Round-robin sports betting is a style of parlay betting that removes some of the jeopardy is mitigated and one losing result does not signify the death of your whole bet slip.
In this article, we will explain the principle and structure behind this type of bet in the form of a basic round-robin betting guide. We will also give our opinion on where to find the best online sites to place a round-robin.
HOW DOES A ROUND-ROBIN BET WORK?
In its simplest form, a round-robin bet in sports betting is a series of three or more two-team parlays. Each parlay operates separately and does not mean the end of the whole betting slip if it fails. Round-robin bets reduce some of the risk associated with a traditional parlay.
As a round-robin bet example – if you picked three teams in a parlay.
Blue, Green, and Red
Then your basic round-robin bet would consist of three separate two-team parlays. Both teams need to win in order for that individual line to be a success.
Blue + Green
Blue + Red
Green + Red
Round-robin betting effectively allows you to create a kind of security policy.
Your ticket will remain profitable even if one leg of the parlay fails.
If you created a standard parlay containing those three matchups then all your eggs would be in that basket. Whereas, in a round-robin parlay you create multiple parlays within the same ticket and not all of them need to hit for you to be in profit. Here, we are placing three different parlays on the same betting slip. Each relies on two teams to succeed.
If the Blues don’t cover the spread in their game, but the Reds and the Greens do cover theirs, then your ticket will still be a winner.
Blue + Green – Loss
Blue + Red – Loss
Green + Red – Win
You will have predicted 1 win from 3 and will still extract a profit. It will not be much, as 2 of your lines lost money. It may even be that you just break even. But that’s ok. The one win will soften the blow slightly and prevent a total loss. The bankroll is protected (see our article – How to manage your bankroll in sports betting for the importance of that) and you can try again.
If they all win then that’s great! A welcome bonus for you.
In our example, it is not actually possible for 2 lines to be winners. It can be all, one, or none. If you happen to have chosen lines whereby two of them can be winners even if the other isn’t, then you will walk away with a profit.
IF THEY ALL LOSE THEN…
It’s not your lucky day. Or, you suck at picking winners.
Take it however you like but the former attitude is recommended if you wish to forge some kind of winning strategy when it comes to NBA betting.
A round-robin bet doesn’t offer quite the massive payouts of a regular parlay but is so much more likely to give back something.
How many teams you choose to add to each line is up to you, although most sportsbooks will limit them to 8 automatically
OTHER ROUND-ROBIN OPTIONS
Round-robin betting is not restricted to single-game parlays as we saw above.
It is also possible to incorporate more parlay combinations per line. This will increase the round-robin bet payouts but, of course, increase the difficulty of predicting them accurately.
Let’s stick with our color analogy but extend the principle to three-team parlays.
So – this weekend we have the following teams in action.
Blue
Green
Red
Orange
Yellow
Purple
Black
White
Silver
Let’s say we feel confident that Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow, and Silver are going to win. Some possible combinations we could choose for our three-team parlays are:
Blue + Green + Silver
Green + Orange + Yellow
Blue + Yellow + Silver
Now, we can see that instead of a one team round-robin bet we now have three teams per line and three separate lines. Each line is effectively one single three-team parlay. The odds are significantly greater that we will be successful, as will the rewards be if we are.
These kinds of parlay combinations will usually be offered by your chosen online sportsbooks (more of those shortly) But first, it’s worth asking this:
DO ROUND-ROBINS MAKE GOOD BETS?
Round-robin bets have one significant advantage over traditional parlays.
THEY ARE EASIER TO WIN
With parlays, there’s no flexibility or margin for error.
Either you win or you lose (hint: you lose)
If just one of your single bets within the parlay lets you down comes up short, then it was all for nothing, no matter how many you got right and how close you came.
THANKS FOR PLAYING. BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME
One thing is certainly true. If a big parlay hits then the potential payout is about as big as they come and you can walk away with a huge windfall. But the truth is…
THEY ALMOST NEVER DO
OUR FAVOURITE ROUND-ROBIN BETTING SITES:
BOVADA
Bovada has a nice wide variety of betting options and the site/app are particularly user-friendly.
Creating a round robin bet is as simple as selecting more than 2 teams for a bet slip. The round-robin tab automatically creates the odds and all you have to do is fill out the amounts and accept. Easy as you like.
MYBOOKIE
MyBookie is another site that makes life very simple for any round-robin newcomers and enthusiasts alike. Here again, any active betting slip will offer the bettor the option to turn it into a round-robin one with a single click and input of the stakes. MyBookie has a particularly interesting interface and overall is an excellent offshore sportsbook.
XBET
XBet is linked with MyBookie and they share the same unique interface and presentation. Round robin bets can only be created on straight moneyline wagers with XBet. Despite the reduced options for round-robin bets, XBet still represents a solid, straightforward way to place wagers.
BETONLINE
BetOnline is well-known for offering a huge range of betting markets and has a superb variety of other sports and activities to wager on when the NBA is not active. Largely the same system of creating a round-robin bet here.
Scroll down once you have selected your lines and merely create a round-robin. The difference is that there are some extra round-robin options not found elsewhere that are worth closer inspection.
HOW TO PLACE A ROUND ROBIN BET
Although it could not be much simpler – here is a brief step-by-step guide to placing a round-robin wager.
The first thing to do is to decide how many teams you want to include in your round-robin bet and identify them. Ask yourself these questions:
Does each of these selections represent a good bet if they were single wagers?
As soon as you pick a line or other type of bet that you wish to make, any betting sites will generally create a bet slip automatically. User interfaces and styles vary a little but it should be fairly easy to locate a tab or button that says ’round-robin’ or ‘RR’ – something along those lines. All you do now is input the amounts that you wish to stake on each line and confirm the round-robin wager.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Round-robin wagers are a great way to incorporate your predictions about a number of games that are all set to occur concurrently or within a short space of time. They are perfect for a Saturday afternoon of EPL soccer games in the UK. March Madness is almost upon us and is just the ticket, as is a weekend of NBA action in the US.
Depending on the type of bettor you are, round-robin betting can certainly offer up some interesting situations and longer-term betting strategies.
As a casual/recreational gambler, round-robin bets represent a much better choice than long-shot parlays.
Professional sports bettors make very little use of round-robins as, statistically, they will lose more than they win. This is referred to as a “negative expected value” and when you take sports betting as seriously as they do, that is a significant fact. For us mere mortals throwing a few bucks at weekend games, round-robins typically represent a decent, interesting way to combine several lines and increase potential payout amounts.
Multiple bets will return more dividends if you win and the round-robin means that one loss is not the end of your bet slip like a parlay wager. But please remember that, although round-robin betting represents a slightly less-risky endeavour than a straight parlay, (what doesn’t?) it is still no guarantee of success.
Please take time to try and evaluate your situation objectively.
It is not always easy to do and you may need to ask for the help of a friend or family member. If you think you might have a gambling problem then please seek assistance. Addiction comes in many guises and is no joke.
