What Is A Lucky 15 Bet?

First and foremost, this isn’t an article about some magical numbers.  Our Lucky 15 article is the next guide in our series of cover bet types following on from our Canadian Bets, Yankee Bets and Trixie Bets articles.

The Lucky 15 bet is just one of hundreds of different types of bets available to bettors now and is a great addition to any betting strategy involving accumulator bets.

A Lucky 15 bet consists of fifteen separate bets covering four selections and provides a level of insurance for bettors as not all selections need to win to get any returns.

During this article, you’ll see how a Lucky 15 bet works, how to place them, how Lucky 15 bets are calculated and how you can use a tool to profit from this type of bet.

What Is A Lucky 15 Bet?

As mentioned, the Lucky 15 bet is a cover bet that has 15 bets spread across four selections as follows:

• 4 Singles
• 6 Doubles
• 4 Trebles
• 1 Four-fold

Thanks to the structure of the Lucky 15, you only need one of your selections to win to get any returns from the bet.  That said, as soon as you have more than one winner, your returns can increase significantly.  This is why Lucky 15 bets are one of the most popular bets amongst bettors.

Let’s get straight into how the bet is structured and use horse racing for this purpose. Once you have picked your four horses for the Lucky 15 bet, this is how the bets are made up:

Single Bets

Double Bets

Treble Bets

Four-fold Bets

Thanks to the Lucky 15 bet containing single bets, you only need one of the four selections to win to get a return.  Obviously, the jackpot would be all four winning.

How To Place A Lucky 15 Bet

After a long week at work, you’ve decided to go to a night meeting at Newcastle Races with your friends.  You’ve studied the racecards and picked four horses you think have a chance of winning in a Lucky 15 bet.

Your first pick is Ghostman in the 5.30pm race at odds of 6.0 (5/1). Next up is North Star in the 6.00pm at odds of 6.0 (5/1), Beneficiary in the 7.30pm at odds of 10.0 (9/1) and finally Mr Jetman in the 8.00pm race at odds of 7.5 (13/2).

First thing to do is add these four to your bet slip.  This will give you the bet slip below:

In the bet slip you can see all four horses and then underneath, some multiple bet options with the Lucky 15 bet option highlighted.

Once you click on the Lucky 15 bet option, you will see the below:

At this point you can enter your stake but remember, your stake is a unit stake for each part of the bet so it will multiply by 15.  As soon as you enter your stake, you will see the potential returns from your bet.  If you’re happy with this, just place the bet.

Placing Each Way Lucky 15 Bets

This is very straight forward.  Do everything you would normally do for a Lucky 15 bet but when you come to enter your stake, just tick the Each Way option.

Again, be mindful of the stakes required as placing an each way Lucky 15 bet doubles your total stake.  So, whilst a normal Lucky 15 bet would cost £15 using a £1 unit stake, placing the Lucky 15 bet each way will cost you £30 in total.

IMPORTANT – When doing each way Lucky 15 bets, check the terms of the bookies as it’s possible you can take advantage of any extra place races.  If extra place races are included, this can add great value to your bets and enhance your chances of success.

How To Calculate Lucky 15 Bet Returns

Truth of the matter is, it’s a lot easier to use a Lucky 15 calculator to work out any potential returns. It’s incredibly quick and avoids any human errors.

Most of the bookmakers provide online calculators for their customers these days.  Another good source of betting calculators is aceodds.com. https://www.aceodds.com/bet-calculator/lucky-15.html

However, if you’re numbers mad and like a challenge, there is a manual way to calculate your possible returns. Okay, it’s time to wake the grey matter up.

Let’s walk through the calculations using the horses chosen to place a Lucky 15 bet. Here’s a reminder of the horses involved and their odds:

1. Ghostman at odds of 6.0 (5/1)
2. North Star at odds of 6.0 (5/1)
3. Beneficiary at odds of 10 (9/1)
4. Mr Jetman at odds of 7.5 (13/2)

As mentioned earlier, a Lucky 15 bet consists of:

• 4 Singles
• 6 Doubles
• 4 Trebles
• 1 Four-fold

Singles

Multiply each horses’ odds by the unit stake.

Doubles

Multiply the odds of each horse and then multiply it the unit stake. Repeat for each Double.

Trebles

Multiply the odds of each horse and then multiply it the unit stake. Repeat for each Treble.

Four-fold

Multiply the odds of each horse and then multiply it the unit stake.

To make life a little easier, the 15 bets have been broken down into four groups. Once you add the total from each of the four groups, you will know your returns if all four horses win their races.  The calculation is as follows:

• £29.50 (Singles) + £321 (Doubles) + £1530 (Trebles) + £2700 (Four-fold) = £4580.50 returns. Deduct your original stake of £15 from this and your profit in this case is £4565.50.

So, that’s how to calculate your Lucky 15 bets. As already mentioned though, it’s quick and easy to use an online calculator to do this.

Here’s a couple of examples of how the Lucky 15 calculator looks. You can change the outcomes of the four selections to suit.

Whilst it’s possible to get returns if only one of your Lucky 15 bet selections wins, it doesn’t always mean you won’t make a loss.  In the above calculator, Ghostman was the only winner at odds of 6 (5/1).  As you can see, this would result in an overall loss of £9.  Unless you have a high odds winner in this situation, you’re unlikely to make a profit unless the horse that won has odds of over 15 (14/1).

If you have two or more winners, that’s when you are likely to see some profits. The calculator below shows the outcome if Ghostman and Beneficiary were to win.

As you can see, two winners can make a vast difference in your returns. Anything above two winner and it’s happy days!

Can You Place A Lucky 15 Bet On Any Sport?

Yes you can. The vast majority of Lucky 15 bets are done on horse racing and football but there aren’t any limits as to what sports you can do them on.  In fact, If you wanted to mix it up a bit, you can even combine different sports into a Lucky 15. 

There could be a bumper weekend of big sports events happening and you intend to enjoy every minute of it.  Doing a Lucky 15 bet across the events can add a bit more excitement to them. For example:

1. Friday Night Rugby Union – Northampton to beat Sale Sharks
2. Saturday Premier League – Chelsea to beat Arsenal
3. Saturday Night Boxing – Deontay Wilder to beat Tyson Fury
4. Sunday Formula 1 – Lewis Hamilton to win the Silverstone Grand Prix

One thing to note is that you don’t have to bet on a winning outcome with Lucky 15 bets. If you wanted to, you could add Lewis Hamilton to get a podium finish rather than winning the race or Chelsea and Arsenal to draw.

Pros And Cons Of Lucky 15 Bets

Pros

• Bigger Returns:  One of the biggest positives to a Lucky 15 bet is the potential it provides for big payouts. Because of the bet combinations involved, if all four of your selections win, the returns can be significant and much more than just a standard accumulator bet.
• Reduced Risk: Because the Lucky 15 bet has four singles included in it, you can still see a return if only one of your selections comes in. Unless the odds are high, it’s likely you may see a small loss still. However, any bets with two or more winners should see a decent return.
• Variety: Lucky 15 bets are great for providing bettors with plenty of flexibility when it comes to placing bets on different markets and results. You can combine different sports into one lucky 15 and you aren’t restricted to predicting a win or loss.

Cons

• Complexity: Lucky 15 bets are relatively simple to place but understanding the combinations and what might give you returns can be a little confusing for people new to betting.
• Cost: It’s easy to overlook mounting costs of Lucky 15 bets because you are only betting on four selections. However, any stakes multiply by fifteen due to the combinations or even thirty when doing each way Lucky 15 bets. If you’re new to Lucky 15 bets, it’s always a good idea to start with low stakes while you get used to them.
• Risk: Whilst reduced risk is an advantage to Lucky 15 bets, there is also the chance none of your selections will win and a potential to make substantial losses if you don’t stick to your budget and bankroll.

Common Mistakes To Avoid With Lucky 15 bets

The Lucky 15 bet is extremely popular amongst bettors thanks to the potential for higher returns when all four selections don’t get a result.  However, as with any type of bet, there are some common pitfalls to avoid with Lucky 15 bets.

Not Understanding The Bet Combinations

• Many bettors don’t fully understand the structure of a Lucky 15 bet and think they are only placing one bet. The Lucky 15 is actually fifteen separate bets rolled into one so any one of the single bets can win to provide you with returns. Admittedly, one winner would likely result in a small loss but two or more winners would probably see a profit.

Not Paying Attention To Odds

• Another regular mistake is bettors not thinking about the odds of their selections. Due to the combination of singles, doubles, trebles and a four-fold, the odds of your four selections will have a big impact on your potential returns. Picking favourites or short priced selections could mean any potential returns don’t justify your bet outlay. Try to pick a balance of short and long odds so that you still have a chance of some wins with good returns.

Not Researching Your Selections

• To maximise your chances of success, your selections should be strategic. Randomly picking selections won’t work in the long term. Make sure you do your research by looking at form, head to head details and any other historical data you can get your hands on. This will enhance your chances of success.

Picking Too Many Selections With Long Odds

• Because of the potential rewards, picking outsiders can be tempting when placing Lucky 15 bets. However, in truth, the chances of getting two winners, let alone four, is unlikely. Try to combine low and high odds selections together as this reduces risks whilst still offering decent payout potential.

Ignoring Bonus Offers

• Some of the top bookies offer special bonuses on Lucky 15 bets but they don’t always let their customers know about them. It can pay to check which bookies offer bonuses as it has potential to increase your returns. For example, some bookies offer increased odds or win percentages on one winner. 

At the time of writing, here’s some offers currently available:

• Betfred: If only one of your selections wins, Betfred will pay 3 x the odds. This means if you only had one winner at odds of 5 (4/1), you will get paid at odds of 15 (14/1). Their offer doesn’t stop there either. If you are lucky enough for all four of your selections to win, not only are you likely to get a great return, Betfred will boost your winnings by an additional 10%.
• Bet365: Similar to Betfred, Bet365 will pay bonuses on Lucky 15 single winners and offer a percentage boost if all four win. For just one winner, they will double the odds of that selection. If your whole Lucky 15 bet comes in, you will be rewarded with a 15% bonus. An additional bonus with Bet365 is that Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) also applies to the wins.

Ignoring Other Bet Types

• It can be quite easy for bettors to make Lucky 15 their go to bet but it’s possible they are overlooking other multiple types of bets that might be better suited to their selections. For example, a Patent Bet https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-a-patent-bet (seven bets on three selections including singles) or a Yankee Bet https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-a-yankee-bet (eleven bets on four selections without singles) might suit your selections better if you are confident in your choices. Never dismiss other types of bets just because you’re used to placing Lucky 15 bets.

The Lucky Finder Tool

Doing research on horse racing so you can make informed betting decisions can take time and that’s just for standard bet types.  When it comes to multiple bets including the Lucky 15 bet, it can take even longer.

Fear not, Outplayed have an amazing tool that does all the hard work for you - The Lucky Finder. Let the Lucky Finder do the research for you and give you instant horse selections to bet on.  

The Lucky Finder uses the latest technology to offer bettors huge value bets with incredible profit potential.

Using the Lucky Finder tool couldn’t be easier. You just need to choose which bookie you want to place your Lucky 15 bet with and the tool will do the rest.

If you want to do more than one Lucky 15 bet or want results based on Extra Place races, you just click the search button and it will return the next set of results.

The Lucky Finder can do this all day long for you too.

This tool is a Matched Bettors dream because bookmakers love bettors that place any types of accumulator bets. Lucky 15 bets look like mug bets and this means they can help your account health and avoid account restrictions by the bookmakers.

The Lucky Finder is just one of the many amazing matched betting tools available with Outplayed Pro.  

Find out more info about this amazing tool in the Lucky Finder article.

Summary

Lucky 15 bets offer bettors a chance to get substantial returns whilst diversifying their betting strategy.  Due to the bet structure of single, doubles, trebles and a four-fold acca, the Lucky 15 provides you with a pretty comprehensive spread of bets rolled into one.  Because you only need one winner from your four selections to get any returns, this type of bet offers an element of insurance and minimises risk compared to some other bet types.

Lucky 15 bets are extremely popular in horse racing but are not limited to just one sport.  The fact that you can place a Lucky 15 on pretty much any sports is very appealing to sports fans.  You also aren’t limited to one sport per bet.  You can use four selections from four totally different sporting events.  In addition to this, you do have each way options available with a Lucky 15.

The Lucky 15 bet is a very attractive betting proposition that is suitable for bettors of all levels. The stake does multiply by fifteen but you can place as much or as little as you want so you don’t need to break your budget to enjoy them. Done correctly, the Lucky 15 bet is an affordable and enjoyable addition to your betting strategy.