In a nutshell, a football accumulator bet is a single wager on the outcome of a number of matches.
For your bet to be successful, all your matches have to be predicted correctly.
An accumulator bet works up from a double (two fixtures), then up to a treble, a four-fold, a five-fold, a six-fold, and so on.
So Why Place A Football Accumulator?
Ordinarily, unless you love the thrill of having to wait for multiple football results to go your way, a football acca isn’t the first port of call for most people.
However, where it does come into its own is when the odds are so short on individual games that they are almost not worth betting on.
Take, for example, the Euros or a World Cup, where highly ranked teams might have to play a much smaller team.
Generally, the odds very much favour the bigger team. As an example, in the opening game for the 2024 Euros, is 1/5 ON to beat Scotland.
That means you have to bet £5 to win £1, and there isn’t much point in that.
So, in this instance, you could consider a football accumulator, where you roll wins for a few different teams into one single bet.
As an example…in the Euros, if you back to beat Scotland, Italy to beat Albania, England to beat Serbia, and to beat Austria in a four-fold accumulator, the odds become 2.27/1 and your £5 bet could net you £16.36 if all four teams win.
Sure, all four teams have to win, but the odds are more attractive, so on balance, it’s not the worst option.
A Six-Fold Accumulator Example
Here’s another Euro 2024 example for you. We’ve picked the six group winner favourites in a six-fold accumulator.
As it stands, is 2/5 ON, Spain 8/11, England 4/11, 4/7, Belgium 2/5, and Portugal 4/9 – to win their individual groups.
If you put a £1 bet on each of those teams to win their group outright (£6 in total), and they do, then you would get a total of £8.90 back, INCLUDING your £6 stake.
That is a profit of £2.90.
You’re right in thinking, “Hmm, those group odds look skinny,” but look what happens when you opt for an accumulator and combine all those odds together.
Collectively, the odds of all six teams winning their respective groups jump to 9.47/1.
So now, instead of six individual £1 bets, if you staked £6 on the accumulator and won, you would get back £62.87, including your £6 stake.
That is a profit of £56.87 – on the exact same outcome!
Why Do People Like Football Accumulators?
If you ask people why they like to bet on a football accumulator, it’s because they like the challenge of picking several matches on a Saturday afternoon, for example, and watching the results come through either at home or out in the pub with friends.
Many would rather put on a £2 accumulator on six or so football matches than risk that £2 on six lottery balls coming out on a Saturday night.
The chances of the accumulator coming in are significantly better than striking gold on the lottery.
That said, few £2 accumulators will bag you a lottery sized jackpot!
The Advantages of an Accumulator
Not only are the odds more attractive when you select more than one football team but you can win quite a lot for wagering small amounts of money.
Although the outcome of a football match is completely out of your control, at the end of the day the match can only end in one of three scenarios – a win, a loss or a draw.
Unlike a horse race bet or a lottery-type bet, you are trying, on each occasion with your football selection(s), to pick a one-in-three outcome.
In the scheme of wagering, overall, those are fairly favourable odds to have on your side.
Football Accumulator Do’s & Don’ts
Don’t pick too many teams
Obviously, the more teams you pick, the lesser chance you have of winning. Don’t overload your accumulator for the sake of it and turn it into a toilet roll-sized betting slip.
Once you start going over ten selections, you really are clutching at straws, and the bet will undoubtedly end up going down the pan.
Don’t concentrate too much on short odds
Upsets do happen, and piling your accumulator full of odds-on teams is always going to end in heartbreak when that single result lets you down.
Do include your home team
You will probably read elsewhere that you shouldn’t do this as it isn’t very objective, and you will be swayed by your heart.
However, you know the form of your home team best and you will know better than anyone when they are totally primed to beat an opponent so stick with them when the time feels right.
Do add draws into your accumulator
They really do enhance your bet and you will know which teams are draw specialists against certain other teams.
Local derbys are always good for draws. It pays to do your research.
Do use a bookmaker who pays accumulator bonuses
There are plenty out there and you should always shop around. It’s always nice to have a tasty percentage added to a winning accumulator.
Only bet what you can afford
As with all bets only place on an accumulator what you can afford to lose. The bet is a little more high risk than a single wager so steady as you go.
I sincerely hope you crack that football “acca” sometime soon!
