Pros and cons of accumulator betting: Will accas win me money?
Accumulators are one of the most popular ways to bet as they give punters a chance to make a huge return from modest stakes.
However, are accumulators as good as they seem? We run through the pros and cons of placing multiples to help you decide whether they are the best approach for you.
What is an accumulator?
Also referred to as 'accas', accumulators involve multiple bets across multiple events which are combined into a single bet. The payouts tend to be bigger for accumulators due to the added amount of variables at play.
Each of the individual bets which make up an accumulator are referred to as 'legs'.
An example of an accumulator would be:
- Romania to beat the Netherlands (13/2)
- Austria to beat Turkey (20/23)
- Spain to beat Germany (13/8)
The prices of these individual legs combine for a bigger payout in the event that all win. So, for the accumulator listed above, the overall payout comes in at 35.89/1 due to the combination of the three legs.
Of course, the higher the amount of legs, the less likely the accumulator is to win, meaning a higher potential payout.
What are the pros of placing accumulator bets?
There are several reasons why accumulators have become the most popular type of bet for the recreational punter.
Potential for huge returns
Depending on the selections made, accumulators have the potential for very high returns should they win. This is because you're combining multiple bets into one, meaning more variables are at play and so the odds are going to be inevitably wider.
Therefore, if you carry out effective research and/or you strike lucky, you could land yourself a huge wad of cash from a relatively small stake. But, the odds are wider for accumulators for a reason - they are far less likely to come in than individual selections.
More events = more excitement
The potential for higher returns is only going to lead to a more enjoyable betting experience, especially if your accumulator gets off to a strong start with some of the earlier legs coming in. Unless you're a professional gambler, you're probably going to be placing bets for the enjoyment that comes with it.
Accumulators can make for a great experience, particularly at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon with Gillette Soccer Special playing in the background!
Easy to place
Most bookmakers want punters to place accumulator bets as it gives them a higher percentage of winning, due to there being more legs to the bet. Therefore, apps for various bookmakers make it very easy to place accumulators and often have specific sections solely for them.
Bookmakers' special acca offers
Many of the UK's most popular bookmakers offer special terms on accumulators. Examples include Sky Bet's 'acca freeze', which gives punters the opportunity to freeze one selection if they take the lead. So, this selection would be paid out as a winner, regardless of the final result in the match.
Bet365 also have an offer where if a team is two goals ahead, they pay out early as a winner regardless of the end result.
What are the negatives of placing accumulator bets?
Harder to win
There's potential for higher returns for a reason. The odds are wider because the probability of your accumulator winning is much lower due to the different variables at play across the different legs.
Cash out offers are poor value
Many punters love having a cash-out option on their bets to lock-in a profit. However, this is actually really poor value. Bookies offer punters an amount to settle their accumulator early if things are going well but, generally speaking, the amount offered is far less than it should be.
Therefore, cash-out rarely offers good value for money.
Research more time-consuming
Research into each of your selections will hugely increase your likelihood of landing a winning accumulator when all things are said and done. However, with more legs at play with this type of bet, this means more time is needed to ensure each leg you select has been adequately researched.
Not everyone has the necessary spare time to dedicate to this, meaning a lower chance of winning their bet.
Temptation to add extra legs
We've all been there. You've already got four or five legs sitting on your betslip but aren't quite satisfied with the potential returns. Solution? Add more legs!
However, the more legs we add, the less likely the acca is to win. Greed can soon derail a winning bet when you begin to push your luck adding more and more variables which, in reality, aren't likely to come in.
When is it a good idea to place accumulators?
Accumulators are, generally speaking, a fun way of betting that are aimed at recreational punters. Most of the time, the odds are far less in the favour of the punter with accumulators as every single event is priced marginally in the bookmakers' favour (the overround).
Most pro punters would bet in singles 90%+ of the time. However, accas remain a really fun way for casual bettors to place small-stakes bets which offer big returns. Similar to a lottery ticket, in many ways.
Can accumulators ever be good value?
Generally, accumulators are poor value, unless you believe all - or most - of the events you are combining are better odds than they should be. Because of the process of compounding, bad value selections become significantly worse value when added to accumulators.
What are the best tips for placing a winner accumulator?
When you place an accumulator bet, the odds are already stacked against you. Therefore, you should stick to some best practices that give you the best chance of being successful.
Take advantage of special offers
Use odds comparison websites to secure the biggest returns
The best practise for accumulators is to go for what you feel are the selections most likely to come in while also looking where the most value is. Odds comparison sites, like OddsNow (shameless plug), display the best odds on offer across all of the major sportsbooks, allowing you to find the best value odds for your preferred selections.
If you're going to take the risk on an accumulator, at least go with the sportsbooks offering the best odds, which mean a higher potential payout at the end should all of your legs come in.
Ensure every leg is well researched
If you want to give yourself the best possible chance of winning, dedicate time into researching each of your selections. Make sure to check all of the different variables at play which could potentially impact whether your leg wins or not. What's the latest team news? Does one particular team need to win this game more than the other? What kind of form are each team in?
All of these angles could be defining factors in whether one of your legs, and therefore your overall accumulator, comes in or not.
Keep your expectations low
Given all of the different variables at play, as emphasised many times above, the likelihood of you landing a winning accumulator is pretty low, particularly if the payout price is high. Therefore, use them as an enjoyable betting experience, perhaps to be shared and compared with friends, with no real expectation of returning anything substantial.
There's a reason most pro-gamblers avoid accumulators - they just don't tend to come in that often.