An accumulator is a bet featuring more than one selection
Accumulator bets are very popular as they can offer huge returns or, alternatively, make a series of short priced selections into a viable betting proposition.
In recent times many online sportsbooks have taken to offering price boosts on the returns of successful accumulator bets and also consolation prizes for accumulators that feature one losing selection, these promotions are normally called ‘Acca Insurance’.
There is almost no limit to the number of selections your accumulator can contain and potential returns are only restricted by the bet winning limits as listed within each bookmaker’s terms & conditions.
In an accumulator the winnings from one successful selection roll on to the next and the next. So, in the case of a £10 accumulator containing four successful selections all priced at even money (2.00), your winnings will be calculated as follows:
The bet does not discriminate on start or finish times of the matches which you have placed bets, only the outcome matters. However, if your match completion times are staggered you will invariably have the option to ‘Cash Out’ your bet early, if you wish.
In the example of the above, if the first three matches have been completed and your selections have won you will probably be offered a cash out option. Now, if your team is winning 2-0 in the 75th minute you are likely to be offered something like £135. If the scoreline is 0-0 or 0-2 against you selected team, you will obviously be offered a cash out of considerably less.
Accumulators were pretty much made for football and football bettors. It is estimated over 75% of all accumulators are on football games with tennis being the second most common sport for these popular multiple selection bets.
The beauty of accumulators is the ability to add a string of supposed ‘good things’ together and convert them into a viable betting proposition.
For example: Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea all playing at home against lower league rivals in cup ties may all be ‘good things’ but that is sure to be reflected in their prices. If they were all priced 1.25 (1/4 in conventional betting fractions) a successful £10 accumulator will return £24.42.
However accumulators are also good for rolling up massive winning sums, find a string of five winners priced at 4/1 and 5/1 and your £10 accumulator will reward you with over £50,000!
As ever betting is about judgement and ultimately it is your judgement which will dictate what teams you put into your football accumulators and how much you can ‘accumulate’.
All football matches have three possible outcomes: A home win, a draw and an away (visiting team) win. These are the most popular markets which make up the majority of all football bets (that’s single win bets through to multi-leg accumulators).
But there are far more betting opportunities on all major football matches these days and many of these markets can be used as part of a pre-match accumulator bet.
How about this kind of accumulator: West Ham to be winning at Half-time and Full-time (21/10), Southampton vs Everton to have ‘Over 2.5 Goals’ (6/5), Arsenal to beat Chelsea 1-0 (16/1) and Cardiff to win the Championship (5/1), which concludes several months after the three games above?
Well, not only will this accumulator be accepted by all major sportsbooks, it will also return a dividend approaching £7,000 for a £10 stake before any applicable acca bonuses are added.
And how’s this for a Christmas present? During the weekend before the 2016 festive period a Suffolk punter put 20 football selections into a £5 accumulator slip, with them all being successful he netted £223,000 in winnings. Ho ho ho!
