They’re out: Paris Saint-Germain will win their next league game by force. However, as you enter your prediction into your bet slip, your doubts grow. After all, are you really going to settle for the low odds that are now appearing on your screen? To increase the value of your bet, you can easily convert this single bet into a combination bet. But yes, such an accumulator bet is not always the wisest choice. In order to make a good decision, you first need to know exactly what the difference between single bets and combination bets is. After reading this article, single and accumulator bets will no longer hold any secrets for you.
Single and accumulator bets are not normal football bets
Even if you are just taking your first steps into the world of football betting, you know you have options. You can hardly ignore them either. Because every game you want to bet on, you see that long list of bets again. At the top is the 1×2 bet by default, followed by over/under bets, tie no bets, halftime/fulltime bets, Asian lines and many more football bets. It doesn’t matter how far you scroll down. In this long list of bets, you never come across the terms single bet and accumulator bet. And yet every bookmaker offers these options.
There is a logical explanation why singles and accumulators do not appear in the regular football betting list. This is because they have a completely different function than 1×2 bets and all the other standard bets. They are not a type of bet, but rather a way of wagering. You can choose to add single bets to your betslip or make a combination of multiple bets. Whether you leave it at a single bet or decide on a combination is up to you.
Single bets: the easiest way to bet on football
You don’t have to be a great linguist to know that the term single bet translates as “single bet”. Bookmakers like to use these terms side by side. With one, the term single bet appears by default on your bet slip, with the other you see the term single bet all the time. For you it makes no difference what the bookmaker chooses. Because it is always one and the same way of betting.
A single bet is the simplest way to bet on football. This means you treat each prediction as a single bet. You bet your money on a Paris Saint-Germain win and determine your stake. In addition, you can also opt for an over/under bet for the game Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund. Then it’s just a matter of waiting to see how the games end. If a convincing win for PSG does indeed appear on the scoreboard, winning that prediction is yours. What happens between Bayern and Borussia has no further influence. Although of course it would be nice if you won that bet too.
With the bookmakers you can easily bet on several games at the same time, but since you are opting for two single bets, the bets are completely independent of each other. You could lose your over/under bet, but of course the profit from the Paris Saint-Germain game stands. So you get paid money from the bookmaker. Most bookmakers do not require you to fill out a separate bet slip for each individual bet. As long as you make sure you stay in the single bets category. Otherwise you will automatically end up in the area of combination bets.
A first introduction to accumulator bets
You bet 10 euros on a PSG win. With odds of 1.50, you can expect a payout of 15 euros. You also bet 10 euros on the game between Bayern and Borussia. With odds of 1.78, there is a payout of 17.80 euros. If both single bets are profitable, you receive 32.80 euros from the bookmaker. If you subtract the 20 euro bet, there is a pure profit of 12.80 euros.
Do you feel that you can get more out of those 20 euros? That’s right! Then an accumulator bet (or as some bookmakers call it: an accumulator bet) is a good idea. With an accumulator bet, you no longer approach the bets as separate items. Instead, link them together. This has two important consequences:
You must get all of the accumulator bet predictions correct in order to win
The odds skyrocket thanks to the multiplier system
Combination bets are heavily intertwined
Let’s briefly return to the football matches in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga. With two single bets, these games were worth a payout of 32.80 euros. The hint that the odds skyrocket with a combination bet is certainly not an exaggeration. The same total bet of €20 can now suddenly bring a payout of €53.40. This increases the pure profit from 12.80 euros to 33.40 euros. In other words: almost triple!
This extra big win comes about because the multiplier system comes into play. In the combination bet, all individual odds are multiplied together. There are odds of 1.50 for a PSG win, and odds of 1.78 for a bet on “less than 2.5 goals” in the game between Bayern and Borussia. Together these two bets add up to odds of (1.50 * 1.78) 2.67. No wonder that €20 bet can suddenly bring in so much more money.
Before you get excited about accumulator bets, you should consider the risks. Because of course these higher odds have their price. In an accumulator bet, the bets are so intertwined that one cannot be separated from the other. This means that all predictions of your multiple bet must come true. A single wrong prediction is enough and you get nothing.
Risk versus Quota: What compromise do you have to make?
Two or three single bets bring significantly lower odds than if you bundle the same predictions into a combination bet. But if a prediction doesn’t come true, you won’t get a dime on an accumulator bet. With three singles bets, you still get a reward for the two bets where you ticked the correct box. Just… how much money is this safer way of gambling worth to you? The difference between the profit you make on a combination bet and that of several single bets is very large. That’s why it’s important that you think carefully about what the wisest choice is each time.
When choosing between a single bet and an accumulator bet, you should carefully consider the risk involved in each individual bet. The quotas play an important role in this. Let’s say you spot three bets, each with odds between 1.20 and 1.40. As individual football bets, they pay very little. Maybe even too little in your opinion. A combination bet is a smart alternative. There is a reasonable chance that you will win each of the three bets and still benefit from a bigger win. Have you got your eye on a bet where your stake instantly quadruples if you win? Then get that combo bet out of your head! You’re already taking a risk, and that risk only increases if you make an accumulator out of it. Consider an accumulator bet a convenient way to increase low odds. If the bookmaker has set the odds at 2.00 or higher, this bet does not belong in an accumulator anyway.
This allows you to keep control of your single and combination bets
Single bets require less thinking than multiple bets. You only have to think about the one prediction that appears on your bet slip. Even if you place several single bets at the same time, you don’t have to pay much more attention than the statistics and breaking football news. A combination bet adds another element. You always have to ask yourself exactly how many and which bets you combine.
A combination of two bets already leads to higher odds, but five, six or seven bets really increase your game record. Nevertheless, we advise you to be careful. Even a top club like Paris Saint-Germain has its bad days. What happens when you confidently bet on a PSG win AND combine that bet with five other predictions? The Parisians are having a bad night and can’t get past a draw. Suddenly this profitable combination bet disappears into thin air. Our tip is to combine a maximum of three bets. How to stay in control in the always uncertain world of football betting.