Whether you're a long-term accumulator backer or a complete novice when it comes to choosing a multiple bet, finding a string of winners is not an easy challenge.
Do you go for a bigger stake at shorter odds in an attempt to land a winner? Or do you go for a small stake at a juicy price in an effort to bag that big pay day?
So, if you're a long-suffering 'acca' disciple or fancy dabbling at this type of bet for the first time, Goal brings you everything you need to know, with a few key tips on how to win.
What is a football accumulator?
Accumulator bets, or ‘accas,’ are one of the most popular bets in football. You can place an accumulator by combining bets from multiple games into one bet in order to create bigger odds and potentially a bigger payout.
A bet with two selections is called a double and three is a treble, while an accumulator is a bet that consists of four selections or more.
How do football accumulators work?
The odds from each individual selection are multiplied together, allowing the player to bet on every outcome happening in a single bet. The more selections you have, the bigger the odds will be.
While this increases the potential payout, it also increases the risk. All of your selections need to be successful in order for your bet to win, meaning just one result could stand between you and your winnings.
For instance, a bet at Evens (2.00) is said to have a 50 per cent chance of landing. However, when you combine four of those bets together into an accumulator you bring the odds up to 16/1 (17.00) and therefore the percentage chance of winning down to around just six per cent.
As an example, say you wanted to bet on all of last season’s top-four sides in the Premier League to win.
Manchester City are priced at 3/5 (1.60) to win away at Tottenham, Manchester United are priced at 8/15 (1.53) to beat Leeds, Liverpool are 2/7 (1.29) to overcome Norwich, and Chelsea are at just 1/4 (1.25) at home to Crystal Palace.
None of those odds are very generous. However, when you combine all four selections into one accumulator you get odds of just under 3/1 (4.00) , meaning a bet of £10 would return almost £40 (including your stake.) This is the appeal of the accumulator.
Tips for doing a football accumulator
While it is tempting to bundle dozens of games together in order to create a potentially huge payout (most bookmakers allow up to 20 selections per accumulator,) you should bear in mind that those sorts of bets are almost like entering the lottery.
Although placing an acca on multiple games can certainly make a weekend of football more exciting for the punter, each selection you add to an accumulator reduces your chances of winning.
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It is therefore best to not get too greedy - perhaps choose a small stake for the longer shots and do not count on every result coming in. Football matches are unpredictable and a lot can happen over 90 minutes, which is partly why fans enjoy the game.
Of course, it is certainly possible to have your fair share of success with accumulators too. That just involves doing your research and choosing your games wisely.
Putting together a five-fold of in-form teams to beat struggling opposition can still provide a decent payout. It is also worth considering combining selections such as ‘Both teams to score’ or 'Under/Over 2.5 goals' in matches where the result is difficult to predict.
You can also choose to ‘Cash Out’ at any time while your accumulator is still in play, allowing you the option of taking a reduced payout if, for example, seven of your eight selections have been successful and you’re worried about the final game.
How to win big with a football accumulator
As with any form of betting, the key to success is strategy. While there are examples of people winning eye-watering amounts of money on huge long shots, you are more likely to succeed by putting together a considered collection of targeted bets.
Try padding out a couple of good value picks with what look like some more solid selections, such as top teams beating lesser opposition at home. Although the odds won’t be as generous, your chances of success will be enhanced.
Don’t just throw games together on a whim from the weekend’s fixture list. It is important to assess each selection as carefully as if you were placing a single bet on that result. Look at the form of both teams, their head-to-head records, as well as injury and suspension news.
Once you have done your research and are fairly confident in your selections, you should then choose your stake. It is better to stake £10 on one well-researched 6/1 (7.00) accumulator than to place £1 bets on 10 accumulators at 60/1 (61.0) that you have chosen at random.
Bookies love punters taking long shots on accumulators for a reason. They might be fun, but they do not provide reliable returns.