How to calculate a system bet
What System 2/3, 3/4 and 3/5 mean, how the stake is split, and how to work out the return.
Quick answer
A system bet covers every combination of a set size from your selections. System 3/5 is every treble from 5 selections, which is 10 bets. Your total stake is split equally across them, so €100 puts €10 on each treble. Work out each winning combination (stake × the odds multiplied) and add them together.
Key facts
- System X/Y means Y selections, covered by every combination of X. 2/3 is 3 doubles, 2/4 is 6 doubles, 3/4 is 4 trebles, 3/5 is 10 trebles.
- At 1xbet and most European bookmakers the stake you enter is the total, divided equally between the bets. UK bookmakers usually ask for the stake per bet instead.
- You can lose some selections and still get paid: a System 3/5 pays out with three or more winners.
- A void selection counts at odds of 1.00, so the combinations that include it are settled on the others.
Calculate a system bet in 5 steps
Open the system bets calculator
Go to the BetCalc365 system bets calculator.
Pick your system
Tap the System X/Y shortcut that matches your bet slip, for example 3/5. For other shapes choose Custom and pick the number of selections and the fold sizes.
Choose how the stake is entered
Select Total stake if your bookmaker splits one stake across all the bets (1xbet and most European sites). Select Per bet if your stake applies to each bet (most UK sites). The calculator shows the stake on each bet either way.
Enter the odds and results
Type the odds for each selection, then mark each one as Win, Lost or Void.
Read the return
The results show the total return and profit, and the breakdown shows how many bets were in the system and what they paid.
Worked example: System 3/5 with a €100 total stake
Five selections at 3.05, 2.00, 1.80, 2.20, 2.50. That is 10 trebles at €10.00 each. Returns from the calculator’s engine:
| Result | Winning trebles | Return |
|---|---|---|
| All five win | 10 of 10 | €1200.48 |
| Four win (the 2.50 loses) | 4 of 10 | €443.98 |
| Three win (3.05, 2.00 and 2.20) | 1 of 10 | €134.20 |
| Two win | 0 of 10 | €0.00 |
With exactly three winners only one treble lands: €10.00 × 3.05 × 2.00 × 2.20 = €134.20.
How many bets are in each system
The number of bets is the number of ways to choose X selections from Y.
| System | Selections | Made of | Bets | Winners needed for a return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/3 | 3 | Doubles | 3 | 2 |
| 2/4 | 4 | Doubles | 6 | 2 |
| 3/4 | 4 | Trebles | 4 | 3 |
| 2/5 | 5 | Doubles | 10 | 2 |
| 3/5 | 5 | Trebles | 10 | 3 |
| 4/5 | 5 | Fourfolds | 5 | 4 |
| 3/6 | 6 | Trebles | 20 | 3 |
| 4/6 | 6 | Fourfolds | 15 | 4 |
System bets and UK full-cover bets
A system bet with a single fold size, such as 3/5, is one layer of a UK full-cover bet. A Trixie is a System 2/3 plus the treble; a Yankee is 2/4 plus 3/4 plus the fourfold. The calculator handles both styles: use the named bets (Trixie, Yankee, Lucky 15) for UK slips and System X/Y for European ones.
The return on any system is the sum of its winning combinations. A combination wins only if every selection in it wins, and pays its share of the stake multiplied by those odds.
Every combination in a system carries the bookmaker’s margin on each selection. See how bookmaker margin works for what that does to the price of a multiple.
Common questions
What does System 3/5 mean?
What does System 2/3 mean?
How is the stake divided in a system bet?
How do I calculate a 1xbet system bet?
What happens if a selection is void in a system bet?
Related tools and guides
- System bets calculator, system X/Y, custom systems and every UK full-cover bet.
- How to work out a Lucky 15, the most popular UK full-cover bet, step by step.
- System bets explained, the plain-English guide to Yankees, Lucky 15s and the rest.
Worked examples on this page are produced by the same calculation engine as the calculators. 18+. Bet responsibly: help and tools.