What is a Combo Bet?

A Combo Bet, also called a System Bet, is a type of bet that breaks different selections into independent bets and combines them in one bet slip. You can wager on each bet rather than one single stake on the slip, which makes it possible to lose one or more predictions and still receive a payout.

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How Does Combo Bet Work?

A Combo Bet is an interesting way of combining multiple bets in a single bet ticket. Bettors often mistake it for an accumulator bet, as both concepts involve multiple selections. But they are actually different types of bets.

While an accumulator bet takes all the selections as a single wager, a combo bet breaks them into smaller individual bets and allows you to place separate stakes on each individual bet. Payouts are awarded on the success of each bet, making it possible to win a bet even with lost selections.

Put simply, you can select the minimum number of games you expect to win and walk away with the corresponding payout if successful. All your predictions don’t have to be correct, unlike accumulator bets.

With this in mind, a system bet is less risky and has a higher chance of returning profit on your stake. It covers all sports and betting markets, depending on the bookmaker's rules.

However, it is not as popular as accumulator bets, so you might not find the option at all betting sites in Nigeria.

Types of Combo Bets

Betting sites offer different types of combo bets, each offering flexible betting angles. The popular types are:

• Doubles: It combines 2 selections into one bet.
• Treble: A treble takes 3 selections on different events as a bet.
• Four-Fold: A combo bet with four, five, and six selections is referred to as four-fold, five-fold, and six-fold, respectively. It goes on like that with increasing selections.
• Trixie: A bet with 3 selections and 4 bets, which are 3 doubles and 1 treble.
• Patent: A Patent bet has 7 bets from 3 selections, which are 3 singles, 3 doubles, and 1 treble.
• Yankee: A Yankee bet has 11 selections from 4 bets, including 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and 1 four-fold.

Some betting sites also offer complex combo bets, including Lucky 15, Canadian, Lucky 31, and Heinz.

How Do You Win a Combo Bet?

To win a Combo Bet, you must win the minimum number of games in the bet type you wagered on. As noted, bets are divided into singles, doubles, trebles, four-fold, etc. So, you don’t need to win all the legs in the ticket for the bet to count as a success.

Let’s say you make predictions on 4 football games, but you are only confident in winning just 2 (doubles). Rather than risk it all with the accumulator bet, you can bet on winning any 2 of the 4. If eventually 2 of the games win, the bet is successful, regardless of the outcome of the remaining 2 games.

However, your payout will be considerably lower than if you opted for a four-fold bet. The key to bigger returns is having more winning combinations relative to the number of selections.

Example of a Combo Bet

It's an EPL weekend, and I plan on betting on 4 games — outright wins to Ipswich, Everton, Southampton, and Manchester City.

Remember that a Yankee consists of 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and 1 four-fold. This is what the breakdown would look like:

This is exactly how a Yankee combination works. If I were lucky enough to win all 4 predictions, I would receive the maximum payout. But let’s consider other scenarios.

Say you staked on only doubles, and Everton lost. In this case, all doubles combos with Everton will count as unsuccessful, and you will be left with only combos 1, 3, and 5. This means you will get a total payout of ₦2,653.50 from a ₦600 stake (6 doubles).

On the other hand, an accumulator bet would have given me a payout of ₦55,504 with the ₦1,100 stake. But it comes at a high risk, which is avoidable with combo bets.

Are There any Risks with Combo Betting?

As seen in the example above, the major downside of combo betting is that your potential payout will be significantly lower than in accumulator bets. This means you have to increase your stake to get a better value on your bets, especially when you opt for lower bet types (singles and doubles).

Another letdown of combo betting is that you cannot claim accumulator bonuses at betting sites. This can be quite disappointing, considering that most betting sites don’t offer dedicated promotions on combo bets.

Best Strategies for Combo Betting

Some of my best combo betting winning tips include selecting the best markets and mixing the odds for a better balance.

• Number of Selections: Generally, the fewer the selections in your ticket, the better your chances of winning. This is also the case in combined betting, as it reduces the risk of “cut 1” and losing your stake.
• Odds Balance: Include high odds in your selections for higher potential payouts. Although this comes with an increased risk, it adds better balance to your ticket than strictly opting for safe, low odds.
• Market Selection: Rather than restricting selections to the traditional 3-way market (home or away win and draw), mix it with other options. This includes over/under goals, DNB, handicap, and GG/NG. But it is important to bet on markets you understand.
• Bankroll Management: Higher stakes translate to higher returns, so you might be tempted to increase your betting size, leading to excessive losses. Staking small amounts is an effective way to manage your bankroll and enjoy an extended playing time.

Common Mistakes in Combo Betting

Despite being a safer approach to betting, players reduce their chances of winning by opting for only high odds and making other common mistakes.

• Selecting too many bets: Punters often add more selections to bet tickets to increase their potential payout. But the cost is that it reduces your chances of winning.
• Selecting only higher combo bet types: It is tempting to stick to five-fold, six-fold, or seven-fold combo bets for a better value on your stake, but it can also be a mistake. Singles, doubles, and trebles offer a better safety net.
• Chasing Losses: This is a common mistake where players attempt to recoup lost stakes by placing larger bets to make up for lost stakes.
• Choosing only high odds: Although I recommend including high odds in selections, not mixing them with low odds can cause you to lose your bets. You must create a balance between better rewards and higher risk.
• Ignoring team form and statistics: Players often fall into the trap of relying on emotions when picking bets. Although this can sometimes prove effective, the best approach is to analyse a team’s form and other necessary stats.

Recommended Bookmakers for Combo Betting

As mentioned, unlike accumulator bets, not all sportsbooks in Nigeria allow combined bets. Nonetheless, I found the option available at Bet9ja and Betano, and here, I will talk about what you can expect on these sites.

The first thing to know is that both Bet9ja and Betano offer this option as “System Bet“. To place a combo bet on either bookmaker, once you’ve made your selections, simply change the bet type from “Multiple” to “System Bet” by selecting the right option, as shown in the image above.

Bet9ja

As with accumulator bets, you can have up to 40 selections on your Bet9ja combo bet slip. This is impressive compared to the maximum of 8 in many betting sites. This means a bet can consist of over 130 billion 20-folds and 700 trebles.

The bookmaker automatically calculates the number of combinations, so all you need to do is pick your selections and enter your stake amount.

Betano

Betano allows you to select up to 30 games on your combo bet slip. Furthermore, these games can encompass various sports and competitions. However, the Betano builder feature is incompatible with system bets, meaning you can make only one prediction on a game.

Those are some of the bookmakers in Nigeria that offer combo bets, but they're not the only ones. If you want to see even more betting sites with combo bet options and other useful football markets, check out our full reviews of betting sites in Nigeria. It'll help you find a platform that gives you the best value.

Common Questions About Combo Betting