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3 selections, 7 bets — 3 singles + 3 doubles + 1 treble. Returns money back with as few as one winning selection.
3 selections, 7 bets — 3 singles + 3 doubles + 1 treble. Returns money back with as few as one winning selection.
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A Patent is a Trixie with safety wheels. You back three selections, and the bookmaker writes seven bets: 3 singles (one on each selection), 3 doubles (every pair) and 1 treble (all three). At £1 a unit, that's £7 outlay — about 75% more than a Trixie on the same three picks. What you're paying for is the singles cushion: even if only one of your three lands, you get some money back.
That changes the risk profile completely. A Trixie returns zero if only one selection wins — frustrating when two of them put up genuine performances and just lose narrowly. The Patent removes that all-or-nothing feel without giving up the upside on the doubles and treble.
Three selections at Evens (2.00), £1 unit stake — total outlay £7. Settling each leg:
Total return = £26 on a £7 outlay — a £19 profit. The same three selections placed as a Trixie at the same unit stake would return £40 from £8 outlay (£32 profit), so the Patent costs you about £13 of upside in exchange for the singles cushion. Whether that trade is worth it depends on how confident you are that all three will win.
And if only one of the three wins? Patent returns £2 — a small loss of £5 instead of the £8 wipeout you'd take on a Trixie.
Three structurally related bets. Mechanics first, opinions second:
| Bet type | Selections | Bets | Includes singles? | Minimum winners |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trixie | 3 | 4 | No | 2 |
| Patent | 3 | 7 | Yes (3) | 1 |
| Lucky 15 | 4 | 15 | Yes (4) | 1 |
The Patent sits between Trixie (no singles, cheaper, all-or-nothing on 1 winner) and Lucky 15 (4 selections, singles, often with bonus payouts). If you have three picks and want a single-winner safety net, the Patent is the right wager. If you have four picks and want the same structure plus bookmaker bonuses, step up to a Lucky 15.
Seven separate bets means seven separate slices of the bookmaker's margin baked into your slip. Singles carry less margin per leg than the doubles and trebles do, but every price you take has the overround baked in. Why every leg you add bleeds another slice of margin is the cornerstone reference that works through the maths — it's the foundational read for anyone betting anything more complex than a single.