While football betting is still leading among all types of sports betting all over the world, one of the most divisive wagers for soccer betting is the accumulator.
The bet, where multiple options are combined into one, is either seen as being too risky or a great opportunity for a big payout for a small risk.
But that is where the accumulator tends to be a little misjudged. It doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing type of bet. While it’s not something to lean on all the time, it can be a useful betting option to have in your arsenal, and it doesn’t matter if you bet with betting sites minimum deposit £5 or with a larger amount.
Punters will of course have their own opinions about the acca bet. Here we look at why the accumulator option may be worth incorporating.
The Accumulator
An accumulator is a bet consisting of at least three selections. Normally, you’ll find it at any betting site – just browse a list of bookmakers at Clubsport or some other analytical service to see it. A simple example of one is picking the match result of four different English Premier League matches. The condition of the accumulator bet is that all of those picks have to win for it to be successful.
If three of the four legs are successful, then that’s not enough and no return will be coming back. In this regard, the acca is hit-and-miss and is a great example of the risks involved in playing one.
The more selections that are put into the accumulator, the greater that risk is, even if all of those selections are odds-on favourites. Relying on four results instead of just one for a win single is a much tougher prospect.
The Upsides to Accas
The upside of the soccer accumulator bet is of course the payout. The odds of each selection are compiled into a much bigger payout than when just betting win singles. Take the following odds:
- Man United 2.10
- Liverpool 1.4
- Manchester City 1.2
- Tottenham 1.8
A 2-unit stake on each of those would return a profit of 5 if all selections won, from a total of 8-units staked. But if those same options were combined into an accumulator using the same stake, the potential outcome would look like this:
(2.10 x 1.4 x 1.2 x 1.8) x 8 = 50.80, returning a 42.80 profit.
Misleading Hype
Typically, when you see the news reporting big sports betting wins, it is usually large accumulator bets like an 8-fold or a 12-fold. Those reports can be misleading because they can make punters feel that they are accessible wagers.
But acca bets are not easy to win, certainly not the ones with so many legs in them. The lopsided reporting of big accumulator wins doesn’t take into account how many losing accumulator bets and how much accumulated stake losses a punter played before they hit the win.
The Steady Approach
Accumulators are an excellent option when looking at a few odds-on favourites for a round of football betting. It’s not the type of bet to add more risk to by incorporating big underdog options – mitigating as much risk as possible by only taking strong selections is an obvious step.
There is another great advantage to accumulators, and that is the cash-out tool commonly found at online betting sites. If you have a fivefold accumulator and four of the legs have already won, then accepting a cash-out offer will bank some guaranteed profit without risking that final leg.
Accumulator Market Options
An accumulator doesn’t just have to be built from the Match Result market either. Some alternatives are commonly used, such as Both Teams to Score and Over/Under 2.5 goals. Again, for risk assessment on an accumulator bet, avoid markets like First Goalscorer and Correct Score which are just too unpredictable. The inclusion of other markets can add good variety, and if your betting strategy naturally looks at these markets, consider pulling options together in an acca.
Acca Add-ons
One final positive to consider for an accumulator bet is add-ons that can come through bookmaker promotions. Many bookmakers will pay a win bonus, based on a sliding scale related to how many legs are in the winning bet. Something like a 5% win bonus for a 3-fold acca, or a 15% for a 6-fold for example is common. Another popular promotion for accumulator bets is insurance, where a lost stake refund will be issued if the bet loses by just one leg.
