At OddsChecker, we bring you the best picks and parlays for all major sports in the United States. Our site is run by sports fans for sports fans, and we don’t take a penny from you. If you want to find out more about what picks and parlays are, how to use them in your betting, and where to find the best ones, check out our handy guide below. Parlay Betting Explained Commercial Content 21+ T&Cs Apply. Parlay betting is a fun way to combine multiple bets. Famously referenced in the Oscar-nominated film Silver Linings Playbook, a parlay bet is a bet on top of another bet. To win the parlay, you have to win both bets. However, a parlay can still win if a game is tied or canceled. Find the Top Parlay Sportsbooks online. Find the most current list of the best online sportsbooks to do parlay betting, only at OSGA, the wagering industry’s most trusted source.

Few things jump out at us punters like a moneymaking betting strategy put into words by an expert. With our take on parlay betting, we hope to shed light on your questions about this widely-used technique. With our exhaustive guide you’ll quickly gain ground in the field of betting strategies.

We’ll outline the chief reasons so many players depend on parlays to build their bankrolls, see how thing work in reality, and while the iron is still hot, we’ll wrap everything up with a few pro tips. Join the ranks of rational bettors, and start wagering smart.

What is a Parlay in Sports Betting?

You’re most probably asking yourself what else parlays can offer besides a weird-sounding name. This iconic wager from the past is ever so present nowadays, as its idea is very straightforward. Combining any two odds in a single bet is considered a parlay, also called “accumulator”. Adding more predictions (selections) to the betslip boosts the payout but also increases the risk of failure.

This brings us to our next point – a traditional accumulator yields no return if any of the predictions is incorrect. You’ll have to tick all the boxes to win the bet, though some betting systems allow for a mistake or two, but they will be the subject of another review. That right here is the foremost drawback that dissuades punters from stacking up too many selections.

Against this backdrop, there’s still room to maneuver. Aside from the number of selections, you can exert control by cherry-picking odds. Guessing a few low-odds selections seems like a feasible goal and at the end, your winnings won’t suffer either because of the multiplication. On the other hand, putting more than one underdog in the same betslip is pushing it a notch too hard – better not overreach yourself, but stay somewhere in the middle

Placing a Parlay – What’s the Holdup?

Your typical accumulator constitutes a large percentage of the bets placed on sports events. Some can argue all they want, but the truth of the matter is that placing a Parlay is easy and undemanding. It doesn’t require much calculations and there is only one possible win scenario, so the stake you enter will be the total you’re going to pay. What you see is what you get, there aren’t any strings attached or contingencies. That’s why the average player concentrates on waging parlays as opposed to single bets.

How Do Parlays Work?

Now we know that for your bet to be considered a Parlay, first you have to combine two or more selections. The potential return is calculated by multiplying the odds off all picks. This is the neat thing about parlays, you don’t have to dip into your savings to crank up the numbers. For example three selections, priced at 1.5, times a $10 bet yields $33. Not too shabby again considered the relatively small bet and number of selections.

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Alternatively, you can opt to go for quite the number of picks with the idea to aggregate bigger potential winnings, but nailing more than three predictions straight up is a bit of a stretch. Not that it isn’t possible, and the pay will surely be worth it, but it’s just not considered common sense to try such a challenging move. However, the bookies are quite fond of seeing big accumulators being played and usually award additional incentives to encourage this risky endeavour.

• Over 25,000 live events monthly
• Real time stats at your fingertips
• In-Play Betting
• Cash Out option available
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• $25 Free Bet

Will Winning a Parlay Give You a Bonus?

The staple ingredient in the diet of any parlay lover is the bonus money most bookies generously dish out. This perk sometimes goes under the name Acca Boost and is meant to enhance your pay by a certain percentage. The margin increases progressively as the number of legs mounts up. In some cases going as high as a 10 – fold bet could earn you a 25% on top of your base winnings. The maximum number of legs that qualify for the promotion normally coincides with the general rules of the operator regarding parlay use. By and large, opt-in isn’t required, but the offer might be restricted to a specific market or events – most often than not, that being football fixtures.

How Many Selections Can I Add?

As far as common sense is concerned, anything more than a 4-fold will raise eyebrows – there’s just too many things that could go wrong. Anyway, we’re determined to get a little extreme in the interest of showing you where the sportsbooks draw the line. We’ve tested the limits many times and with many top-level bookies and we have to say the better part of them set the limit at around 14 legs, which is still a nice elbow room if you’re going to play vabanque.

Obviously, you’ll need a fair bit of luck betting a 14-fold, but that’s not it, it’s not the ultimate, uppermost limit for accumulators. For the sake of counter argument, some bookies would set the cap stupendously high – at 15-16. All by itself, the multiplier of a betslip this big will take you to the three or maybe even four-figure number expected payouts, albeit you’ll have to trust this one to luck. There’ you have it, though we digressed slightly from the main point, now you know what a one-quid wager can yield in theory.

Accumulator Jackpots

A labour of love, it’s almost impossible nowadays to come across a sportsbook that disregards the nearly century-old tradition of football pools. While most of the operators add their own spin to it, the goal is one and the same – to predict the outcome of a large number of events. Normally the buy-in is low enough to give more punters the chance to participate. If more than one player has accomplished the winning conditions, they all receive a share of the big prize. So, if you’ve set the heart on that allusive 10-fold accumulator that’s been bugging you for years, you’ll find a lot more value taking part in the football pool or jackpot event organized by your bookie, than simply combining your own fixtures.

How to Win Parlays?

As with everything about parlays, the winning conditions are pretty obvious too – make all the correct predictions and stay out of trouble. A cancelled event won’t hurt your bet though, its odds will be considered equal to 1.00, so that when multiplying by them the total doesn’t change. How to win big on parlays without pushing the envelope too hard is the million-dollar question. This is a multi-layered problem which we believe can be solved by adding another component to the equation, namely – in-play betting.

Did you know that accumulator boosts also play in the live betting markets? This is such a nice extra to have, though it’s not why we pointed out live betting as a stomping ground for sensible parlay bettors. Without a doubt, it’s easier to place bets once you’ve gathered first-hand info, but in-play does you one better. You get to wager many different lines for the same event and still form a nice accumulator without spreading yourself too thin on several fixtures.

What Does “Parlay” Mean to the Bettors?

First off, we saw the matter isn’t skin-deep and there’s many things you must perfect before accumulators start paying your bills. Secondly, if you don’t approach it with the right frame of mind it can bite you in the rear. Still, this betting type affords notable latitude to those punters, who are looking to speed up their game without putting much at stake. From the dream jackpot to attractive bonuses, Parlays have it all. They definitely live up to the hype as this betting style is extremely well-received in the renowned sportsbooks. If nothing, you ought to give it a try for the fair amount of related bonuses.

Parlay bets are wagers where multiple teams are selected to win, linking them onto a single ticket. Instead of making multiple straight bets, parlays offer increased odds, giving handicappers the chance to turn a small bet into a large payday. With each team added to a ticket, the higher the odds.

In order to win a parlay bet, every team on the ticket must win. For example, if you’re 6-0 on a 7-team parlay, the last team needs to win, otherwise the entire ticket is lost.

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* The best parlay odds online are offered at Sportsinteraction.com

Different sports, point spreads, money lines, and totals can all be combined onto a single parlay ticket. If any game within a parlay results in a push, the parlay reverts down by one game. For example, if you had a six team parlay with one push, the payout would be based on five team parlay odds.

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For frequent parlay betting, Bet365 offers some of the best daily odds for parlays of 9 teams or less. Here is a quick comparison chart for point spread parlay odds.

Parlay Bet Calculations

Parlays can be placed on NFL and NBA basketball games using the point spread, or any sport using the money line. When making parlay bets on games using a point spread, most sportsbooks stay within a certain range of odds until they get above 8 team parlays. At 8 team parlays and bigger, there’s a fairly wide range of odds that are offered.

Since the odds on money line bets vary, the odds are calculated differently. When money line bets are added to a parlay ticket, obviously the odds of each individual game have to be factored into the payout calculation.

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Useful Tips & Strategy

Instead of placing parlay bets with lots of teams on them, split them into multiple, smaller tickets. We recommend keeping your parlay bets down to 2-5 teams per ticket. This will increase your odds of winning, keeping your bankroll replenished with smaller, more frequent wins. Also, with each team added to a parlay ticket, the house takes a larger edge. When you get into 6+ team parlays, the house edge grows considerably.

With each team added to a parlay, the smaller the bet amount should be. Some professional handicappers suggest a maximum of 2-3% of a bankroll, but we recommend that with increased odds and decreased chances of winning, to respectively lower the % of your bankroll committed to the parlay.

Make sure the final game on every parlay is scheduled to begin after every other game ends. Give yourself a bit of time to place a side bet and protect a potentially large win. For example, if you’re 4-0 going into the 5th and final game of your parlay, you stand to make a nice win if the final team wins. If they lose, your parlay loses too. Instead of risking the entire parlay, place a side bet for a guaranteed win.

For example, if the final game is between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles, and your parlay has the Eagles, place a bet for the amount of money you want to guarantee on the Giants. If you have a 5 team, $50 parlay on the spread at 20/1, you stand to win $1000. Placing a $250 side bet on the Giants will return a $227 profit at -110. Minus out the $50 on the parlay, and you’ve guaranteed yourself a profit of $177 no matter who wins. If your parlay bet wins, you still take home a big win.

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How to Win Big

With the parlay odds chart above, you can see that the opportunity to win big by parlay betting is definitely there. If you’re a professional handicapper looking to hit big, try to follow the proper bankroll management strategy. Don’t risk too much on parlays with a lot of teams on them.

For casual punters looking to have some fun, forget everything mentioned above and go have some fun. Keep in mind, if you’re going after a large parlay, don’t risk money you cannot easily afford to lose. Parlay bets are difficult to win, and Mr. Furley expects the rent payment next month.

But, if you’re looking for a big win, register at Sportsinteraction.com. Four team parlays pay 12/1 instead of 10/1. A seven team parlay pays 80/1 odds instead of 75/1. Nine team parlays pay 300/1 instead of 150/1.

For our own sense of responsibility, we want to remind anyone reading this that parlay betting for big wins can be a very risky, losing proposition. Please do not bet with money you cannot easily afford to lose.

Since you’re asking for it, here’s our next tip for hitting big parlay wins.

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Use the money line instead of the point spread. Pick a 5-6 team underdog parlay with money line odds in the +110 through +160 range. Underdogs will pay much better than favorites, and the odds dramatically increase. Don’t go too crazy, putting 10 underdogs onto one parlay (unless you’ve recently spotted a unicorn). Keep it down to a more reasonable number of dogs that need to win.