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Accumulator bets are one of the most popular methods of betting on football and are super easy to understand and create.
This football betting guide will take you through exactly what an accumulator bet is, how to place them and the best bookmakers to use when placing your accas in 2024.
What is an Accumulator Bet?
An accumulator bet, sometimes referred to as a ‘Acca’, is when a collection of cross game bets are all added together to form one larger bet with bigger odds.
Each individual selection within an acca is called a leg. Bets that include 3+ legs are usually called an acca.
Most betting sites allow only a few selections to be included across games these include:
- Full Time Result
- Both Teams To Score
- Goals Over/Unders
These are the three most common match selections that bookmakers allow to be added together into an accumulator bet.
The best thing about an acca is that it allows you to get far better odds than any most single bets can provide.
This is because the odds are multiplied together, and can allow for you to then receive far higher odds and in turn potential winnings.
But with this does also come the increased risk and instead of just needing the outcome of one one game to go your way, you need all of the bets in the acca to win, in order for your bet to cash.
Nevertheless, acca’s prove to be one of the most popular betting types in the UK due to the improved odds and potential winnings that can be provided by combining all the legs into a single bet.
How to work out the odds of an Accumulator Bet
Working out the odds for your accumulator is quite easy and simple once you know how to do it.
Simply convert the fractional odds to decimals and +1. Once this is done multiply the odds together in sequence. Then -1 from the total. Then turn this back into a fraction by placing it over 1.
Here is an example:
- Manchester City to Win vs Manchester United @1/4
- Everton to Win vs Liverpool @3/1
- Chelsea to Win vs Arsenal @1/1
- Tottenham to Win vs Real Madrid @2/1
So these become:
- 1/4 becomes 0.25 + 1 = 1.25
- 3/1 becomes 3 + 1 = 4
- 1/1 becomes 1 + 1 = 2
- 2/1 becomes 2 + 1 = 3
Then 1.25 x 4 x 2 x 3 = 30. Then 30 - 1 = 29
And 29/1 is the eventual odds of your accumulator.
However, don't worry if this is all a bit complicated, all bookmakers will automatically calculate the odds for you and your potential winnings once you have entered your stake.
Benefits/Drawbacks of Accumulator Bets
Pros | Cons |
Higher odds and potential payouts | All legs must win for the bet to land |
Engaging betting across multiple games/matches | |
Small priced legs can be combined into one larger more valuable bet | |
Lower staked bets can be still prove profitable |
Aside from the obvious benefits of higher odds and returns, acca bets can bring players some other handy features as well.
They can serve to keep bettors entertained across a multitude of games, as instead of focusing on a single sporting event, players can turn their eyes to many.
There is a deeper level to this as well, as if there is an insurance off on the acca, i.e if one leg lets you down, get your money back as a free bet.
Bettors will still have something to root for in the other clashes even if one leg hasn’t landed, something that cannot be done for singles, as once this has been lost the bet is over.
Accas also prove extremely useful, if bettors find a few low-odds selections, that perhaps may not have been worth wagering on as singles, but when combined could turn some decent returns.
This combination feature works well for low-stake bettors as well, as they still have the opportunity to turn some profits off of a small wager.
Not everyone wants to stake loads on each bet, and an acca bet can strike the perfect balance between valuable profits whilst maintaining a low stake.
Of course, the only real drawback of an acca bet is that for it to win, all of the selections must land, and this can serve to increase the risk of the bet. Especially if there are some higher odds selections in there.
However, if players are smart with their selections, they can find accas an extremely enjoyable and potentially rewarding method of betting.
What is an Accumulator bet FAQs
What is an accumulator bet?
An accumulator bet is a series of cross match bets merged into one single bet, with the individual odds of each selection being combined into higher odds.
Only certain football selections can be combined together; these include ‘Full Time Result’, ‘Both Teams to Score’ and ‘Goals Over/Unders’.
How many betting sites offer accas?
Almost every single betting site will allow you to create cross game accas on football, however it must be said the best sites for this however have to be either bet365 or William Hill amongst UK bookmakers.
Can accumulators only be created on football?
No, accumulator bets can be created on loads of different sports outside of football, with this ranging from horse racing and tennis to US Sports and cricket, as well as everything in between.
How does an accumulator bet work?
An accumulator bet works by combining all the single selections and their odds into a single bet with much higher odds than that of the singles alone.
The odds are combined together by multiplying each in sequence to produce the overall single price of the acca.