What is a System Bet? Meaning, Types & Tips (2024)

Recommended Betting Sites for System Bets

1. Betway
2. 888sport
3. Marathonbet
4. Parimatch

Getting Started with System Bets

A system bet shares certain attributes with accas, but with more flexibility on offer. For example, unlike an acca, you don’t need all your bets (events/selections/games) to turn up to register handsome winnings. However, many consider system bets more advanced, and hence appropriate only for seasoned and serious bettors of sports betting in India.

What Is A System Bet?

Suppose you want to wager on three top cricket tournaments at the best cricket betting sites. There are three ways you can approach this: singles, accumulators (or accas), and system bets.

If you go for singles bets for all three matches, you only win on the individual odds on each match. Therefore, if just one of those bets is right and the others aren’t, you only win money on that one wager (and lose your stake on the two wrong bets).

Now, with an accumulator (sometimes called a parlay), you will want all your three bets to turn up correctly. Here, the odds on those three bets are multiplied. If all three wagers come up the way you predicted, you win massively (your stake x multiplied odds). However, for you to win, all three predictions have to be correct. Any one fails, and you lose the entire bet (doesn’t matter if the other two came up right).

READ: Here’s how you can make the best cricket prediction in the world.

As you go through this article, you will find that we have explained in detail:

• The workings of a system bet
• Easy system bet examples
• Pros and cons of placing a system bet
• Actionable strategies you can use

All of this is bound by just one objective – to help you decide if you want to go for a system bet and how to make a profit with it.

System Bet Workings, Explained

Basics

With system bets, you have to bet on a minimum of three matches. When that happens, the odds are multiplied together (like in a regular acca), resulting in increased profits if the selections turn up as predicted.

However, the most important difference between a system bet and a standard accumulator is that in the former, you can turn a decent profit even if all bets don’t win. This makes system bets comparatively less volatile than accas.

System Bet Example

Let’s consider the following example from Parimatch. The first game is from the IPL and the other two from the Caribbean Premier League.

• Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians (CSK to win @2.01)
• Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Trinbago Knight Riders (GAW to win @ 2.14)
• Barbados Royals vs St Kitts and Nevis Patriots (BR to win @2.14)

(Source: Parimatch)

Now, we assume all three matches have been played out, and the results are:

• CSK vs MI (MI wins)
• GAW vs TKR (GAW wins)
• BR vs SKNP (BR wins)

Situation 1: You placed three singles

In this case, you’d have lost your first bet (CSK vs MI) but won the other two (GAW vs TKR, BR vs SKNP). Let’s take a nominal stake of ₹100 on each (only for the sake of illustrating). So, you’d have won ₹114 on Guyana Amazon Warriors (+ ₹100 stake returned) and another ₹114 on Barbados Royals (+₹100 stake returned). But you would’ve lost the ₹100 stake on the CSK vs MI game.

Therefore, overall profit = ₹128

Situation 2: You placed an acca

You’d have lost all of your ₹300 stake here, despite winning two bets out of three. That’s what accas are all about; you need all the selections to turn up correct for your bet to win.

Situation 3: You placed a system bet

You’d place three bets here in the 2/3 system, meaning two of the three predictions were correct. In this example your bets would be:

• Bet A: CSK win + GAW win = 2.01 x 2.14 = 4.3014
• Bet B: CSK win + BR win = 2.01 x 2.14 = 4.3014
• Bet C: GAW win + BR win = 2.14 x 2.14 = 4.5796

Now, suppose you placed a ₹100 stake on each bet. In the event that CSK loses, only Bet C will win. That will generate a return of ₹457.96. Minus your ₹300 stake, and your overall profit is ₹157.96.

This is more than what you’d have won by placing three singles.

Let's consider a Situation 4 where all three selections win

Situation 4.1: You placed a system bet

Situation 4.2: You placed a system bet

As you can see from the example above, by placing three single bets, you’d make ₹689.24 less what you would have with a system bet.

Types of System Bets

The number of events or matches you’re wagering on indicates the number of combinations. So, suppose you are betting on four matches. In that case, you can bet doubles, triples, or a four-fold. Likewise, if you’re betting on eight, you can bet doubles triples, four-, five-, six-, seven-, or an eight-fold.

2/3 System Bet

• The basic premise of a 2/3 system bet — often referred to as ‘doubles on a three-match’ bet – is that at least two of the three bets will be correct. This is precisely the situation we described in the example above.
• A 2/3 system bet can increase your profit while keeping the risk in check (and lower than a standard acca).

PRO TIP: For this system bet type, always look to place bets on odds above 2.00. Otherwise, it could get a little challenging to cover the stake or make more than singles bets.

2/4 System Bet

• Here, you’re betting on four matches. Any two bets come up right, and you win.
• A 2/4 system bet consists of six bets.
• Of course, you’d profit the most should two of the higher odds win.

NOTE: Just like 2/3 and 2/4, there can be multiple combinations depending on the number of selections and the number of bets that need to win for you to register a profit.

Trixie

• Here, you must bet on three separate matches/events.
• The Trixie comprises four bets: 3 Doubles + 1 Treble.
• If all the bets win, you will get a staggering profit, considering all odds are multiplied.

Let’s take the same example we used above:

• Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians (CSK to win @2.01)
• Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Trinbago Knight Riders (GAW to win @ 2.14)
• Barbados Royals vs St Kitts and Nevis Patriots (BR to win @2.14)

Here, a Trixie will look like:

• Bet 1: CSK win + GAW win = 2.01 x 2.14 = 4.3014
• Bet 2: GAW win + BR win = 2.14 x 2.14 = 4.5796
• Bet 3: CSK win + BR win = 2.01 x 2.14 = 4.3014
• Bet 4: CSK win + GAW win + BR win = 2.01 x 2.14 x 2.14 = 9.204996

Patent

• This is similar to a Trixie, except for that a Patent bet also includes the singles.
• Much like a Trixie, a Patent is also a three-selection bet. Meaning, you have to choose three separate matches.
• A Patent system bet consists of seven wagers: 3 Singles + 3 Doubles + 1 Treble.

If we were to take the same example again. A Patent would look like:

• Bet 1: CSK win = 2.01
• Bet 2: GAW win = 2.14
• Bet 3: BR win = 2.14
• Bet 4: CSK win + GAW win = 4.3014
• Bet 5: CSK win + BR win = 4.3014
• Bet 6: GAW win + BR win = 4.5796
• Bet 7: CSK win + GAW win + BR win = 9.204996

Yankee

• Yankee is a four-selection bet; you bet on four distinct matches/events.
• It comprises 11 bets: 6 Doubles + 4 Trebles + 1 Four-fold.
• If you understand the Trixie, you’ll find it easy to wrap your head around the Yankee.

Canadian

• Also called ‘Super Yankee’, a Canadian bet is like an upgrade on the Yankee. Here, you bet on five events.
• This system bet comprises 26 bets: 10 Doubles + 10 Trebles + 5 Four-folds + 1 Five-fold.
• The advantage of the Canadian bet is that you can start making returns from only two correct predictions. It might not be a big profit, but you’ll get back some money.

Heinz

• This one is named after Heinz’s “57 varieties” marketing slogan.
• The Heinz system bet comprises 57 bets on six events: 15 Doubles + 20 Trebles + 15 Four-folds + 6 Five-folds + 1 Six-fold.
• Your stake gets multiplied by 57. So, a ₹10 stake on a Heinz will result in a total stake of ₹570.
• Choose a Heinz bet only if you are an experienced bettor with specific in-depth knowledge about the sport (market) in question.

Super Heinz

• Think of this as an upgrade over Heinz. A Super Heinz requires seven picks (selections), which results in as many as 120 bets.
• The 120 bets are: 21 Doubles + 35 Trebles + 35 Four-folds + 21 Five-folds + 7 Six-folds + 1 Seven-fold.
• The stake gets multiplied by 120 here. So, a ₹10 per-unit stake becomes ₹1200.

Goliath

• The Goliath requires eight distinct selections (events/matches) and comprises a staggering 247 bets.
• The bet combinations are: 28 Doubles + 56 Trebles + 70 Four-folds + 56 Five-folds + 28 Six-folds + 8 Seven-folds + 1 Eight-fold.
• The per-unit stake is multiplied by 247. Therefore, a ₹2 per-unit stake totals ₹494.
• Strictly for experienced bettors, considering the outlay is enormous.

TRIVIA: It is a massive bet named after the Biblical story of Goliath’s battle with David

Lucky 63

• Includes 63 bets across six different selections.
• The combinations are: 6 Singles + 15 Doubles + 20 Trebles + 15 Four-folds + 6 Five-folds + 1 Six-fold.
• One winning selection will lock in some return, while all six winning selections will pay out handsomely.

Alphabet

• This system bet borrows its name from the number of letters in the English alphabet, i.e., 26.
• It comprises 26 bets across six different selections.
• This includes 2 Patents (14 bets) + 1 Yankee (11 bets) + 1 Six-fold.
• The stake is multiplied by 26. So, a ₹10 unit stake will total ₹260.

Please note that some of these system bets like the Yankee, Canadian (Super Yankee), Heinz, Super Heinz, Goliath, Lucky 63, and Alphabet involve a sizeable outlay. That’s because, with each of these, the per-unit stake will be multiplied by the number of bet combinations. Hence, we recommend using them only if you are a seasoned punter with accurate knowledge of the sport/market.

System Bet Strategies

Now that we know what is a system bet and have understood system bet examples, it’s time to move on to the most popular system bet strategies.

X-Factor

• This strategy seeks to maximise profits as much as possible by only wagering on draws. As you will know, predicting a draw is typically the most challenging, and that’s precisely why they have long odds.
• With the X-Factor strategy, you choose any of the system bets (described above), depending on the number of wagers you want to place. But the idea is to bet on a draw.
• To understand which teams will likely produce a draw, you need to pick a match where both sides are evenly balanced.

So, suppose you go for ICC T20 World Cup betting. In that case, chances are a particular game will not end in a draw, considering it is T20 cricket and one outfit will trump the other, nine times out of ten. However, things change with World Test Championship betting, for instance. There, the possibility of a draw increases manifold, especially when the two teams involved have similar depth in batting and bowling.

PRO TIP: You can assess the likelihood of a draw by looking at the odds; if they’re almost similar, the match will likely end in a draw.

High-Risk

• This system bet strategy is fraught with risk, really. That’s because it involves including underdogs in your selection. Therefore, we suggest you ideally go for tournaments or events where upsets can happen.

For example, the Indian Premier League, scheduled to start from September 19, throws up several upsets and last-minute finishes. Therefore, we reckon IPL betting is primed for the high-risk strategy.

Of course, it is wise to go with sure-fire winners every time. But when you bet on an underdog, you set yourself up for fantastic winnings should they become successful.

Yankee-up

• This strategy is undoubtedly risky, but you can take home a massive payout if your picks are right.
• Here, you make seven picks and wager on them in a series of Yankee system bets. These are in a specific configuration.
• Think as if you have numbered all seven picks from 1-7. Therefore, you make seven Yankees with this. It will be something like the following configuration: 1236, 1357, 1245, 2347, 1467, 2567, and 3456.
• Remember that for each of these seven selections, you’re placing 11 bets: 6 Doubles, 4 Trebles, and 1 four-way. That’s a total of 77 bets on the seven selections.

The advantage of Yankee-up is that even if two selections fail, you can still win one full Yankee + a few other bets (considering one Yankee comprises four events). If three selections let you down, you can still win one while Yankee with the remaining four selections. The problem begins if more than three selections go wrong; you then begin to lose your money.

Each-way

• This strategy comes into play when you’re placing each-way bets.
• With each-way, you’re placing a win bet + a place bet. Therefore, you’re placing two bets at a time.
• While each-way betting can be applied to multiple sports, it is usually mostly used with horse racing.

READ: Best India Horse Race Betting Sites

We recommend this strategy for relatively smaller-outlay bets like a Trixie (1 Treble and 3 Doubles). A Trixie comprises four bets, but since it’s each-way, you’ll be placing eight bets here. This automatically pushes up your chances of winning.

System Bet: Advantages and Disadvantages

System Bet FAQs

What are the best bookmakers for placing system bets?

We have listed the top five betting sites in this article. Off the cuff, we’d recommend 888sport.

How many sports/events must I choose to place system bets?

You have to choose a minimum of three distinct selections for a system bet. That said, you can combine as many sports as you want.

Are winnings guaranteed?

Nothing is guaranteed in sports betting, except for the experience you take home. So, let us put it this way – a system bet, while being significantly low-risk compared to accas, cannot guarantee a profit. That’s because a minimum of two selections have to win for you to register winnings.

What does a system bet calculator do?

A system bet calculator instantly tells you the number of combinations you have and the potential profit you will make if you get a certain number of bets right.

Can I place a system bet with my mobile?

Of course, you can. Almost all leading betting sites have mobile-optimised versions and dedicated apps, where you get the same range of betting options as their websites. For reference, you might want to check out the cricket betting apps.

I’m not ready for placing a system bet yet. What alternatives do I have?

System bets can become a little complicated, especially if you’re just starting out with sports betting. If that’s the case, we recommend you familiarise yourself first with the other simpler bet types on offer and then move on to accumulators (or accas). These are similar to system bets, fashioned on the same concept of combining multiple bets.

CricketBettingAdvice Final Say

System bets are an excellent proposition if you want to maximise winnings with a low outlay. Yes, it could be a little challenging to grasp the concept initially, but it won’t be long before you start using them to your advantage.

If you’re a relatively seasoned bettor, we recommend you try system bets if you haven’t already. These offer the best of both worlds – the profit potential of an acca but at a lower risk. That’s because all your selections needn’t win for you to make money. But if you’re dabbling in sports betting for the first time, we suggest you keep your stakes low so that you don’t lose much if things don’t go your way.

Vishnu Reddy

Match previews expert

Vishnu Reddy is a seasoned sports betting writer with two years of expertise in the field. His in-depth knowledge and proficiency extend beyond the general spectrum, with a particular focus on cricket betting, a passion he has cultivated for the past five years.

Vishnu has worked as a sports content writer for two years across Cloutnews, Sportslumo, Sportz18.com, GudStory.com, Sportsgyan.in, Fantasytips.in, and Sportscafe. Also, he has co-founded two Bollywood and cricket websites: SpiceBite.in and Cricketerstales.com.