Round Robin Betting: A Step By Step Guide

It’s no wonder people get confused with betting these days as there are so many different types of bets available.

Picking the right type of bet has never been more accessible with bettors looking to minimise risks and increase their profit potential as part of their betting strategy. 

One type of bet that’s gaining popularity is the Round Robin bet.

The Round Robin bet offers a balance between risk and reward that allows bettors to combine multiple bets into a series of Parlay (Accumulator or Combination) bets.

Due to the nature of Round Robin bets, they are more suited to experienced bettors.

However, this article will guide you through how they work, how to place them and things to keep in mind when placing Round Robin bets. 

What Is A Round Robin Bet?

You may have guessed that the term for the bet originates from Round Robin tournaments which involves each participant playing against each other.

When it comes to betting, creating a Round Robin bet combines several accumulators. This gives bettors a chance of a return on their bet even if not all the selections are correct.

Round Robin bets are usually used on football and horse racing markets.

They combine three selections into ten separate bets which are made up as three doubles, one treble and three up and down single bets (single stakes about).

However, the single elements (SSA) within this bet contain two bets each which provides a total of ten bets for the whole Round Robin bet.

In fact, it’s the singles bets that distinguish Round Robin bets from Patent and Trixie bets.  

One thing to note is that the Round Robin bet in the UK differs from those in America and Canada.  A Round Robin bet outside of the UK usually contains seven bets rather than ten.

How Does A Round Robin Bet Work?

Okay, it’s time to clear up any confusion and break down the structure of a Round Robin bet.  For this example let’s use horse racing as our chosen sport.

Doubles

• Bet 1: Horse A & Horse B. 
• Bet 2: Horse A & Horse C. 
• Bet 3: Horse B & Horse C. 

Treble

• Bet 4: Horse A, Horse B & Horse C

Up & Down Single Stakes (SSA)

• Bets 5 & 6: Horse A & Horse B
• Bets 7 & 8: Horse A & Horse C
  
• Bets 9 & 10: Horse B & Horse C
  

SSA bets are also known as an ‘if bet’ and ‘conditional bet’ where one bet is dependent on the other. If the first pick wins, any returns from that selection (up to the amount of the original stake) is then placed on the next single selection so it would look something like this:

• If horse A wins, a stake is put on horse B
• If horse B wins, a stake is put on horse C
  
• if any of the initial selections lose from the three singles, no additional stakes are placed. 
  

How To Place A Round Robin Bet

Within the UK, there aren’t that many bookies that offer the Round Robin bet online.

The big players such as Bet365 and Paddy Power don’t offer customers that option so you would need to contact them to ask if they will create the bet for you.  At the time of writing, both Boyle Sports and Betfred do offer the facility to place Round Robin bets online.

Actually placing a Round Robin bet is very simple and a lot easier than understanding the bet itself.

So, let’s look at a real example using horse racing from Kempton Park at Betfred.

The first thing you need to do is study the race cards to which horses you fancy.  Once you have decided which three you want to include in your Round Robin bet, simply add them to your bet slip as you usually would do.

In this example, we have chosen Fort Augustus in the 17:45 at odds of 5 (4/1), Scarlet Princess in the 18:15 at odds of 5 (4/1) and Beauty Generation in the 18:45 at odds of 7 (6/1). Once we have chosen the three horses, the screen will look like this:

Beneath the highlighted ‘Multiples’ header, you are able to view all of the multiple types of bet you can place. Just scroll down to find Round Robin and you will be able to enter your chosen stake as per the below:

Once you enter your stake the bet slip will reveal the potential returns from the bet and the ‘Place Bet’ button will be enabled for you to confirm your choices. 

Calculating Round Robin Bets

Calculating potential returns from a Round Robin bet can get a little complicated and to be honest, it’s not worth your time to sit and go through all of the potential outcomes.  

In summary, this is how the breakdown of the Round Robin bet will work:

There are plenty of online calculators that will allow you to input the odds to work out your possible returns.

Aceodds.com have calculators for all types of bets.

Here is the Aceodds Round Robin Calculator.  We have input the odds from our earlier example where the Round Robin bet was on three selections from Kempton Park.  That included:

1. Fort Augustus at odds of 5 (4/1)
2. Scarlet Princess at odds of 5 (4/1)
   
3. Beauty Generation at odds of 7 (6/1)
   

When you input those odds into the calculator, this is what it would look like:

The above calculator details the returns if all three horses won but it also has the flexibility to allow you to play with the other possible outcomes. 

For example, if Fort Augustus and Beauty Generation won, but Scarlet Princess lost, you would change the outcome of selection two to lost and the calculator would re-calculate your returns as below:

What Sports Can You Do Round Robin Bets On?

We have already established that Round Robin bets can be done on horse racing but what other sports can they be placed on?

Due to the fact that Round Robin bets are more popular in America than the UK, it’s a little hit and miss as to whether they are available to bet on. Horse racing is the main go to sport for Round Robin bets in the UK.

However, you will  also find them available on some of the bigger competitions in Darts, Football, Cricket and Greyhounds.

It’s highly likely that high street bookies can facilitate placing Round Robin bets but if you are looking to bet online, Betfred are the bookies to look at.  

Betting Strategies: Round Robin Bets V Other Bets

Round Robin bets are often compared to other multiple bet types such as Accumulators and Patent bets. Let’s look at the Round Robin bet compared to others:

Round Robin v Single Bets - There is no room for error with single bets as you’re betting on one outcome and it’s all or nothing.  Because Round Robin bets include multiple selections and built-in Acca’s, you’re given the opportunity to spread the risks and still have potential for rewards even if all your selections don’t win.

Round Robin v Accumulator Bets - Whilst accumulator bets can be extremely profitable, the bet doesn’t succeed unless all of your chosen selections win.  With a Round Robin bet, because your bet effectively contains mini accumulator bets, you get a bit of breathing space in that each bet doesn’t have to win to get some money back.

Round Robin v Patent Bets - The Patent bet and Round Robin bet are very similar in their structures.  However, the Round Robin contains the up and down element to the singles bets. This has the ability to enhance the returns. 

What Are The Advantages & Disadvantages Of Round Robin Betting?

Advantages

Risk Reduction: With a normal Accumulator bet, if one of your selections loses, the whole bet loses.  Round Robin bets provide a way to diversify risks by spreading your bets across build-in accumulators.  This means you don’t necessarily lose the bet if one of your selections fails to win.

Bigger Rewards: In comparison to normal straight bets, a Round Robin bet can potentially offer generous returns if all the bets returns  result.

Betting Flexibility: Unlike some standard accumulator bets, a Round Robin will allow you to combine different sporting events.

Simplicity:  Whilst not many bookies offer the Round Robin bet option, those that do make placing the bet very simple as they combine the combinations for you.

Disadvantages

Higher Stakes:  Because the Round Robin bet contains ten combinations of bets and each part has a unit stake, the cost of the total bet can easily mount up.  For example, a £10 Round Robin bet would cost £100 in total.

Complexity: Round Robin bets can be quite difficult to get your head around for less experienced bettors.  They are more suited to experienced bettors due to the bet multiples involved.

Winning Requirements:  To win bigger rewards, more of your selections need to win than with traditional bets.

Odds:  The odds for each part of your Round Robin bet are usually lower than if you’d placed them separately because of the reduced risk.

Bookies Edge:  As with most accumulator bets, the Round Robin bets usually have a higher house edge in favour of the bookies compared to straight bets.

Round Robin Betting Strategies

A Round Robin bet can be a great addition to your betting strategy but it does require research and careful considerations to enhance the potential.  These are some of the things you might consider when looking to place a Round Robin bet:

Research: Having a good knowledge of the sports you are betting on can provide a great advantage.  Studying the horse racing cards or looking at a team's recent performances will help bettors make more informed decisions.

Pick The Right Odds: Try to avoid picking too many selections with higher or lower odds and look at selections with more moderate odds.  Whilst it does happen, longshot bets rarely come in.  On the other hand, whilst picking low odds favourites might greatly increase your chances of a win, the profits might not justify the stake outlay.  Winning selections at moderate odds can still return significant profits.

Value Betting: Sometimes the bookies are slow to react to news and bettors can take advantage by taking odds that haven’t been adjusted yet. For example, if the teams are announced for a football match and the star striker is unexpectedly missing from the line up, it might be possible to get good odds on the opposition before they drop.  If a bettor can identify value where the odds favour them, it can be a great way to take value from the bookies and enhance your chances of winning.

Monitor odds:  Following on from the Value Betting section above, it’s also worth keeping an eye on odds movements as they can indicate there’s some information been announced or leaked that could affect your choices.

Check Promotions:  Some bookmakers offer promotions that can be used within your Round Robin bet. They might offer a £10 free bet on any accumulator bets and it’s possible this can be added to a Round Robin bet.  It’s always worth checking the terms for any promotions.

Broaden Your Strategy:  Use Round Robin bets as part of your overall betting strategy.  Don’t use them on every bet, choose them when they make strategic sense. Diversity is key to increasing your chances.

Monitor Your Bets:  If possible, keep records of which Round Robin bets you have done, which were successful and which didn’t return anything. Knowing which bets or parts of bets won, can help you continually refine your approach and strategy.

Round Robin Betting FAQ’s

Q: Can I use as many selections as I want in my Round Robin bet?

A: As this type of bet is more common in America, you can usually add between three and eight selections to your bet.  However, in the United Kingdom, you will only get a Round Robin bet option from three selections.

Q: What happens to the bet if all of my selections don’t win?

A: You will get returns from your bet even if only one of your selections wins.  However, it’s possible you might not make a profit.  Profits are much more likely if two of your selections win and most definitely profitable if all three win.

Q: Which is better, Round Robin or Accumulator bets?

A: Accumulator bets only payout if all of your selections win, whereas Round Robin bets will still payout if one or two of your selections win. This does mean your risk is less with a Round Robin bet.  Because your risk is lower, the payout is usually less than a winning accumulator bet though.

Q: Is Round Robin betting profitable?

A: As with any type of bet, success isn’t guaranteed and should never be approached in that way.  Round Robin bets have good potential to be profitable but stand more chance if you have a good strategy and research your choices.

Conclusion

Round Robin bets are a versatile betting option and can be a great addition to your betting strategy.

They offer the middle ground between traditional accumulators and straight bets whilst spreading risks and rewards.

They do have the potential to provide fantastic returns but can be challenging to get right.

Because the stake is multiplied by ten with Round Robin bets, the costs can soon mount up quite quickly.

This is why it’s essential that you stick to your budget and manage your bankroll well.  However, the chances of getting returns are helped by the fact it has smaller bets (accumulators) built into it. 

As with any types of bets, success is hard to come by when done blindly without any knowledge.

Bettors need a good understanding of how it works, good analysis of the markets you’re betting on and careful selections.

Whilst more suitable to experienced bettors, Round Robin bets are a good addition to the betting strategy of a novice bettor who’s looking to move on from straight bets or standard accumulators.