Round Robin Bet – Round Robin Betting Explained

A round robin bet is a betting strategy that involves placing multiple parlay bets into a single wager. By using round robin bets instead of standard parlays, players remove some of the risks, as their bet can still win if one (or more) of their selections lose.

In this guide, we will explain how round robin bets work and cover how to place them using various examples from different sports. In addition, we assess the pros and cons of these types of bets and some round robin betting strategies to improve your probability of success.

What is a Round Robin Bet?

A round robin in gambling refers to a multi-bet that combines several parlay bets on different combinations of teams or individuals into one wager. Round robin bets create a series of bets that cover various possible outcomes from your selections and thus increase your chances of winning.

So, how does a round robin work? Well, the best way to understand the meaning of a round robin bet is to go through the process of placing one. Below, we run through the steps of a round robin in sports betting from start to finish.

Select Teams and Bet Type Select Teams and Bet Type

Choose the teams or individuals you want to bet on and the bet types you want to place, such as moneyline, spread, totals, or props. A round robin is typically made up of at least three different selections.

Create Parlays Create Parlays

A round robin bet is made up of multiple parlay bets from three or more selections. Each parlay consists of a combination of bets from your original selections. For example, if you make four selections on Teams A, B, C, and D, there are eleven bet combinations, which are:

1. A + B
2. A + C
3. A + D
4. B + C
5. B + D
6. C + D
7. A + B + C
8. A + B + D
9. B + C + D
10. A + C + D
11. A + B + C + D

The number of possible combinations increases rapidly the more selections you make. For example, a five-team selection has 26 combinations, a six-team has 57, and once you reach ten teams, there are over 1,000 possible combinations.

Choose Stake and Place Bet Choose Stake and Place Bet

Once you have created your bet combinations, you need to choose your stake and place your bet. For most sites with automatic round-robin bet creators, the stake amount is “per line,” meaning each bet combination. For example, if your round robin has eleven combinations as ours did in the above section, a $5 stake will be $55 (11x$5).

Calculate Payouts Calculate Payouts

To calculate your payouts, multiply the odds of each selection in each parlay and then multiply that by your stake. We will discuss this in more detail later in the guide and explain how to do it yourself. Alternatively, there are many free round robin bet calculators available online.

Remember that in a round robin bet, one or maybe more of your selections can be wrong, and you can still win one or more of your parlays. So, it’s good to work out the odds for all possible outcomes.

Round Robin Bet Example

To better understand how this bet type works, let’s examine an MLB real-world round robin example from BetOnline, one of the top offshore sportsbooks in the US. We’ve chosen to use BetOnline as an example because it has some advantageous features for round robin betting.

In our example, we will place a baseball round robin bet on four MLB games. To keep it simple, we are just betting on the moneyline, but you don’t have to use the same bet type. You can mix it up with some selections on the moneyline, the run line, the over/under, etc.

Our four selections are:

• Red Sox v Royals = Red Sox to win (odds of +135)
• Mets v the Rockies = Mets to win (odds of -155)
• The Tigers v The Mariners = Tigers to win (odds of +121)
• Phillies v The Dodgers = Phillies to win ( odds of +122)

After adding all our selections to our Betslip at Betonline, you can click the Create Round Robin button, as shown in the image below.

You now have several options on the bet slip. These options are 2s (doubles), 3s (trebles), 2s, and 3s and by 2s to 4s. We want to do a full all-combinations round robin, including all possible double, treble, and fourfold bets, so we select the by 2s to 4s. As you can see from the image below, this is eleven bets (6 doubles, 4 trebles, 1 fourfold).

We enter the stake we want to place. Remember, for a round robin, this is a stake for each bet, and in this case, we have 11, so a $10 is $110 (10 x 11). You can then view your potential winnings. In the case of our bet, that $809.84.It’s an excellent little return if all sections come in.

Remember that this “Win Amount” is if all the results you predict happen. If one of the teams loses but the others win, we will still win some money, but it will not be the full $809.84.

Understanding How to Calculate Round Robin Odds

Working out round robin odds and your return can be pretty tricky. A free round robin payout calculator is the easiest way to determine your potential winnings, and the best online sportsbooks will usually show you all your potential winnings. However, it’s a good idea to have an understanding of the basics.

While it is possible to work out the American odds and potential payout of round robins, the process and math are much more confusing than if you use decimal odds, so if you want to make life easy on yourself, then always convert to decimal.

Here’s an example of calculating the odds of a 3-team round robin. Let’s say we are betting on three college basketball teams to win. We won’t be specific with names and just refer to them as teams A, B, and C.

• Team A: + 250 (decimal odds 3.5)
• Team B: – 150 (decimal odds 1.67)
• Team C: -125 (decimal odds 1.8)

We simply multiply each team’s odds to work out the odds of each bet in our round robin.

• Team A and B double: 3.5 x 1.67 = 5.845
• Team A and C double: 3.5 x 1.8 = 6.3
• Team B and C double: 1.67 x 1.8 = 3.006
• Team A, B, and C treble: 3.5 x 1.8 x 1.67 = 10.521

Joe YarnoldEditor

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Expert InsightRound robin bets provide a good balance between risk and reward. Standard parlays can offer some great odds but also are notoriously hard to win as if just one leg misses, you lose everything. Round robins give you a certain level of insurance and are particularly useful when backing a mix of favorites and underdogs.

To calculate each bet’s payout, we multiply our stake by the decimal odds. So, with a $10 stake on each bet, then our payouts would be as follows:

• A and B double: $10 x 5.845 = $58.45
• A and C double: $10 x 6.3 = $63
• B and C double: $10 x 3.00 = $30
• A, B, and C treble:$10 x 10.521= $105.21

Finally, we can calculate our total profits based on the different winning combinations. To do this, we will take the payout for each possible combination minus our total stake of $40.

• All teams win: $105.21 – $40 = $65.21 profit
• Team A Loses: $30 – $40 = – $10 loss
• Team B loses: $63 – $40 = $23 profit
• Team C loses: $58.45 – $40 = $18.45 profit

As you can see from our round robin bet example, the odds and profit are affected by the combinations of which teams win and lose. In two of the possible outcomes, one of our selections loses, but we still make a profit. However, if team A loses, we still win a bet but make a $10 loss.

How to Place Round Robin Bets

We’ve already covered the process of placing round robin bets in detail earlier in this guide, but here are the five succinct steps in placing a round robin bet.

• Make your team or individual selections.
• Create parlays from your selections.
• Choose your stake; remember, the stake is multiplied by however many lines (parlays) in the round robin.
• Place bets.
• Calculate the odds and payouts using either manually or with a round robin odds calculator.

Round Robin Strategies

Round robins are hard to win but can produce huge returns. Here are some tips on implementing the best round robin strategy that can help you make winning selections and maximize your profits.

Full CoverageLimited CoverageFocus on FavoritesRisk-Reward BalanceDiversified Markets/Sports Full Coverage

Full coverage is a round robin betting strategy that covers all combinations of parlays possible from your selections. Using full coverage gives you the best chance of winning bets and the most leeway in terms of some of your selections being incorrect. However, it requires a larger stake, so it doesn’t necessarily guarantee you the highest profits.

Limited Coverage

This is a sports betting strategy that involves selecting a portion of all possible combinations of a round robin bet instead of every possible bet. For example, in a four-team round robin, you might decide to leave one team out of the doubles and/or trebles, so out of teams A, B, C, and D, you may just bet AB, AD, and BD, leaving out the AC, BC, and DC bets.

Focus on Favorites

Focusing on favorites in your parlays increases your chances of winning, as they are favorites for a reason. However, your potential payouts will be lower when applying this strategy.

Risk-Reward Balance

This is a betting system that entails balancing risk and reward based on the number of selections in your round robin and the parlays you choose. Higher combinations give you higher potential rewards but also higher risk. Smaller combinations like doubles are less risky, but returns are greatly diminished.

Diversified Markets/Sports

Spreading your round robin selections across multiple sports opens up far more betting opportunities. With more options, you are more likely to find betting opportunities.

Pros and Cons of Round Robin Sports Betting

Opinions on round robins differ a lot between gamblers. Those who use them say that they provide flexibility in the number and type of parlays you can create. Also, compared to traditional parlays, they give you insurance on if one or more of your selections is wrong.

Those against them argue that the risk-to-reward factor isn’t worthwhile as you have to lay out multiple stakes. You can choose to reduce your stake size to make up for this, but then your potential profits will be reduced. Here’s a list of some of the pros and cons of round robin.

Pros

• Partial wins
• Provide flexibility
• Higher potential payouts
• Lower risk than traditional parlays

 Cons

• Higher complexity
• Lower profit margins

Round Robin Examples With Different Sports

By now, you should have a good idea of how round robin bets work, but to give you a more comprehensive understanding, let’s examine how the round robin betting system works in a few different sports.

Football

NFL betting is one of the most popular ways to gamble in the US, with around $23 billion wagered on Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. So, let’s look at what an NFL round robin might look like. First, we pick three games to bet on and our selection for each game.

Selections Selections

Carolina Panthers vs. New England Patriots

• Carolina Panthers to win at +270 (3.7decimal odds)

Atlanta Falcons vs. Miami Dolphins

• Falcons to cover the spread -110 (1.91 decimal odds)

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Baltimore Ravens

• Ravens to win +110 (2.1 decimal odds)

Parlays Parlays

To make a full coverage round robin we will need to place a total of four bets, which are:

• Panthers and Falcons (P+F)
• Panthers and Ravens (P+R)
• Falcons and Ravens (F+R)

• Panthers, Falcons, and Ravens (P+F+R)

Odds and Payouts Odds and Payout

In this parlay, we will bet $10 on each selection, so let’s work out our odds and potential payout for each bet.

• (P+F ): $10 x (3.7 x 1.91) = $70.67
• (P+R ): $10 x (3.7 x 2.1) = $77.70
• (F+R ): $10 x (1.91 x 2.1) = $40.11
• (P+F+R): $10x (3.7 x 1.91 x 2.1) = 148.40

If all selections win, we win $336.88 (148.40+40.11+77.7+70.67), giving us a $296.88 profit. As you can see, we also make a profit on any of the doubles bets if one bet fails; however, if the Panthers fail, our profit is just $0.11, but at least we don’t lose anything.

Basketball

Basketball is hugely popular among gamblers in the US. Millions of dollars are gambled on NBA games every week, but perhaps the biggest basketball betting event in the US is March Madness, with billions of dollars wagered during the tournament every year.

Selections Selections

In this example, we will place a four-team all moneyline, round robin bet on the NCAA tournament.

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Texas A&M State Aggies 

• Aggies to win at -110 (decimal odds 1.91)

Duquesne Dukes vs. BYU Blazers

•  Dukes to win at +350 (decimal odds 4.5)

Texas Longhorns vs. Colorado Rams 

• Longhorns to win at -150 (decimal odds 1.67)

UAB Blazers vs. San Diego St Aztecs

• Aztecs to win at -110 (decimal odds 1.91)

Parlays Parlays

• Cornhuskers and Dukes(C+D)
• Cornhuskers and Longhorns(C+L)
• Cornhuskers and Aztecs(C+A)
• Dukes and Longhorns (D+L)
• Dukes and Aztecs (D+A)
• LongHorns and Aztecs (L+A)
• Cornhuskers, Dukes and Longhorns (C+D+L)

• Cornhuskers, Dukes, and Aztecs (C+D+A)
• Cornhuskers, Longhorns, and Aztecs (C+L+A)
• Dukes, Longhorns, and Aztecs( D+L+ A)
• Cornhuskers, Dukes, Longhorns and Aztecs (C+D+L+A)

For this round robin all combinations bet, we will lower our stakes to $5 per line, which will mean a total stake of $55. Here are our potential payouts for each combination

• (C+D): $5 x (1.91 x 4.5) = $42.97
• (C+L): $5 x (1.91 x 1.67) = $15.95
• (C+A): $5 x (1.91 x 1.91)= $18.24
• (D+L) : $5 x ( 4.5 x 1.67) = $37.58
• (D+A): $5 x (4.5 x 1.91) = $42.97
• (L+A): $5 x (1.67x 1.91) = $15.95
• (C+D+L): $5 x ( 1.91 x 4.5 x 1.67) =$ 71.77

• (C+D+A: $5 x ( 1.91 x 4.5 x 1.91)= $ 82.08
• (C+L+A): $5 x ( 1.91 x 1.67 x 1.91) = $30.46
• ( D+L+ A): $5 x ( 4.5 x 1.67 x 1.91) = $ 71.77
• (C+D+L+A): $5 x (1.91x 4.5 x 1.67 x 1.91) = $137.08

If all selections win, we will receive a $570.82 payout. We would still make a profit if any of the four selections were incorrect, and as long as Dukes wins, the profit will be pretty decent.

For example, if only Cornhusker's prediction were incorrect, we would win four of our bets and net $168.27, giving us over $100 in profit. If Dukes lost but everyone else won, we would net $80.60 for a profit of just over $25, which still leaves us in the black but nowhere near as much.

Golf

Golf might not do the same numbers as football or basketball, but around $5 billion is bet on the sport in the US annually. It’s also a great sport for round robins as it can provide appealing odds even when betting on players to place (finish in the top 5,10,20, etc.)

Golf is also great for live betting, as competitions take place over several days, and each round takes multiple hours. This allows you to assess how players are playing before making your selections, but remember that odds will change during live betting based on current standings.

Here’s how a bet on a PGA golf tournament might look like:

Selections Selections

• Collin Morikawa: +200 (decimal odds 3) to place top 10
• John Rahm: +275 (decimal odds 3.75) to place top 5
• Brooks Koepka: + 2000 (decimal odds 21 ) to place top 20
• Rory Mcllroy: +280 (decimal odds 3.8) to place top 5

Parlays Parlays

Here are all the possible parlays for our four selections

• Morikawa and Rahm (M+R)
• Morikawa and Koepka (M+K)
• Morikawa and Mcllroy (M+Mc)
• Koepka and Rahm (K+R)
• Koepka and Rahm(K+Mc)
• Rahm and Mcllroy(R+Mc)
• Morikawa, Rahm, Koepka(M+R+K)
• Morikawa, Rahm, Mcllroy (M+R+Mc)
• Morikawa, Koepka, Mcllroy(M+K+Mc)
• Koepka, Rahm, Mcllroy (K+R+Mc)
• Morikawa, Koepka, Rahm, Mcllroy (M+K+R+Mc)

Odds and Payouts Odds and Payouts

• (M+R) : $10 x (3 x 3.75) = $112.5
• (M+K): $10 x (3 x 21) = $630
• (M+Mc): $10 x (3 x 3.8) = $114
• (K+R) : $10 x (21x 3.75) = $787.5
• (K+Mc) : $10 x (21 x 3.8) = $798
• (R+Mc): $10 x (3.75 x 3.8) = $142.5
• (M+R+K): $10 x (3 x 3.75 x 21) = $2,362.50
• (M+R+Mc):$10 x (3 x 3.75 x 3.8) = $427.50
• (M+K+Mc): $10 x (3 x 21x 3.8) = $2,394
• (K+R+Mc):$10 x (21 x 3.75 x 3.8) = $2,992.5
• (M+K+R+Mc)$10 x (3 x 3.75 x 21×3.8) = $8,977.5

As you can see, the potential rewards for golf round robin bets can be huge. However, while the reward is increased, so is the risk, as there’s a lot more variance in golf results.

Understanding Round Robin Lingo

There’s a lot of lingo to do with round robin parlays and other muti-bets that you’ll hear in the world of sports betting. Here are some terms you should familiarize yourself with:

• Trixie: A Trixie bet is a multiple bet composed of three selections. A Trixie has four bets, three double bets, and one treble.
• Patent: A Patent is another multiple bet composed of three selections like a Trixie. However, in a patent, you add three extra single bets to each selection, making a total of seven bets.
• Yankee: A Yankee is a combination bet comprised of four selections. A Yankee has eleven bets, six doubles, four trebles, and one four-way parlay.
• Lucky 15: A Lucky 15 is a bet comprised of four selections and 15 bets: four singles, six doubles, four trebles, and one four-way parlay.
• Heinz: A Heinz is a multi-bet on six selections. There are 57 bets in a Heinz, 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 fourfolds, 6 fivefolds, and 1 sixfold.
• Super Heinz: A Super Heinz is a combination bet comprising seven selections and 120 bets. It is made up of 21 doubles, 35 trebles, 35 fourfolds, 21 fivefolds, 7 sixfolds, 1 sevenfold accumulator.
• Lucky 127: This is a 127-bet combination parlay on seven selections, it’s basically a Super Heinz bet with seven extra singles bets. The bet consists of 7 singles, 21 doubles, 35 trebles, 35 fourfolds, 21 fivefolds, 7 sixfolds, 1 sevenfold
• Lucky 63: There are 63 bets on six teams comprised of 6 singles, 5 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 fourfolds, 6 five-folds, and 1 sixfold.

Other Useful Betting Guides on ReadWrite

Here are some other helpful guides on how to bet on sports and different betting systems and strategies.

• Kelly Betting
• ATS Betting
• SGP Betting

What We Have to Say About Round Robin Betting

A round robin is not always the best sports betting strategy to use. As you’ve seen, these bets can become expensive very quickly, and even a four-team selection will have eleven bets in a all combinations round robin. While they lower the risk of traditional parlays, you can still win bets when one or more of your selections lose. If the wrong team or teams lose, you still lose money.

However, there are times when a round robin in betting can be helpful, such as when backing several underdogs or when you are confident about several results but unsure about one or two and want to have insurance in case one selection fails. Now that you know more about this bet type and how it works, we recommend trying it out for yourself at one of the best sportsbooks in the US, BetOnline.

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Review PLAY NOW FAQ What's a round robin bet?

The round robin meaning in betting refers to a type of multi-bet that combines multiple parlay bets into one wager. It’s different from a traditional parlay bet, as one (or more) of your selections can be incorrect, but your bet still wins.

Is round robin betting worth it?

Round robin bets can be worth trying for the right matches or events. But multi-bets are notoriously risky and difficult to profit from. If you’ve done your research and are confident in a set of results but unsure about one or two, then a round robin bet can be worth it.

How does the round robin work?

A round robin combines several parlay bets on a selection of teams or individuals into a single wager. Combining several bets reduces the risk, as even if one (or more) of your selections is wrong, you can still win and potentially profit.

How many bets can you lose in a round robin?

The number of bets you can lose in a round robin depends on the number of selections in your bet. The more selections you have, the more bets you can lose and potentially make a profit, but it depends on the odds of the selections that succeed.

Responsible Gambling

Practicing responsible gambling is essential to protect yourself from the dangers that are present when betting. Problem gambling and addiction can cause serious issues, including physical and mental health struggles as well as financial insecurity.

If you believe you or someone you know is suffering from a gambling problem, you should seek professional help. Here are some organizations that provide more resources and information for those struggling with an addiction to gambling.

• Gam-Anon
• Gamblers Anonymous
• National Council on Problem Gambling

Resources

• https://www.statista.com/statistics/1187252/sports-americans-would-bet-on/
• https://www.americangaming.org/resources/super-bowl-lviii-wagering-estimates/
• https://www.americangaming.org/new/68-million-americans-to-wager-on-march-madness/

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