System bets: Yankees, Lucky 15s, and friends
When one losing leg shouldn't kill the bet — system bets explained, with bet counts and stake formulas.
System bets are a fixed bundle of accumulators across the same selections. A Yankee, for example, is 11 bets across 4 selections: every double, treble, and the four-fold. You only need two legs to win to get a return.
Why use one
Single-line accas are all-or-nothing. System bets spread the risk: if one leg lets you down, the smaller-fold combinations can still pay. The downside is the stake: every "bet" inside the system costs you the unit stake.
The trade-off is cost: more bets means more stake, and every line carries the bookmaker's margin, which our overround guide explains in plain English.
The standard ladder
- Trixie: 3 selections, 4 bets (3 doubles + 1 treble)
- Patent: 3 selections, 7 bets (Trixie + 3 singles)
- Yankee: 4 selections, 11 bets
- Lucky 15 to 4 selections, 15 bets (Yankee + 4 singles)
- Canadian / Super Yankee: 5 selections, 26 bets
- Lucky 31 to 5 selections, 31 bets
- Heinz: 6 selections, 57 bets
- Lucky 63 to 6 selections, 63 bets
- Super Heinz: 7 selections, 120 bets
- Goliath: 8 selections, 247 bets
Custom system bets
You don't have to stick to the named bets. Pick any combination of fold sizes (for example "8 selections, doubles and 5-folds only") and the calculator works out the bet count, stake, and return.