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A round robin bet allows you to create a series of smaller parlays from a larger list of teams or players.
Maybe you’ve seen a round robin as an option at your sportsbook, but have never dipped your toes into the forbidden waters.
Well, you’re about to go on a wild ride.
Round Robin Bet Guide
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1. How Does a Round Robin Bet Work?
A round robin in sports betting is really just a series of smaller parlays created from a larger list of bets.
A round robin gets its name from a round robin tournament, in which every team plays every other team in its group. The idea is the same.
When you select multiple games to bet, your sportsbook will give you the option to create a series of smaller parlays made up of your selected games.
The more games you pick, the more parlay combinations you can create.
Every book will display round robin options a little differently, like FanDuel:
And here’s one from DraftKings:
If you pick three teams, the book’s software can automatically create three different two-team parlays.
If you pick six teams, you can create:
- 15 two-team parlays
- 20 three-team parlays
- 15 four-team parlays
- 6 five-team parlays
There’s an endless combination of round robins you can create when you keep adding teams.
2. Round Robin Example
The simplest round robin is choosing three teams to create three separate two-team parlays.
Say you like these three games on an NFL Sunday:
And you to decide to risk $10 on each parlay combination, giving you three parlays for a $30 total investment…
If all three teams cover the spread and you hit all three parlays, you’ll win $78 ($26 x 3).
If just the Raiders and Patriots cover, you’ll win one parlay, taking home $6 (win $26, lose $20).
If only one team covers, you lose all three parlays, and lose $30.
3. Is a Round Robin a Good Bet?
Often, round robins are bad bets.
Rarely can you take a 2-1 effort betting NFL point spreads and turn it into a losing day, but a round robin can do that.
I’ve always found the most effective and interesting way to utilize round robins is when spraying underdogs on the moneyline.
They’re not all going to win, but by tying the combinations together, you increase your likelihood of hitting a few of the parlays and getting those sweet multipliers. You’re diversifying your risk.
There’s more variance in college football, so most Saturdays, I’ll pick anywhere from 5-8 underdogs I think can win outright and throw them in a series of round robins.
Here’s an example from Week 11 of the 2019 college football season.
I can pick many different combinations with six bets selected:
- 15 two-team parlays
- 20 three-team parlays
- 15 four-team parlays
- 6 five-team parlays
I put $5 on each of the 20 three-team parlays, and $5 on each of the 15 two-teamers.
That’s $175 total invested.
Three teams won, so I won four total parlays — three two-teamers, and one three-teamer — and ended up netting $136.34.
If Hawaii hadn’t made a field goal as time expired to squash San Jose State, 10 of the parlays would have cashed — six two-team parlays, and four three-team parlays. That would have resulted in a $989.68 payday ($1,014.68 in profit, minus $125 for the lost parlays).
That’s why round robins in this way can be fun and effective — you’re creating upside for yourself — but they’re also an easy way to lose money fast if you’re not careful.
4. Round Robin Nicknames: What Is a Trixie and a Patent?
Some sportsbooks will list round robin options with nicknames, which are borrowed from horse racing.
A Trixie is four total bets:
- 3 two-team parlays
- 1 three-team parlay
At DraftKings, it’s listed with “4x” next to it because you’re making four bets.
A Patent is the same thing as a Trixie, but you also get your three bets as single wagers. A Patent is listed with “7x” next to it because it’s seven total bets.
- 3 two-team parlays
- 1 three-team parlay
- 4 single wagers
What About A Yankee and Canadian?
Some sportsbooks will give you the option to make a…
- Yankee (11 bets)
- Lucky 15
- Canadian (26 bets)
- Lucky 31
- Heinz (57 bets)
- Lucky 63
- Super Heinz (120 bets)
- Lucky 127
So what are these? They’re essentially every round robin combination, wrapped into one.
When you select five games for a round robin, you can make 26 different parlays — 10 2-teamers, 10 3-teamers, five 4-teamers and one 5-teamer. That’s a Canadian.
When you select six teams, you have 57 parlay options. That’s a Heinz.
You also have the option to add single bets to all the parlays (like a Trixie turning into a Patent). That’s when a Canadian becomes a Lucky 31, or a Heinz becomes a Lucky 63.
Next in Betting Education 101: A Middle
