understand how the odds are calculated regardless.
So for example, if you placed a £10 bet with legs at odds 4/5, 6/5, 1/1 and 2/1 here’s how much your bet would return.
£10 x 4/5 = £18
£18 x 6/5 = £39.60
£39.60 x 2/1 = £118.80
£118.80 x 1/1 = £356.40 total returns.
7 Popular Betting Sites for Accumulator Bets
| Bookmaker | Key Acca Feature | Current Welcome Offer | T&Cs |
| Bet365 | Up To 70% Bonus On 3+ Match Accumulators For Final Result and BTTS Markets | Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets |
New Customers only. Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply. |
| Betfred | Get up to £10 back as cash if your 5+ fold football accumulator loses by one selection. | Bet £10, get £40 in bonuses |
New 18+ UK customers only. Register using the promo code WELCOME40, deposit and place first bet of £10+ on Sports (cumulative Evens+) within 7 days of registration. First bet must be on Sports. £30 in Free Bets and £10 in Free Spins (50x20p) credited within 10 hours of bet settlement. Free Bet stakes are not included in any returns. Bonuses have a 7-day expiry. Payment restrictions apply. SMS verification and/or Proof of I.D and address may be required. Full T&Cs apply. |
| Paddy Power | Free bet if one leg of your 4+ fold acca lets you down | Bet £20 and get it back as cash if it loses |
New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any market at odds of min 2.0 (EVS) and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using cards will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. |
| Bet UK | Acca Club: Place a bet of £20 on accumulators with five legs or more (each leg must have minimum odds of 1.2 or more). Upon the settlement of the accumulator, a £5 Free Bet will be credited to your account. | Bet £10, Get £30 in Free Bets |
New customers, opt-in and deposit within 7 days, and settle a £10 minimum bet at odds of 1.5 or greater, to be credited with 3x £10 free bets. Free bets must be used on 4 or more selections with odds of 1.3 or greater, stake not returned. T&C’s Apply. 18+ gambleaware.org. |
| Sky Bet | Sky Bet Club: Bet £30 or more each week and get a £5 free bet | Bet £5, get £20 in free bets |
NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. FIRST SINGLE & E/W BET ONLY. ODDS OF 1/1 OR GREATER. 4 X £5 BET TOKENS. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS EXCLUDE VIRTUALS. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. NO FREE BET EXPIRY. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS. FURTHER T&CS APPLY. 18+. GambleAware.ORG |
| Midnite | Acca Boost: Enhanced odds accumulators every weekend | Bet £10, get £20 in free bets |
18+ New UK Customers. Must bet £10 in total on 4+ legs, min odds 3/1 (4.0). £20 credited as 2x £10 Free Bets, valid for 7 days, stakes not returned. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org |
| PariMatch | Acca Bonus: Opt in, place an Acca of 5+ selections on English Leagues at odds 2/1+ in 7 days to get up to 40% added to your odds if your bet wins | Bet £30, get £30 in free bets |
18+ New Customers Only. Opt in, bet a min of £10 on set football markets (odds 2.00+) within 14 days to get £10 in Free Bets, up to 3 times to get max £30 in Free bets for football. No cash out. Free bets expire in 7 days. Offer active from 16:00 UK Time 06/04/23 until 16:30 UK time on 28/05/23. Card payments only. T&Cs apply, see below. gambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly. |
Advantages of Accumulator Bets
There are many advantages to placing accumulator bets over single bets, including the following:
High potential payouts
The beauty of combining several bets is that you can bet on teams that are likely to win – but still earn a decent return on your bet. For example, placing £10 on Manchester City to beat a smaller team in the FA Cup at odds of 1/10 would return just £11 – but if you bet on several teams in the same competition, even at shorter odds, you can still earn a decent return on your bet.
Added excitement
Following the match that you’ve placed your bet on is one of the main draws of football betting – but if your bet includes several matches, then there’s even more excitement to be had! For many UK-based fans, the joy of following an accumulator bet on a Saturday afternoon whilst the majority of games in all of the major leagues in the country are taking place is among the best ways to win a bet!
Possibility to win big with small stakes.
It’s rare by placing single bets that you can earn huge returns with a big stake, but most punters have seen examples of accumulator bets where punters have been lucky enough to win big despite a small outlay. Be aware that it’s very difficult to land such a bet – but there’s always a chance of winning big without too much of an outlay, which attracts the more casual punters among us.
Just £1 on this huge acca from Midnite would return over £10,000 – but it’s not likely to be a winner!
Disadvantages of Accumulator Bets
More difficult to win
It stands to reason that the more selections you have within your bet, the more chances you have to lose – as it will only take one selection not being successful to knock your whole bet out.
There are ways of mitigating this – by backing several favourites to win rather than outsiders, but be prepared to lose accumulators. They are difficult to land and for every winning bet you may have to deal with the pain of several losing ones.
Unpredictability of multiple bets
For every one of the aforementioned big winning bets, every regular punter will have a story of an accumulator bet that looked destined to win – only for a team they expected to win to slip up to an unexpected draw or defeat.
It may seem easy to predict multiple matches – but give it a try and you’ll see how difficult it can be, even when you’re backing odds-on favourites on every leg.
Frequently Asked Questions about Accumulator Bets
How many bets do you need for an accumulator?
Usually, a bookmaker will consider a bet with four or more selections an accumulator bet. However, bets with two selections (usually named doubles) and three selections (trebles) follow the same basic principle and final odds are calculated in precisely the same way.
What happens if one bet loses in an accumulator?
Usually, your accumulator will be a loser if any one of your selections doesn’t win, which can lead to some heartbreaking bets that come so close to returning big money only to let you down at the final hurdle.
Is it possible to cash out an accumulator bet?
It’s very rare that you’ll find a bookmaker that doesn’t offer cash-out these days and if anything, cashing out on accumulator bets is more popular than on single bets as the huge winnings you stand to win on an accumulator bet that’s coming in could be snatched away with a single goal.
So with a few minutes left of the matches being played on your accumulator, are you going to take those slightly smaller winnings for the safety of knowing your bet’s in and your money is safe… or are you going to be a thrill-seeker and see it out to the final kick?
What is a 4 fold accumulator bet?
A 4 fold accumulator bet is simply an accumulator bet that combines four different selections. You will find some bookmakers refer to accumulator bets in this way with the number of picks added to ‘fold’ after such as fivefold, sixfold, sevenfold etcetera.
Is Acca betting available for all sports?
Yes, you can place accumulator bets on other sports, not just football. Horse-racing fans are often looking for big returns on accumulator bets, but some other sports that have packed fixture lists that lend themselves to an accumulator bet include american football, basketball, tennis and darts – among several others of course!
Can you combine multiple sports in an acca bet?
Yes! With most sportsbooks, you can add legs from not only different competitions and tournaments, but from different sports. Indeed, you can even back outright winners of different sports in an accumulator if you wish.
Some bookmakers may place limitations on certain bets, particularly if the bets are from the same fixture for example – although many now offer ‘bet-builder’ betting or something similar, where you can almost have an accumulator style bet on selections from the same fixture.
