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A round robin bet is an increasingly common strategy. It is a flexible, low-risk system that requires a higher opening stake. It is effectively a large parlay broken down into smaller parlays. A RR bet is available on the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and other sports.
Our guide explains how they work and gives helpful examples. Learn the pros and cons of this bet type and how the odds work on sportsbook sites.
What is a Round Robin Bet?
How does a round robin bet work? A round robin in gambling refers to a multi-bet that combines several parlay bets on different combinations of teams or individuals into one wager. Round robin bets create a series of bets that cover various possible outcomes from your selections and thus increase your chances of winning.
So, how does a round robin work? Well, the best way to understand the meaning of a round robin bet is to go through the process of placing one. Below, we run through the steps of a round robin in sports betting from start to finish.
Round Robin Bet Example
To better understand how this bet type works, let’s examine an MLB real-world round robin example, which is found on the top offshore sportsbooks in the US.
In our example, we will place a baseball round robin bet on four MLB games. To keep it simple, we are just betting on the moneyline, but you don’t have to use the same bet type. You can mix it up with some selections on the moneyline, the run line, the over/under, etc.
Our four selections are:
- Red Sox v Royals = Red Sox to win (odds of +135)
- Mets v the Rockies = Mets to win (odds of -155)
- The Tigers v The Mariners = Tigers to win (odds of +121)
After adding all our selections to our Betslip, you can click the Create Round Robin button, as shown in the image below.
You now have several options on the bet slip. These options are 2s (doubles), 3s (trebles), 2s, and 3s and by 2s to 4s. We want to do a full all-combinations round robin, including all possible double, treble, and fourfold bets, so we select the by 2s to 4s. As you can see from the image below, this is eleven bets (6 doubles, 4 trebles, 1 fourfold).
We enter the stake we want to place. Remember, for a round robin, this is a stake for each bet, and in this case, we have 11, so a $10 is $110 (10 x 11). You can then view your potential winnings. In the case of our bet, that $809.84.It’s an excellent little return if all sections come in.
Remember that this “Win Amount” is if all the results you predict happen. If one of the teams loses but the others win, we will still win some money, but it will not be the full $809.84.
Understanding How to Calculate Round Robin Odds
Working out round robin odds and your return can be pretty tricky. A free round robin payout calculator is the easiest way to determine your potential winnings, and the best online sportsbooks will usually show you all your potential winnings. However, it’s a good idea to have an understanding of the basics.
While it is possible to work out the American odds and potential payout of round robins, the process and math are much more confusing than if you use decimal odds, so if you want to make life easy on yourself, then always convert to decimal.
Here’s an example of calculating the odds of a 3-team round robin. Let’s say we are betting on three college basketball teams to win. We won’t be specific with names and just refer to them as teams A, B, and C.
- Team A: + 250 (decimal odds 3.5)
- Team B: – 150 (decimal odds 1.67)
- Team C: -125 (decimal odds 1.8)
We simply multiply each team’s odds to work out the odds of each bet in our round robin.
- Team A and B double: 3.5 x 1.67 = 5.845
- Team A and C double: 3.5 x 1.8 = 6.3
- Team B and C double: 1.67 x 1.8 = 3.006
- Team A, B, and C treble: 3.5 x 1.8 x 1.67 = 10.521
Joe YarnoldCasino & Betting Expert
To calculate each bet’s payout, we multiply our stake by the decimal odds. So, with a $10 stake on each bet, then our payouts would be as follows:
A and B double: $10 x 5.845 = $58.45
- A and C double: $10 x 6.3 = $63
- B and C double: $10 x 3.00 = $30
- A, B, and C treble:$10 x 10.521= $105.21
Finally, we can calculate our total profits based on the different winning combinations. To do this, we will take the payout for each possible combination minus our total stake of $40.
- All teams win: $105.21 – $40 = $65.21 profit
- Team A Loses: $30 – $40 = – $10 loss
- Team B loses: $63 – $40 = $23 profit
- Team C loses: $58.45 – $40 = $18.45 profit
As you can see from our round robin bet example, the odds and profit are affected by the combinations of which teams win and lose. In two of the possible outcomes, one of our selections loses, but we still make a profit. However, if team A loses, we still win a bet but make a $10 loss.
How to Place Round Robin Bets
We’ve already covered the process of placing round robin bets in detail earlier in this guide, but here are the five succinct steps in how to bet round robin.
- Make your team or individual selections.
- Create parlays from your selections.
- Choose your stake; remember, the stake is multiplied by however many lines (parlays) in the round robin.
- Place bets.
Round Robin Strategy for Beginners
There is a misconception that round robin betting is exclusive to experienced players. Despite its complexity, this is not the case. Beginners can take advantage of this system. However, make sure you fully understand the round robin bet meaning beforehand. It is often used as an alternative to parlays, given the higher win ratio.
We suggest starting with smaller bets on your preferred sports. Once you have got the hang of things, you can add selections. A 2-leg round robin bet surrounding three teams/players is a good way to start.
Joe YarnoldCasino & Betting Expert
Other Round Robin Strategies
Round robins are hard to win but can produce huge returns. Here are some tips on implementing the best round robin strategy that can help you make winning selections and maximize your profits.
Full Coverage
Full coverage is a round robin betting strategy that covers all combinations of parlays possible from your selections. Using full coverage gives you the best chance of winning bets and the most leeway in terms of some of your selections being incorrect. However, it requires a larger stake, so it doesn’t necessarily guarantee you the highest profits.
Limited Coverage
This is a sports betting strategy that involves selecting a portion of all possible combinations of a round robin bet instead of every possible bet. For example, in a four-team round robin, you might decide to leave one team out of the doubles and/or trebles, so out of teams A, B, C, and D, you may just bet AB, AD, and BD, leaving out the AC, BC, and DC bets.
Focus on Favorites
Focusing on favorites in your parlays increases your chances of winning, as they are favorites for a reason. However, your potential payouts will be lower when applying this strategy.
Risk-Reward Balance
This is a betting system that entails balancing risk and reward based on the number of selections in your round robin and the parlays you choose. Higher combinations give you higher potential rewards but also higher risk. Smaller combinations like doubles are less risky, but returns are greatly diminished.
Diversified Markets/Sports
Spreading your round robin selections across multiple sports opens up far more betting opportunities. With more options, you are more likely to find betting opportunities.
Pros and Cons of Round Robin Sports Betting
Opinions on round robins differ a lot between gamblers. Those who use them say that they provide flexibility in the number and type of parlays you can create. Also, compared to traditional parlays, they give you insurance if one or more of your selections is wrong.
Those against them argue that the risk-to-reward factor isn’t worthwhile, as you have to lay out multiple stakes. You can choose to reduce your stake size to make up for this, but then your potential profits will be reduced. Here’s a list of some of the pros and cons of round robin.
What we like
- Partial wins
- Provide flexibility
- Higher potential payouts
- Lower risk than traditional parlays
What we dislike
- Higher complexity
- Lower profit margins
Round Robin Examples With Different Sports
By now, you should have a good idea of how to bet round robin, but to give you a more comprehensive understanding, let’s examine how the round robin betting system works in a few different sports.
Football
NFL betting is one of the most popular ways to gamble in the US, with around $23 billion wagered on Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. So, let’s look at what an NFL round robin might look like. First, we pick three games to bet on, and our selection for each game.
Basketball
Basketball is hugely popular among gamblers in the US. Millions of dollars are gambled on NBA games every week, but perhaps the biggest basketball betting event in the US is March Madness, with billions of dollars wagered during the tournament every year.
If all selections win, we will receive a $570.82 payout. We would still make a profit if any of the four selections were incorrect, and as long as Dukes wins, the profit will be pretty decent.
For example, if only Cornhusker’s prediction were incorrect, we would win four of our bets and net $168.27, giving us over $100 in profit. If Dukes lost but everyone else won, we would net $80.60 for a profit of just over $25, which still leaves us in the black but nowhere near as much.
Golf
Golf might not do the same numbers as football or basketball, but around $5 billion is bet on the sport in the US annually. It’s also a great sport for round robins as it can provide appealing odds even when betting on players to place (finish in the top 5,10,20, etc.)
Golf is also great for live betting, as competitions take place over several days, and each round takes multiple hours. This allows you to assess how players are playing before making your selections, but remember that odds will change duringlive betting based on current standings.
Here’s how a bet on a PGA golf tournament might look like:
Understanding Round Robin Lingo
There’s a lot of lingo to do with round robin parlays and other muti-bets that you’ll hear in the world of sports betting. Here are some terms you should familiarize yourself with:
- Trixie: A Trixie bet is a multiple bet composed of three selections. A Trixie has four bets, three double bets, and one treble.
- Patent: A Patent is another multiple bet composed of three selections like a Trixie. However, in a patent, you add three extra single bets to each selection, making a total of seven bets.
- Yankee: A Yankee is a combination bet comprised of four selections. A Yankee has eleven bets, six doubles, four trebles, and one four-way parlay.
- Lucky 15: A Lucky 15 is a bet comprised of four selections and 15 bets: four singles, six doubles, four trebles, and one four-way parlay.
- Heinz: A Heinz is a multi-bet on six selections. There are 57 bets in a Heinz, 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 fourfolds, 6 fivefolds, and 1 sixfold.
- Super Heinz: A Super Heinz is a combination bet comprising seven selections and 120 bets. It is made up of 21 doubles, 35 trebles, 35 fourfolds, 21 fivefolds, 7 sixfolds, 1 sevenfold accumulator.
- Lucky 127: This is a 127-bet combination parlay on seven selections, it’s basically a Super Heinz bet with seven extra singles bets. The bet consists of 7 singles, 21 doubles, 35 trebles, 35 fourfolds, 21 fivefolds, 7 sixfolds, 1 sevenfold
Other Useful Betting Guides on ReadWrite
Here are some other helpful guides on how to bet on sports and different betting systems and strategies.
What We Have to Say About Round Robin Betting
Round robin betting is not a strategy that suits all players. Now that you understand the round robin bet meaning, you can decide whether it is a system that meets your needs. While risky because of the multiple combinations, this bet type can be hugely rewarding.
Offering an alternative to traditional parlays, a round robin brings an element of insurance when you are not convinced by all of your selections. The majority of leading sportsbooks in the US accept a round robin on multiple sports.
FAQ
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Responsible Gambling
Practicing responsible gambling is essential to protect yourself from the dangers that are present when betting. Problem gambling and addiction can cause serious issues, including physical and mental health struggles as well as financial insecurity.
If you believe you or someone you know is suffering from a gambling problem, you should seek professional help. Here are some organizations that provide more resources and information for those struggling with an addiction to gambling.
