What is a Single Bet: Single Betting Explained for Beginners

A single bet is the most common type of bet that any and all bettors place. It is a simple and easy thing to do and can return strong winnings.

This football betting guide will take you through exactly what a single bet is, how to place them, what to look out for and the best betting sites for placing single bets.

What is a Single Bet?

A single bet, sometimes called singles, is essentially one bet on one potential outcome, with one set of odds.

This can be a football team to win a game, or a player to score, or a horse to win a race. But it is one selection and one alone.

This looks something like this:

Multiple single bets can be added to the bet slip to form either an accumulator or a bet builder.

A single bet has its benefits in that players only need one selection to come in so in theory the probability of this winning is raised.

Whereas in bet builders or accumulators, bettors require multiple legs thus the probability is lower.

However with this can come the decreased odds of single bets, but it is worth keeping your eye out for some valuable single bets.

How to place a Single Bet

Once you have selected the single bet you would like to place, this is then added to your betslip.

Then you set your stake, and your potential winnings are determined by this and the odds.

For the example above, if you wagered £10 on Man Utd to win at 3/1, you would win £30 in profit plus your £10 stake back returning winnings of £40 if they went on to win.

Enhanced Single Bets

Some betting sites provide players with bet boosts or enhanced odds on single bets.

This will often see the odds of these single bets boosted or raised, sometimes well above the prices they were previously at.

These represent opportunities for players to take advantage of as these odds can sometimes give potential value, on what is when compared to other multi-leg bets like accas or bet builders, in theory, more likely to come in.

The best betting sites for Single Bets

bet365

bet365 have long been one of the UK’s favourite betting sites and as such provides one of the best selections of single bets around.

They provide an impressive selection of sports betting options from football and horse racing to cricket and tennis and much more all with extremely competitive odds.

With this comes a wide and varied set of singles markets, giving players access to exactly what they are looking for.

They also provide two types of singles boosts: ‘Bet Boosts’ that sees singles enhanced by a small margin, and ‘Super Boosts’ that provide a far greater odds enhancement, oftentimes to some extremely valuable levels.

These boosts alongside their already competitive odds make bet365 one of the best betting sites around for singles.

• Get your bet365 promo code

Sky Bet

Sky Bet are another extremely popular bookmaker in the UK and provides their users with a great selection of single bets that span their wide variety of sports betting markets.

Their single betting options give players access to a wide range of prices and selections within loads of different sports from horse racing to cricket and of course the extremely popular football markets.

They also provide boosts, similar in style to bet365, that can provide players with some excellent single betting prices and in turn potential value.

Players can also utilise their ‘RequestABet’ to get unique and specialised singles with strong odds depending on the bet itself.

• Get the Sky Bet new customer offer

Betfred

Betfred possesses a wide range of betting markets all with their own impressive singles markets, for the biggest sports and at some of the best prices around.

This includes one of the widest ranges of sports betting markets around and singles, with options to bet on everything including football, horse racing, rugby and lots more.

These all with some of the most competitive odds among all bookies.

• Get your Betfred promo code

William Hill

William Hill are comfortably one of the biggest betting sites in the UK and as such provides an excellent range of singles markets for all of their available sports betting markets.

They also provide the much prized ‘Enhanced Odds’ singles, these provided price boosts on a wide and varied selection of singles.

They can also provide some impressive value, sometimes odd being doubled or tripled for the biggest sporting events.

• Get your William Hill promo code

Betway

Betway have made this list due to their impressive selection of markets and the fact that they truly offer some of the best odds around.

These strong odds can be most commonly found on their widespread singles markets, bringing players betting options for a wide variety of sports including football, tennis, cricket and horse racing.

They also provide a handy ‘Betway Boosts’ section. This where players can find a set of boosted odds for that specific day's biggest sporting events, these prices are sometimes encashed by large margins providing some excellent value.

• Get your Betway sign up offer

What is a Single Bet FAQs

What is a single bet?

A single bet is, simply put, a scenario where a player is betting on one single outcome of an event.

All this means is that just one thing needs to happen for the bet to land. This can be as simple as a team to win, a player to score or something else.

Are single bets profitable?

Yes and no, the profitability of a bet depends on the total odds and the amount staked.

Should the single have high odds like 5/1+ then it could be profitable, but it has a lower probability of coming in.

However, should it have odds of 1/1 then depending on the stake it could be profitable, but it has a higher implied probability of coming in.

It simply depends on the odds and stake, as to whether or not a single bet can be profitable.

Can I place single bets in play?

Yes, single bets can be placed at virtually any point pre or during a match.

In fact, they can be more promising during the game as the odds are live and prone to going up and down with the flow of the game, perhaps opening up some opportunities for bettors.

Can I cash out single bets?

Yes, most single bets are able to be cashed out.

However some bookmakers do not allow some of their betting markets to be cashed out, and if the single is placed on one of these it will not be able to be cashed out.