Accumulator betting: explained with examples

Accumulator bet, a.k.a accas, is currently one of the most popular forms of betting among fans of many sports, especially football enthusiasts. This gambling way is thrilling because it can enhance the victory to a huge amount if all the results are successful in one bet.

Accumulators bet could seem confusing to newcomers, but if you want to win big, you have to go bold. W88 bookmakers offer great promotions when bettors try and guess the outcome of multiple matches. Of course you can also try your luck.

We bring this article to help everyone understand everything you need to know about accumulator betting – with examples, of course.

Accumulator bet in a nutshell

To be short, an accumulator bet combines 4, 5, or more selections into a single bet, only profitable when all bets are won.

For example, if you pick Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City to win their match then all 4 of those clubs have to win. If three wins but Chelsea only get a draw – then you lose your stake.

Accumulators betting is now available for all sports. However, several bookmakers differ in their rules of combining selections from more than one sport to create a single bet.

Types of Accumulator – 4-fold, 5-fold?

Don’t be confused if the bookmarkers said to you words like “4-fold” or “5-fold”. The number before ‘fold’ means how many selections are in your bet. A “5-fold” means you pick a bet of 5 selection, that’s it! Easy, right?

It is worth noting about the acca bet that it is limitless on the number of “fold” you can make in one accumulator bet. This gives you the option of winning as big as you want as a man once won £1.45m from horse racing acca betting.

Why are accumulators so popular?

Of course, money rules. As an upper limit to the number of “fold” doesn’t exist, the profit you can make when betting on accumulation could be enormous.

Most bettors perceive accumulator betting as the potential profit it will bring, not the actual reality. It may sound ridiculous how can someone ignore the image of a potential £20,000 winning out of a 10-fold bet. In fact, not many bettors actually win because if there’s just only one wrong prediction, the bookie will win. However, only the feeling of winning a big amount of money can drive someone crazy!

Is it possible to win a huge profit?

First, you must know how much is “huge” to you because the definition of it can vary. However, with our definition, then yes. You can actually gain an enormous profit from accumulator betting. Sometimes, the amounts could reach millions of dollars that are newspaper worthy.

How about less ambitious accumulator bets?

Though people can win those above games, the idea of winning a whole 8-fold could be unrealistic to most of us. How about smaller accumulator bets? Will it be profitable enough for your trying effort? Let’s double-check with an example of a 4-fold bet:

1. West Brom Vs Leicester – Away win
2. Crystal Palace Vs Southampton – Draw
3. West Ham Vs Newcastle – Draw
4. Tottenham Vs Everton – Home win

It’s now just under £30 from a £1 bet, which means your odds are dramatically decreased compared to an 8-fold bet. However, the risk when failing to predict a team result has reduced, too. Less profit but more safety.

Concern about odds calculation?

I think calculating odds is the main thing that people don’t want to explain accumulator betting. However, it’s not so complicated to understand.

Just remember: each selection of your cumulative set will double your odds. Let’s take this 4-fold bet below as an example.

1. Manchester United 1 – 0 Fulham (1.5)
2. QPR 2 – 1 Reading (1.4)
3. Chelsea 1 – 1 Newcastle (3)
4. Stoke 0 – 0 Arsenal (5)

The odds calculation is your stake multiplied by the odds:

Total Return = Stake * odds 1 * odds 2 * odds 3 * odds 4

Assuming a bet of £5, the calculation would be:

Total Returns = £5 * 1.5 * 1.4 * 3 * 5 = £157.5

Accumulator betting options – where to place?

The accumulator gambling is conducted with a simple process on most of the online bookmarkers. The most popular one in the football match where you place your stake on the result of the game, or under goals or whatever you want to bet on. Your option is unlimited and bettors can even get a combination of different sports for only 1 bet. It’s possible!

Each-way betting example

Sometimes, the risk of losing a whole bet with just one failure can be reduced for accumulators. Bookmakers will allow you to place an each-way accumulator bet which consists of 2 parts:

1. A standard to-win accumulator bet.
2. An accumulator bet on each of the selections to-place. There are 2 options: “Selections” and “Odds” which are updated accordingly.

Each-way style of betting allows you to have 2 separate bets at the same time, which means your stake is doubled. If you still don’t understand, the following horse race accumulator example could help.

Read in order: Selection- Odds (Fractions) – To Place- Bet Outcome:

1 – 4/1 – 1/5 – Won

2 – 9/1 – 1/5 – Won

3 – 3/1 – 1/5 – Placed (came 2nd)

4 – 10/1 – 1/5 – Won

If you place a stake of £5, you lose it all and have £0 in return because the 3rd selection wasn’t successful. The to-place part brings you:

To-place Returns = £5 * ( ( 4 * 1/5 ) + 1 ) * ( ( 9 * 1/5 ) + 1 ) * ( ( 3 * 1/5 ) + 1 ) * ( ( 10 * 1/5 ) + 1 ) = £120.96

To-place Profit = Total Returns – Unit Stake = £115.9

Total Returns = £120.96 + £0 = £120.96

Total Profit = Total Returns – the 2* £5 stakes = £110.96

Not only you have nothing after a bet, you can earn money from a loss by each-way betting!

Exceptional accumulator betting circumstances

If one of your selections is cancelled, your bet still goes on as normal but there’s one thing that has changed: your odds. For example, if one leg in your 4-fold bet is gone, it will become a treble rather than an accumulator betting. That change affects a lot.

Another frequent exception is “acca insurance”. This insurance aims to protect your stake, not your betting result even if you lose. It’s heartbreaking! Please be sure to check out the terms and conditions before signing in any insurance offered by bookmarkers.

Good luck newcomers!

With all the above explanations about accumulator betting, are you now more confident to step into the world of sports betting yet? This is a dangerous field of gambling, but its benefits are way more than our expectations.

Go big and go bold, my dears. Good luck and have a safe bet.