There are many betting markets available on most sportsbooks with high winning potentials that are yet harnessed by a large crop of betters. The reason is not so farfetched. Some of these options seem too sophisticated.
So instead of wager those type of options, bettors rather play the ones that are easily comprehensible and no one can be faulted for that. One of such betting markets that fits into this category are full cover bets.
If you are a bettor without a full grasp of what full cover bets entail, not to worry, we are here for you. In this guide, we are going to be looking at full cover bets with a microscopic lens, letting you in all you need to know.
What are Full Cover Bets?
Full cover bets are not as difficult to understand as many have made it seem. They are basically a type of bet that involves having between three to eight selections. All of the selections don’t have to come through to have a pay-out. The full cover bet gives some level of cushion for a possibility of error in prediction, thereby giving the punter some sort of saving grace. The caveat here is that the payout might not seem as high as it would be attainable if the bettor had played it as a parlay. However, for bettors with a defined strategy, that likes taking it slow and particular about having long winning streaks, this bet type is exciting for them.
Types of Cover Bet
The term, Full cover bets, is a big umbrella that encompasses different factions. Here, we will be looking at the different types of full cover bets one at a time.
A Double Bet
If you ask bettors in America and Europe to define a double bet to their own understanding, each of them will most likely give different definitions entirely. An American would define a double bet as a bet where you are expected to double the amount staked on the game. On the other hand, the European would define it differently. We are more concerned about the European definition here because that’s in line with the angle we are writing from.
A double bet is a type of combo or accumulator bet where the expectation is that the two selections picked must win to guarantee returns. So if one wins, the bet is considered as null. You might be conflicted at this point since we have already stated earlier that cover bets contain between three and eight selections. Fret not, we are still on track. The double bet is not particularly a cover bet, it is just a small fraction that makes up a full cover bet. That explains why we are discussing it first.
A Treble Bet
A treble bet is not that different from a double bet. The principle guiding both bets is the same. For a treble bet, you are required to make three selections that cumulatively form a multiple bet and all selections are expected to win for your returns to be calculated. In the event that one of the selection loses, the whole bet is considered as a loss. For every selection that comes through, the returns will be placed on the next selection, and that continues until all the selections come through and your winnings are calculated. This bet might seem a little risky given that the condition stipulates that all the selections come through. However, it can be very rewarding in the long run.
Trixie Bets
Trixies are like the simplest form of full cover bets. You will understand the other full cover bets better if you fully understand how trixies work. There are two main things you should know about trixies. They consist of three selections and winning is sure if only two out of those selections come through. But if only one selection comes through, your returns will not be calculated.
Now that all that is clear, try to consider Trixies as a bet comprising of four different combinations.
So let’s say there are three games on for a trixie:
Team A vs Team B
Team C vs Team D
Team E vs Team F
Assuming you placed a Trixie for Team A to win, Team C to win and Team E to win. In this case, this trixie would contain three doubles and a treble. The doubles would be:
Team A and C to win their matches
Team C and E to win their matches
Team A and E to win their matches.
Then the treble would be Team A, C and E to win their matches. So looking at the double and treble combinations you would see that if two teams out of the three teams win, you still get returns. But definitely, if all three selections come through, that means all the doubles and treble came through. With that in mind, your payout would be higher.
If the whole combination explanation is confusing, just have in mind that in a Trixie, you need to make three selections and two out of those selections are expected to come through to win the bet.
Patent Bets
Patent bets share a similarity with Trixie bets as they both contain three selections. The only difference is the number of bets or combinations included in each. For Trixies, as we have just discussed, include four different combinations or bets. On the other hand, Patent bets include seven different combinations of bets.
So basically, a patent bet consists of three singles, three doubles, or a treble. What this implies is that if one leg of your bet comes through, you get a return. The leg could be the three singles, three doubles, or treble. The more selections that come through, the higher your payout would be. It would suffice to add that your stake for a patent bet would be relatively higher since you are wagering seven different selections.
A Yankee Bet
A Yankee bet is simply a type of full cover bet that consists of four selections and eleven different bets. These eleven bets consist of three combinations: six doubles, four trebles, one four-fold accumulator. The image below breaks down a Yankee bet in clear terms
From the image above, you can see how the Yankee bet breaks down.
When setting up to play a Yankee, you will need to make sure you do enough research to ensure that the four selections are likely to come through. Even though you will still get paid some returns if only two come through, you will stand to make more profit if three of the selections come through or even all of them. As expected, the potential winnings for the Yankee especially when three of your selections come through can be far rewarding than the other full cover bet types we have looked at so far.
A Lucky 15 Bet
The lucky 15 beg shares a similarity with the Yankee bet. For both bets, you only need to have four selections in your bet slip. However, their conditions are different. While the Yankee bet comprises eleven bets, the lucky 15 as the name implies comprises 15 bets. The 15 bets are grouped into four combinations: four singles, six doubles, four trebles, and a four-fold bet. So, in this case, one of the combinations must be correct to guarantee some returns. However, there is a potential to make way more. With this type of bet your stake is 15X what you’d wager on a single game, so just imagine how many returns you could get if all the four selections come through? That would be a killing! That’s the goal of every person that plays the Lucky 15. While they get to enjoy the cushion it offers, they are still yearning for the crazy returns they could make if all the games come through.
A Heinz Bet
This bet is perhaps more thrilling than all the bet types that we have so far discussed. With a Heinz bet, you are expected to pick six selections. Now here is the interesting thing. Out of those six selections, you are going to have a whopping 57 individual bets.
In this type of cover bet, your bets will be grouped into five: 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 four-folds, 6 five-folds, and 1 six-fold. In this case, your stake is 57x the number you would take for a single bet. So, you are left to imagine how large your winnings would be if at least four selections out of the six selections come through. However, to get a return at all, you just need two of the selections to come through. But if you are looking to make profits, you will need to look out for having like three or five selections come through.
A Canadian Bet
A Canadian bet is a complicated bet too like the others that have been discussed so far. This type of cover bet comprises individual bets. In this case, you are expected to make five selections. The 26 bets are grouped into four: 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 four-fold accumulator bets, and 1 five-fold accumulator. So, essentially, whatever stake you are inputting will be multiplied twenty-six times. That leaves you to calculate how many winnings you could earn from this particular type of bet.
If you get two out of the five selections right, you would get returns. However, for the better, it’s good to be ambitious. So when setting up your selections for the Canadian bet, make sure the games are games you are sure would come through. This precaution is to guarantee a much higher payout because definitely if you get four selections right, your potential winnings will be jaw-dropping.
A Goliath Bet
This is the last type of full cover bet we will be discussing here and it deserves to be treated last because when you talk about the full cover bet, the Goliath is the king. The Goliath bet requires the most number of selections.
Here you’d need to pick eight selections. Now, this is the point where we burst your bubble. These eight bets will make up a whopping number of 247 individual bets. The 247 bets would be grouped into seven combinations: 28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 four-folds, 56 five-folds, 28 six-folds, 8 seven-folds, and one 8-fold accumulator. The basic returns you can get from a Goliath bet is when at least 2 selections come throughout the eight selections picked. Now, take your time to picture how much winnings could be gotten if you get all eight selections right, having in mind that your stake would be multiplied 247 times. We would leave you with that thought. This is the kind of bet you’d win and it would have you feeling like you just won a lottery. So if you ever try to attempt playing a Goliath bet, even though you know you would still get returns worst-case scenario, you want to have the big picture in mind and at least pick selections that you are sure to come through.
How to Place a Cover Bet
It is not difficult to place a cover bet. It just depends on what you have in mind to play. If you are playing a lucky 15 for instance, you know you need to select at least four events. Once you have selected the four events, you just need to go to the option and change from combo or multiple to Lucky 15 and your stake would be adjusted to what is expected for a lucky 15 bet. When the entire event finishes, your winnings would be calculated depending on the number of games that come through.
Tips and Strategy
Here are two helpful tips that you need to have in mind as you go about wagering full cover bets:
- Start small and work your way up. Don’t start with a Goliath if you are just starting with cover bets. While you have the potential to win astronomically, you could still lose that big too.
- Be sure of the selections on your ticket. Even though cover bets give you some cushion, you want to ensure that it all comes through so you get to have a much higher return.
Summary
With all we have discussed so far, you’d see that full cover bets are not as complicated as you may have thought. If you are looking out to break away from the norm and boost your winning potentials, whilst having in mind that your stake will increase, then you should try full-cover bets.
FAQ
You don’t need to stress too much doing the calculation considering how big Goliath bet can be. Bookies that offer the Goliath bet option, have a calculator to make the job easier for you.
Definitely, the Goliath bet. It has the highest staking power and it is only reasonable that the payout tends to be higher.
Definitely not. However, most of the top tier bookies have provision for the wide array of full cover bets.
I’m Kanyi Muturi and am from Tabuga, a small village in Nakuru. I have been following all sports since I was a kid and have been interested in the gambling side of sports since I was in high school. It took me a little while to get a grasp on all of the different gambling terminology and understand how confusing and complicated it can all seem when you first start.
Are you a professional gambler?
I am a successful gambler. But make no mistake about it: I’m a long-time recreational sports bettor. I’m not a professional gambler. I’m not claiming to be a professional gambler. I’ve never, to my recollection, even been acquainted with a professional gambler. And far be it from me to make the preposterous claim that following my advice will turn you into a professional gambler. It ain’t about that. Not here it ain’t. I just want to teach you a new form of recreation, a fun new pastime in what can sometimes be an unfun life.
