What Is A Yankee Bet?

A Yankee bet isn’t anything to do specifically with America as it might suggest. It is another format for one of many multi-bet types. It is an advanced type of accumulator bet.  It is most widely used in the UK and Irish horse racing arena.

A Yankee requires you to place 11 different bets within one that are spread over four different selections.  Bettors might be familiar with the elements a Yankee contains as it contains Double bets and Treble Bets.

Whilst Yankee bets are available on different sports, it’s probably easier to stick to one sport at a time.

This type of bet is considered to be the next step in multi-bets after the Trixie as they both have similarities.  You can learn more about this in our Trixie Bet article.

How Does A Yankee Bet Work?

A Yankee bet consists of 11 separate bets rolled into one and creates the following wagers:

• 6 Doubles
• 4 Trebles
• 1 Four-fold

In an ideal world, the fourfold will land with handsome rewards.  However, this happens rarely and the beauty of a Yankee is a couple of your selections can lose but you can potentially still make a profit.

This is where a Yankee bet differs from a normal accumulator as you bet doesn’t go up in flames if all the legs don’t win.  The Yankee bet is similar to the Lucky 15 Bet but without the four single bets.

You have picked four horses you like the look of so let’s now have a look at how the combinations of a Yankee bet work:

• Horse A to win at odds of 4 (3/1)
• Horse B to win at odds of 3 (2/1)
  
• Horse C to win at odds of 9 (8/1)
  
• Horse D to win at odds of 5 (4/1)
  

From those four horses, the combination of your Yankee bet will be made of these eleven combinations:

Remember – Your stake will multiply by eleven as you are betting on each leg of the bet so a £1 stake will cost you £11 in total.

Now you know how the bet is structured, what needs to win to get any returns from the bet? Here’s a breakdown of potential results:

How To Place A Yankee Bet

Let's look at how to place a Yankee bet using a real-life example:

You’ve decided to go to a night meeting at Hamilton Races after work and decided to study the racecards during your lunch break. To add a bit of excitement to your evening, you fancy having a bet on a Yankee and picked the following horses:

1. 5.10pm – Makalu @ odds of 6 (5/1)
2. 6.15pm – Rock Melody @ odds of 5 (4/1)
   
3. 6.45pm – Starshine Legend @ odds of 6 (5/1)
   
4. 7.45pm – Sycamore Gap @ odds of 4 (3/1)
   

To create your Yankee bet, go into each of the four races and select your horses. This will create a bet slip that looks like this:

Your bet slip will show the four horses you’ve chosen as Singles. Once you click on the ‘Show all multiples’ option highlighted, you are then shown what multiple bets are available. You might notice that as you add each horse, the amount of multiple bets available increases.

You will see the Yankee option and you just need to choose your stake amount, enter that and place your bet as below:

As soon as you enter your stake, you will see the potential returns displayed.  You’ve now placed your bet so sit back and enjoy the racing.

Don’t forget that your stake is x 11 for Yankee bets.

Calculating Yankee Bets

Because there are eleven separate bets within a Yankee bet, calculating your returns isn’t straightforward.

The quickest way to calculate your potential returns is to use an online Yankee bet calculator. These are available at most bookies.

However, it is possible to do it manually too. Get your calculator ready and we’ll show you how to do it:

For these calculations, we are going to use the four horses selected for the night meeting at Hamilton Park races.

Your selections:

• Makalu @ 6 (5/1)
• Rock Melody @ 5 (4/1)
  
• Starshine Legend @ 6 (5/1)
  
• Sycamore Gap @ 4 (3/1)
  

From here you can work out the odds for each element of your Yankee (6 doubles, 4 trebles and the fourfold). It’s done by multiplying the odds of each selection within each wager.

So, the first double would be Makalu & Rock Melody meaning the odds for the first double would be 6 x 5 = 30. Therefore, your £1 stake for this part of your bet would return £30.

So, what would all eleven combinations look like?

1. Makalu & Rock Melody Double: 6 x 5 = 30
2. Makalu & Starshine Legend Double: 6 x 6 = 36
   
3. Makalu & Sycamore Gap Double: 6 x 4 = 24
   
4. Rock Melody & Starshine Legend Double: 5 x 6 = 30
   
5. Rock Melody & Sycamore Gap Double: 5 x 4 = 20
   
6. Starshine Legend & Sycamore Gap Double: 6 x 4 = 24
   
7. Makalu, Rock Melody & Starshine Legend Treble: 6 x 5 x 6 = 180
   
8. Makalu, Rock Melody & Sycamore Gap Treble: 6 x 5 x 4 = 120
   
9. Makalu, Starshine Legend & Sycamore Gap Treble: 6 x 6 x 4 = 144
   
10. Rock Melody, Starshine Legend & Sycamore Gap Treble: 5 x 6 x 4 = 120
    
11. Makalu, Rock Melody, Starshine Legend & Sycamore Gap Fourfold: 6 X 5 X 6 X 4 = 720
    

Now you have got odds for all eleven bets, you just add them together to get your overall Yankee bet odds.  This would make the overall odds 1448 so should the Yankee win, you would get £1,448 returned, minus your £11 stake meaning a profit of £1,437.

Can I Do An Each Way Yankee?

You sure can. It’s very simple, you just click the EW option within your bet slip.  The basic principles are the same as with any Each Way bet but here are some things to take note of:

• Make sure there is an Each Way market for the races you are planning to bet on.
• You will be doubling your bets so your Yankee will now contain 22 bets. 11 bets for your choices to win and 11 bets for them to place.
  
• As the amount of bets doubles, so does your stake. Therefore, when placing a £1 stake, your stake will double from £11 to £22. Therefore, make sure you stick to your plan and budget when placing an EW Yankee.
  
• If your selections ‘place’ rather than win, you can still earn great returns on a EW Yankee.
  
• An EW Yankee bet adds to your chances of getting returns and might be worth considering when you like the look selections with higher odds.
  
• At least two of your wagers must get a result for you to get anything back
  

The combination of an Each Way Yankee is pretty much the same as a normal Yankee but with the places.  This is what bets you would have:

• 6 Win Doubles
• 6 Place Doubles
  
• 4 Win Trebles
  
• 4 Places Trebles
  
• 1 Win Accumulator
  
• 1 Place Accumulator
  

What Sports Can A Yankee Be Used On?

You can pretty much place a Yankee bet on any sport. In fact, customers aren’t limited to sports either. You can use them on all kinds of markets such as I’m a Celebrity, the Christmas number one or the Oscars.

That said, by far the most popular sports for Yankee bets is horse racing and to a lesser extent greyhound racing. Other obvious sports are Football, Snooker and Tennis.

Snooker – Individual sports such as snooker can be ideal for Yankee bets.  It provides the potential to back competitors early on in tournaments at short odds but by adding them to a Yankee gives the opportunity for greater returns. The same can be said for Tennis and Darts.

Football – The majority of punters betting on football tend to go for accas but moving on to more advanced bets such as the Yankee can enhance your betting strategy and indeed, your potential profits.  This is great for people who enjoy having a flutter on the football but aren’t sure all of their selected teams will win.

Horse racing is the most popular sport for placing Yankee bets. However, it’s also commonly used in football so let’s have a quick look at how a football Yankee on the Premier League might look.

There’s Four derby matches that catch your eye: Man City v Man United, Everton v Liverpool, Arsenal v Tottenham and Leicester v Nottingham Forest.

Derby games can be frantic and don’t always end as expected but you’ve opted for Man City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Leicester to win in your Yankee.  This is what bets you would be placing:

Doubles x 6

1. Man City & Liverpool
2. Man City & Tottenham
   
3. Man City & Leicester
   
4. Liverpool & Tottenham
   
5. Liverpool & Leicester
   
6. Tottenham & Leicester
   

Trebles x 4

1. Man City, Liverpool & Tottenham
2. Man City, Liverpool & Leicester
   
3. Man City, Tottenham & Leicester
   
4. Liverpool, Tottenham & Leicester
   

Four-Fold

1. Man City, Liverpool, Tottenham & Leicester

One thing to keep in mind is that you can’t have multiples that have related possibilities. For example, you can’t have Haaland to score first and Manchester City to win. This is usually the case for all types of accumulator bets or bet multiples.

Common Mistakes With Yankee Bets

Yankee bets are more popular than ever, especially in horse racing due to the potential big profits.  However, they can be complex for newer bettors so here’s some pointers to avoid the pitfalls:

• Structure: Because the Yankee bet consists of eleven bets, ensure you understand the structure and permutations before placing them.
• Stakes: as there are eleven wagers in a Yankee, don’t forget your unit stake will be multiplied by eleven. Not paying attention can lead to big costs.
  
• Selections: Whilst the Yankee bet is a type of cover bet and offers some protection, it’s still important to do a little be of market analysis. Also try to avoid picking too many low odds selections.
  
• Potential Returns: We know Yankee bets can be extremely profitable but it’s important to know what to expect from different outcomes. Not all outcomes return high rewards.
  
• Calculations: Our ‘Calculating Yankee Bets’ section covered off how to do this manually. However, one slip of the finger could have a big impact on your expectations. Use an online Yankee Calculator to avoid any mistakes.
  
• Selection Limits: A Yankee bet does allow you to pick more than four selections if you want to but it can become even more complex and expensive. Stick to four selections to make it easier, especially if you're new to placing Yankee bets.
  
• Bankroll Management: The costs of placing Yankee bets can easily escalate so always ensure you stick to a manageable budget. Don’t chase losses.
  

Advantages & Disadvantages Of Yankee Bets

Advantages

• Enhanced Chances: A Yankee bet offers way more opportunities to win than a single bet thanks to the 11 different bet combinations included in it.
• Potential Rewards: A Yankee bet can return significant profits if multiple elements of the bet win.
  
• Market Availability: Yankee bets are available on a wide variety of sporting events.
  

Disadvantages

• Costs: Because a Yankee bet multiplies your unit stake by eleven, it can be an expensive way to bet.
• Losses: linked with costs, should none or only one of your selections win, your entire bet loses. Again, this can be costly if not managed carefully.
  
• Complexity: Understanding the breakdown of a Yankee bet can be confusing for less experienced bettors.
  

Summary

Yankee bets can add great value to your betting strategy and can enhance your chances of winning. Whilst the potential returns can be vast, so can the losses if not managed correctly. Bettors should spend time studying the markets, jockey form, horse form etc and not just place Yankee bets blindly. This will help you manage the risks and rewards better.  This article on how to read horse form will help.

This type of bet is more suitable to experienced bettors due to the complexity of the bet structure and calculations.