Game Parlay
Parlays are the Frankenstein’s monster of sports betting. They are wagers that consist of other bets glued together with one another.
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- 4 Game Parlay Payout
- 6 Game Parlay Payout
- 4 Game Parlay Payout
- 10 Game Parlay Payout
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They are also a high-risk, high-reward opportunity for the daredevil sports bettor. If you are a Colorado resident who feels like kicking things up a notch, make sure you read this guide to parlay betting first.
How parlay betting works
3 team parlays pay 6/1 or $600 for every $100 bet. BetOnline.ag is the leader in the industry in 3 team parlay payouts. Parlay Calculator Our parlay calculator will combine up to 12 games and calculate your payout based on your bet amount and the odds for each game. Find out how much you'll win on any parlay.
The first thing to understand about parlays is that they consist of multiple choices. Where other types of sports bets involve your choice of a single variable, parlays require players to predict outcomes on several different bets.
Each selection in a parlay is known as a leg. These bets can all be the same type of wager, or they can be varied. The exact composition of each parlay is entirely up to the bettor.
Why parlays are so risky (and well-paid)
The escalated source of risk in parlay betting is the fact that a bettor must be completely correct in his or her selections to get paid. Even one mistake causes the entire wager to be lost.
Naturally, as you increase the number of legs involved in a parlay, the chance of an incorrect prediction goes up. So, sportsbooks offer increasing payouts to compensate for the risk.
MLB parlay picks. MLB money line parlays are most popular because of the game odds, the underdog and favorite are often closely priced so the returns are often large. Click here for our latest MLB parlay picks. NCAA parlay picks. It’s not just the professional sporting ranks our free parlay picks cover.
Parlays are many bets on one ticket. Instead of making a single bet on the NFL or NBA, you can combine different bets onto one slip. The only downside to making a parlay bet is that all wagers must hit, otherwise the entire bet is a bust. It can be a tad confusing when you’re trying to combine odds and/or determine the overall payout of your total wagers on multiple games. Enter Odds Shark. Parlay Calculator Our parlay calculator will combine up to 12 games and calculate your payout based on your bet amount and the odds for each game. Find out how much you'll win on any parlay.
In fact, parlays with many legs are capable of producing some incredible wins for you. For instance, a successful 20-leg parlay in 2019 allowed a Mississippi bettor to turn a $25 wager into more than $104,000.
Of course, these stories drive more people to give parlay betting a try. However, it’s important to realize that successful parlays make the news because they are so unusual.
In a sense, these outsized payouts are not unlike lottery winnings. A bettor who successfully predicts a string of unlikely events has beaten very long odds, indeed.
Sportsbooks are, of course, more than happy to allow you to take such a risk. Truthfully, if the money you bet on parlays does not affect your lifestyle or living conditions, then they can be a fun diversion for a sports bettor seeking to get the blood pumping.
Parlay betting examples
Building a parlay is exceptionally easy, particularly on an online sportsbook. For mobile app or laptop users, they will usually need only to select the bets they want in their parlay and click a button on their bet slip to set things up.
In the following examples, the wagers we’re using are actual bets offered on DraftKings Sportsbook.
2-Leg Parlay
Bet #1: Moneyline @ +160
Bet #2: Over 230.5 points @ -113
Overall odds: +321
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The first thing to notice is that neither of these choices have particularly long odds. The moneyline is only an 8/5 underdog, and the chosen over was the favorite.
Still, their combined chances of happening are more than 3 to 1. So, even if things are looking good individually, the odds of both events occurring are much less likely, and you will get paid far less often than if you bet each element individually.
3-Leg Parlay
Bet #1: Moneyline @ -195
Bet #2: Moneyline @ -455
Bet #3: Moneyline @ -165
Overall odds: +199
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Just to ram home the point about the odds involved, we chose three moneyline favorites to populate our parlay here. To reiterate, each of these choices is expected to win their game.
However, the combined chance that all three bets will win is still almost 2 to 1 against. So, bear in mind that in parlays, there’s no such thing as a safe option.
10-Leg Parlay
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Bet #1: Moneyline @ +145
Bet #2: Moneyline @ +145
Bet #3: Puck Line @ +118
Bet #4: Over 5.5 Goals @ +105
Bet #5: Moneyline @ +180
Bet #6: Moneyline @ -195
Bet #7: Moneyline @ -143
Bet #8: Moneyline @ -455
Bet #9: Over 231 points @ -112
Bet #10: Spread @ -112
Overall odds: +85379
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Here is an example of how outsized both the odds and payouts for a parlay can get. Here we have a collection of 10 wagers that are all going off at odds shorter than 2 to 1. Yet, the combined odds of all 10 events is a staggering 853.79 to 1!
One other thing to note is that, in order to construct this parlay, we had to choose from different games each time. In order for a parlay to be valid, there cannot be bets that are related to one another – for instance, you cannot bet both the moneyline and total for a single game.
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Parlay variants
Along with standard parlays, sportsbooks commonly offer one or more variants of the combination bets. These variants each have their own appeal, so judge for yourself if you want to try them out.
Teasers
One of the most common parlay variants is the teaser. The teaser is the sportsbook’s attempt to lessen some of the risk that comes with parlay betting.
Quite simply, a teaser allows the bettor to tease, or move, the odds of the bets in a parlay in his or her favor. Teasers are only permitted for point spreads and totals – it wouldn’t really make sense to try and apply a teaser to a moneyline.
You must adjust each leg of a teaser by the same number of points. So, if you move one of your selections by five points, all of your selections must move by five.
However, the movement will always be in your favor. So, a bet on a favorite might reduce the spread, but a bet on an underdog would increase it.
Of course, nothing is free in this world, and teasers come with a price. Specifically, a successful teaser will not pay out as much as a parlay with the same selections. The sportsbook charges a premium for the reduced risk.
Still, for a bettor who wants to try parlays but doesn’t like the risk profile, a teaser might be a way to slide into things. The odds will still be long, but maybe not as unacceptably so.
For more information about teasers, click here.
Pleasers
Please be aware that sportsbooks will sometimes offer a parlay variant called a pleaser. While they are less common, they are simply the mirror image of teasers.
So, the odds in a pleaser will actually be worse than a standard parlay. However, the associated payout will be higher to compensate for the increased risk.
If a parlay just isn’t risky enough for you, a pleaser might be exactly what you’re wanting. Keep an eye out for them.
Round Robins
Round robins are a fascinating variant of parlays because of their margin for error. Almost every parlay requires perfection to pay out, but round robins have no such requirement.
Round robins are bets that are combinations of parlays. If parlays were a mathematical concept, round robins would be the next power of exponent to them – the cube to parlays’ square, so to speak.
Since they are composed of multiple parlays, it is possible to win a portion of a round robin even if one (or more) of the parlays fails. The different permutations mean that parts of the round robin might not be affected by the doomed parlay.
If you’re confused, don’t worry.
Example
You have 5 bets (A, B, C, D, and E) you want to make. You could make a single 5-leg parlay that would look like this:
- ABCDE
-or-
4 Game Parlay Payout
You could make a round robin with 10 separate 2-team parlays in it. Here’s how it would look:
6 Game Parlay Payout
- AB
- AC
- AD
- AE
- BC
- BD
- BE
- CD
- CE
- DE
Now…let’s say that you lose bet B.
In the case of the parlay, the entire bet is lost. However, in the case of the round robin, six of the parlays are still alive and well:
- AC
- AD
- AE
- CD
- CE
- DE
So, even though the loss would’ve been disastrous for the straight parlay, it’s not the end of the world on a round robin. If you want to do some parlay betting but want to have some backup options, a round robin might be the way to go.
We had three fantastic games Saturday during NFL Wild Card Weekend and the games only get better Sunday. With three games now on each day, it sets up endless opportunities for bettors. So without further ado, let’s take a look at our top NFL Wild Card parlay prediction for Sunday’s slate.
NFL Wild Card Sunday parlay picks and predictions
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated 9:25 a.m. ET.
Leg 1: Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans (+140)
The Titans enter this game as 3-point home underdogs. That doesn’t make a ton of sense considering Tennessee has already beaten Baltimore this season. While it’s true the Titans have one of the league’s worst pass defenses, the Ravens aren’t the type of team that can expose them in that area.
4 Game Parlay Payout
This is a game in which both teams are going to want to run the ball early and often, but the game will ultimately be decided by which quarterback plays better. Given their recent playoff history, Titans QB Ryan Tannehill inspires more confidence, especially with his arsenal of weapons at receiver.
The Titans aren’t a bad bet on the spread (+3, -105), but the value is here on the money line. Tennesee has a great chance to win this game at home and advance to the second round of the playoffs.
Also see:Ravens at Titans odds, picks and prediction
Leg 2: Chicago Bears +11 (-110) at New Orleans Saints
It’s hard to trust Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky much in a playoff game, but the recent history of Saints QB Drew Brees isn’t much better. New Orleans has one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, but their quarterback play over the last month has been less than ideal.
The Bears likely won’t win this game, but as double-digit underdogs on the road with no fans? That seems like a little bit too much. We know Chicago has a great defense and should make things difficult for Brees and Saints head coach Sean Payton.
If the Bears’ offense can score into the low-20s, they should have no problem covering this spread. There is also some backdoor cover potential here for the Bears as they could easily score late and get this within 10 in the final minutes.
10 Game Parlay Payout
Also see:Bears at Saints odds, picks and prediction
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Leg 3: Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-105)
Despite the Browns being without their head coach and several key players such as OL Joel Bitonio, CB Denzel Ward and DE Olivier Vernon, the Steelers are just 6.5 point favorites in this game. In the first meeting of the season, Pittsburgh dominated from the opening whistle. That game was never a contest and Cleveland was much healthier than they are entering this Wild Card matchup.
Pittsburgh’s defense should dominate in this game and it’s hard to envision Cleveland scoring more than 17 points. For that reason, the Steelers should cover with ease as they will face a defense that can’t stop opposing quarterbacks at all.
Also see:Browns at Steelers odds, picks and prediction
WILD CARD PARLAY Bet $100 to earn a profit of $694.55
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