System Bets Explained

Are you totally new to the sports betting world? Or have you been placing single wagers for a while up till now? Maybe you’re even familiar with parlay bets? Now it’s time for a step further!

It’s great that your curiosity brought you here! After you figure out the idea of system betting you will have a brand new range of options in sports betting, which might lead you to great winnings.

Parimatch’s team of dedicated betting experts have carefully pieced together this article as a tool to help you get system bet explained in one place. This article will walk you through how to place system bets, when and why you place system bets, the pros, and cons of system bets, as well as a plethora of system bet tips and strategies to help improve your wagers.

While system bets, sometimes referred to as combination bets, are usually reserved for the more advanced bettor, we’re offering a comprehensive guide to help you work out how to make combined bets yourself. So what are you waiting for? Sign up to the best of sports betting providers — Parimatch — to start playing and win money straight from your mobile phone with only a few clicks.

What Are System Bets?

System bets are a way of betting on multiple bets at once, with higher potential winnings and balanced risks.

Say you want to make sports bets on three football matches. There are three ways that you can do this: singles, parlay or system bets. If you bet all three matches as single bets, you will only win back the individual odds for each match. In this scenario, if one of your bets is right and the others are wrong, you win the money on the correct predictions, and if your selections lose you won’t get money for such bets.

If you bet a parlay (sometimes known as an accumulator bet), you are betting that all of your predictions are correct. In this instance, you get higher odds of all the bets together. If you are right, you win big as you win your stake times the multiplied odds. In order to win, however, all three of your predictions must be correct. If even one of your predictions is wrong, you lose all the bets — even if the other two are right.

With system bets, you get the best of both worlds. You can place bets and still win if some of your bets are correct, and one of them is a lost bet. However, system bets work by combining bets, you multiply the odds, which enables you to win big if your predictions are correct.

In the instance that you place four bets:

You can choose to place a single bet, which would be four separate bets.

You could choose to use the double system bet, which would be 6 bets:

• Bet 1 x Bet 2
• Bet 1 x Bet 3
• Bet 1 x Bet 4
• Bet 2 x Bet 3
• Bet 2 x Bet 4
• Bet 3 x Bet 4

You could choose to use the triples bet system, which would be 4 bets:

• Bet 1 x Bet 2 x Bet 3
• Bet 1 x Bet 2 x Bet 4
• Bet 1 x Bet 3 x Bet 4
• Bet 2 x Bet 3 x Bet 4

You could choose to bet four ways, which in this case would be an accumulator bet: Bet 1 x Bet 2 x Bet 3 x Bet 4

In some cases, bettors prefer to employ more than one of these systems, betting on both doubles and triples for example. Sometimes combining systems in this way is called “multi-selection system betting”. If you made correct predictions, this could be extremely profitable. If only some are correct, you still have a chance of making good winnings.

In short, the idea of system bets is to increase the potential prize money without completely diminishing your chances. While parlay bets give you high odds for multiple bets, this is also a high-risk strategy.

How Does System Betting Work?

System betting works by enabling punters to place combinations of bets when betting on multiple matches. By doing this, odds can be multiplied together, which can result in more profitable bets if they pay off. However, as system bets don’t require that all the predictions are correct, system bet removes high risk, unlike parlay bets.

Let’s take this combination of bets below as a working example:

Match	Bet type	Bet on	Odds
West Ham United — Liverpool FC	1×2	Liverpool FC	1.34
Leicester City — Chelsea FC	1×2	Chelsea FC	2.65
AFC Bournemouth — Aston Villa	1×2	AFC Bournemouth	2.08

If you place single bets, you would bet on min odds of 1.34, 2.65, and 2.08 separately. Now imagine that you bet 10,000 TZS on each game. When the matches are finished, it appears the Bournemouth vs Aston Villa prediction was correct, and the Leicester City vs Chelsea prediction was correct, but the West Ham vs Liverpool prediction was wrong.

In this case, you would win 10,800 TZS profit on the Bournemouth bet (plus your 10,000 TZS stake is returned), and you would make 16,500 TZS on the Chelsea bet (plus that 10,000 TZS stake is returned). However, you would lose your 10,000 TZS stake on the Liverpool bet. Overall your profit would be 17,300 TZS.

If you were to place a parlay on multiple events and only 2 out of the 3 results were correct, you’d lose your total stake of 30,000 TZS.

However, if you were to place a system bet on doubles, you would place three bets that two out of three of the predictions were correct. In this example, your bets would be:

• Stake A — Liverpool win + Chelsea win = 1.34 x 2.65 = 3.551
• Stake B — Chelsea win + Bournemouth win = 2.65 x 2.08 = 5.512
• Stake C — Liverpool win + Bournemouth win = 1.34 x 2.08 = 2.7872

Now imagine that you placed a 10,000 TZS stake on each of the three wagers. In the event that the Liverpool prediction is wrong, Stake B is correct. This would mean giving you a return of 55,120 TZS. Minus your 30,000 TZS stake and your profit is 25,120 TZS. This is a higher profit than winning both single bets.

System Bet Examples on Real Bet Slip

The number of matches or games that you are betting on denotes the number of combinations. If you are betting on four matches, you can bet on doubles, triples, or four-fold. If you are betting on 8 matches, you can bet on doubles, triples, four-, five-, six-, seven-, eight-fold.

Some systems include combining different betting systems together as multi-selection system bets. So, in some scenarios, you may place double bets and also triple bets instead of regular single bet scenarios.

2/3 System Bet

A 2/3 combination bet is a type of system that often refers to doubles on a three-match bet and comes from the idea that at least two out of the three of your bets will be correct. This is the situation described in the example above.

Let’s go back over it with an ice hockey example:

Match	Bet type	Bet on	Odds
Dallas Stars — Toronto Maple Leafs	1×2	Toronto Maple Leafs	2.60
Anaheim Ducks — Arizona Coyotes	1×2	Arizona Coyotes	2.26
Edmonton Oilers — Calgary Flames	1×2	Edmonton Oilers	2.20

In this case, you place a 2/3 system bet that the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Arizona Coyotes, and the Edmonton Oilers will win their matches. Your 2/3 bet system looks like this:

• Bet A — Maple Leafs win + Coyotes win = 2.60 x 2.26 = 5.876
• Bet B — Coyotes win + Oilers win = 2.26 x 2.20 = 4.972
• Bet C — Maple Leafs win + Oiler win = 2.60 x 2.20 = 5.72

Say, you place three wagers of 10,000 TZS on each team. Two of the three teams win, perhaps the Coyotes and the Oilers, but the Maple Leaf lose. In this scenario, your payout would be 49,720 TZS. If you minus your 30,000 TZS stake, you make a profit of 19,720 TZS.

Imagine, however, that all teams win. Now all three of your bets pay off, so you receive 58,760 TZS from Bet A, 49,720 TZS from Bet B, and 57,200 TZS from Bet C. Once you minus your 30,000 TZS stake, your total winnings would be 135,680 TZS.

Let’s compare this to single bets. If you had placed single bets, and the Coyotes and Oilers won, but the Maple Leafs lost, you would have made 26,000 TZS and 22,600 TZS from the victorious bets. Minus your 30,000 TZS stake and your total profit would have been 18,600 TZS, compared to 19,720 TSH from the 2/3 system bet.

If all three predictions had been correct, you would have received 70,600 TZS as a payout. Minus your 30,000 TZS stake, and your profit would have been 40,600 TZS. This is 95,080 TZS less than you would make with the system bet.

A 2/3 bet can increase your potential winnings while keeping the risk minimal compared to parlay betting.

A little tip — it is best to place bets on odds over 2.00 if you are placing doubles bets. Otherwise, it is harder to cover the stake or make more than single bets.

2/4 System Bet

2/4 system bets are doubles bets when you are betting on four matches or games. This consists of six bets.

Let’s use this example of four Premiership games:

Match	Bet type	Bet on	Odds
Newcastle United — Norwich City	1×2	Newcastle United	2.22
Watford FC — Everton FC	1×2	Everton FC	2.55
Crystal Palace — Sheffield United	1×2	Sheffield United	2.48
Wolverhampton Wanderers — Leicester City	1×2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	2.60

Your six bets would be:

• Stake A — Newcastle United win + Everton win — 2.22 x 2.55 = 5.661
• Stake B — Newcastle United win + Sheffield United win — 2.22 x 2.48 = 5.5056
• Stake C — Newcastle United win + Wolverhampton Wanderers win — 2.22 x 2.60 = 5.772
• Stake D — Everton win + Sheffield United win — 2.55 x 2.48 = 6.324
• Stake E — Everton win + Wolverhampton Wanderers win — 2.55 x 2.60 = 6.63
• Stake F — Sheffield United win + Wolverhampton Wanderers win — 2.48 x 2.60 = 6.448

In order to win anything, at least two of the four picks need to be correct.

In this specific scenario, if Newcastle and Sheffield United were correct and Everton and Wolves were wrong, this would be the worst outcome.

If you were to place a 1000 TZS wager on each pick, you would only receive 5.5056 TZS, meaning you would lose 494 TZS from staking on the other games.

However, if your two highest odds were correct and Everton and Wolves won, you would make 6,630 TZS, giving you a 630 TZS profit once you deduct the stake.

Now, imagine that three teams won — Everton, Sheffield United, and Wolves. In this scenario, bets D, E, and F would all pay off, giving you a 19,402 TZS payout, which is a 13,402 TZS profit.

Just picture if all four picks are correct. With a 1,000 TZS bet on each, you would make a profit of 30,340.60 TZS (with the stake deducted).

Trixie System Bet

The Trixie system bet is a way of combining two types of system bets on three events. In this scenario, you would pick the 2/3 system (or doubles) and a triple (or parlay on a 3-pick bet). This would look like this:

• A x B
• A x C
• B x C
• A x B x C

Let’s look at an example from the UEFA Champions League:

 

Match	Bet type	Bet on	Odds
Atletico Madrid — Liverpool FC	1×2	Newcastle United	2.37
Borussia Dortmund — Paris Saint Germain	1×2	Everton FC	2.14
Tottenham Hotspur — RB Leipzig	1×2	Sheffield United	2.30

From these picks, the Trixie system bets would be:

• Stake A — Liverpool win + PSG win = 2.37 x 2.14 = 5.0718
• Stake B — Liverpool win + Tottenham Hotspur win = 2.37 x 2.30 = 5.451
• Stake C — PSG win + Tottenham Hotspur win = 2.14 x 2.30 = 4.922
• Stake D — Liverpool win + PSG win + Tottenham Hotspur win = 2.37 x 2.14 x 2.30 = 11.66514

Say, you place a 1000 TZS wager on each pick. In the worst-case scenario, the PSG and Tottenham picks are correct. You would receive a 4922 TZS payout, giving a profit of 922 TZS.

However, in the scenario that all picks in your bet slip are correct, you would win 5071.80 TZS from Stake A, 5451 TZS from Stake B, 4922 TZS from Stake C, and 11,665.14 TZS from Stake D. This would give you a total payout of 25,109.94 TZS, giving you a whopping profit of 23,109.94 TZS! If this happens, it’s called a Trixie.

If you had bet single bets instead, the maximum profit on winning all three picks would have been 3810 TZS.

Patent System Bets

Patent system bets are another combination of system bets used to make money on three picks. In a patent system combination, you make seven bets like this:

• A
• B
• C
• A x B
• A x C
• B x C
• A x B x C

In this combination, you include the singles betting series as well as the parlay.

If we were to use the same picks in a betslip as above, imagining that Liverpool was A, PSG was B, and Tottenham Hotspur was C, the worst outcome (as per the odds) would be a win to PSG and Tottenham and a loss to Liverpool. If this were the scenario, with a patent bet, you would still win the B x C bet, returning a 4922 TZS payout. However, you would also receive 2140 TZS for the PSG win and 2300 TZS for the Tottenham Hotspur win.

This would give you a total payout of 9362 TZS, with a profit of 2362 TZS.

If you were to win all seven selections, however, your payout would be 2370 TZS + 2140 TZS + 2300 TZS + 5071.80 TZS + 5451 TZS + 4922 TZS + 11,665.14 TZS, for a total of 31,919.94 TZS. Once the 7000 TZS stake is deducted, you would be left with a profit of 24,919.94 TZS.

Yankee System Bet

The Yankee system bet is 4 pick system, similar to the Trixie system bet but for four picks. If you understand the Trixie system, it’s pretty easy to get your head around. You place 11 bets like this as six doubles, three triples, and a four-fold, like this:

1. Stake 1 — A x B
2. Stake 2 — A x C
3. Stake 3 — A x D
4. Stake 4 — B x C
5. Stake 5 — B x D
6. Stake 6 — C x D
7. Stake 7 — A x B x C
8. Stake 8 — A x B x D
9. Stake 9 — A x C x D
10. Stake 10 — B x C x D
11. Stake 11 — A x B x C x D

If you get all the bets right, it’s called a Yankee.

Super Yankee

A Super Yankee system bet works at the same principle as the Yankee system but works for five picks. It’s a system that comprises 26 bets, whereby you can start making returns from only two correct predictions. Bear in mind, though, that this doesn’t mean you’ll always make a profit, but it does mean that if at least two predictions are correct, you should make some money back. In this system, you need to place 10 doubles, 10 triples, 5 fourfold bets, and 1 fivefold bet.

Heinz

Named after Heinz’s 57 varieties, the Heinz system bet is made up of 57 bets using six picks. With your six predictions, you place your bets as 10 doubles, 20 triples, 15 fourfold bets, 6 fivefold bets, and 1 sixfold bet. Again, if you get at least two of your six predictions right, you’ll start making your money back.

Super Heinz

The Super Heinz system is for seven picks and consists of a whopping 120 bets. This system places your seven picks as 21 doubles, 35 triples, 35 fourfold bets, 21 fivefold bets, 7 sixfold bets, and 1 sevenfold bet. As long as two of your picks are correct, you’ll receive some returns.

Goliath

The Goliath system is named as such because it is a system made up of a lot of bets — 247 combinations, to be exact! You make 8 predictions on matches, and you order your bets as 28 doubles, 56 triples, 70 fourfold bets, 56 fivefold bets, 28 sixfold bets, 8 sevenfold bets, and 1 eightfold bet.

Alphabet

The alphabet garners its name because it comprises 26 bets. It’s a mix of patent and Yankee bets and is a way of betting on 6 events. You need to label the events 1-6 and place two patent bets, a Yankee, and a parlay, in this order:

• Patent — 1, 2, 3, 1 x 2, 1 x 3, 2 x 3, 1 x 2 x 3
• Patent — 4, 5, 6, 4 x 5, 4 x 6, 5 x 6, 4 x 5 x 6
• Yankee — 2,3,4,5, 2 x 3, 2 x 4, 2 x 5, 3 x 4, 3 x 5, 4 x 5, 2 x 3 x 4, 2 x 3 x 5, 2 x 4 x 5, 3 x 4 x 5, 2 x 3 x 4 x 5
• Parlay — 1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5 x 6

System Betting Strategies

The following strategies are excellent system betting strategies to try and mitigate risk and increase profits. These strategies will leverage the system bets from above and apply them using different variations of draws, underdogs, and favorites in order to play the odds. Here are some of the top strategies:

The X Factor Strategy

This is a type of system betting that aims to push up profits as high as possible by only placing bets on draws. As pro bettors know, draws are difficult to predict, which is why they generally always have high odds — most often above 3.00. When using the X-Factor strategy, players choose any of the systems above (depending on the number of bets they would like to place), but they choose teams that are most likely to draw.

In order to understand which teams are most likely to draw, you need to consider teams that are equally skilled, have similar offensive or defensive playing styles, and have no rivalries (those without a rivalry are more likely to draw). You can determine this by studying the chances of each team winning. If the odds are somewhat similar, the two teams are more likely to draw.

The Yankee-Up Strategy

This betting type is risky but can pay off highly if your picks are correct. The Yankee-Up strategy requires that you make 7 picks and place them in a series of Yankee system bets. These Yankee system bets are in a particular configuration. Imagine that you number all 7 picks, 1-7. You need to make 7 Yankee-type bets with this configuration: 1236-1245-1357-1467-2347-2567-3456. Just to be clear, for each of these sets of picks, you’ll bet 6 doubles, 4 triples, and a four-way. This amounts to 77 bets in total, like this:

• A — 1 x 2, 1 x 3, 1 x 6, 2 x 3, 2 x 6, 3 x 6, 1 x 2 x 3, 1 x 2 x 6, 1 x 3 x 6, 2 x 3 x 6, 1 x 2 x 3 x 6
• B — 1 x 2, 1 x 4, 1 x 5, 2 x 4, 2 x 5, 4 x 5, 1 x 2 x 4, 1 x 2 x 5, 1 x 4 x 5, 2 x 4 x 5, 1 x 2 x 4 x 5
• C — 1 x 3, 1 x 5, 1 x 7, 3 x 5, 3 x 7, 5 x 7, 1 x 3 x 5, 1 x 3 x 7, 1 x 5 x 7, 3 x 5 x 7, 1 x 3 x 5 x 7
• D — 1 x 4, 1 x 6, 1 x 7, 4 x 6, 4 x 7, 6 x 7, 1 x 4 x 6, 1 x 4 x 7, 1 x 6 x 7, 4 x 6 x 7, 1 x 4 x 6 x 7
• E — 2 x 3, 2 x 4, 2 x 7, 3 x 4, 3 x 7, 4 x 7, 2 x 3 x 4, 2 x 3 x 7, 2 x 4 x 7, 3 x 4 x 7, 2 x 3 x 4 x 7
• F — 2 x 5, 2 x 6, 2 x 7, 5 x 6, 5 x 7, 6 x 7, 2 x 5 x 6, 2 x 5 x 7, 2 x 6 x 7, 5 x 6 x 7, 2 x 5 x 6 x 7
• G — 3 x 4, 3 x 5, 3 x 6, 4 x 5, 4 x 6, 5 x 6, 3 x 4 x 5, 3 x 4 x 6, 3 x 5 x 6, 4 x 5 x 6, 3 x 4 x 5 x 6

In this system, if two selections fail, you will still be able to win a full Yankee and a few other bets within the system. If three selections let you down, you will still be able to get one whole Yankee. The risk comes into play if you get any more than 3 picks wrong, you will start to lose money.

The Each-Way Strategy

This is a strategy of using system bets when you place each-way bets. An each-way bet is a wager where you don’t only bet on the winner but also on the place bets. In this sense, you’re placing two bets at a time. To use the easy-way system, it is better to only use it for Trixie systems bets or equivalent small systems, or you will be placing lots of bets. Essentially, you will place a Trixie bet, but because you are placing each-way bets, you place 8 bets instead of four. The profit margin is lower, but your winning is guaranteed.

The Pros and Cons of System Bets

A favorite with more experienced bettors, system bets can be a great way to up your profits with less risk than accumulator or parlay bets. Wondering about the pros and cons of system bets? Here’s how we see it at Parimatch:

Advantages

• Bigger Potential Winnings

When you place individual bets, you only have the chance of winning the individual min odds on each bet. By combining your bets in systems, you increase the maximum winnings that you could obtain with the right multiple outcomes. This is especially true if all your predictions are correct.

• Return After Two Right Predictions

For those playing system bets, as opposed to placing parlay bets, you still get a return after only two correct predictions. Where parlay bets need to have all the pics correct to win money back, system bets will start to pay out as soon as at least two predictions are right.

• More Adventurous Betting with Multiple Strategies

System bets enable the more experienced bettor to liven up their betting style a little more with a variety of strategies. There are so many types of system bets that punters can mix and match depending on the sport, the games in play, and the conditions. With this in mind, system bets give more room for intelligent strategizing.

• Less Risk Than Accumulator Bets

Accumulator or parlay bets can pay out extremely highly if all your picks are correct. The reason for this is that these kinds of bets are extremely risky. Instead, system bets enable you to up your odds by combining bets, but without such high risk, as you don’t need to win all the bets to make good returns.

Disadvantages

• Higher Upfront Investment

When placing system bets, you may need to place higher stakes as there can be a large number of wagers. If you are placing a Goliath bet, for example, you are placing 247 bets, which may need a little more upfront investment than you planned with individual bets.

• Not Beginner Friendly

System bets do require quite a substantial amount of mathematics. In order to get paid out correctly, you need to know what you’re doing. On top of this, picking the right predictions may mean scouring statistics and understanding historical gameplay. This takes a little background knowledge and may be slightly tricky for new bettors.

• Returns May Not Cover Stake

While you can start making returns on system bets from two predictions, this may not cover your stake. When using these bet types, you need to consider the lowest return you will get if only two predictions are correct and how much you may lose — and, therefore, if it is worth it.

Which Sports Are Best for System Bets?

At the Parimatch sports betting platform, we don’t allow system bets on any sport. You can choose only between single and parlay bets.

However, it is important to understand that the best odds tend to come in sports where there is a draw option, as it makes it a little less likely that the favorite will always be the winner. With this in mind, system bets are not always the best options for sports without a draw.

In tennis, for example, the favorite tends to win, and system bets with only favorites or odds of less than 2.0 aren’t really worth placing as you won’t make much more money, and the risk increases considerably. That said, if you’re placing bets where you throw in a few underdogs, system bets can always be a great way to try and boost your potential profit in any sport.

System Betting Summary

In short, system betting is a great way to potentially win big without adding too much of a risk element. While it can be tempting to place all accumulator bets due to the draw of the high odds, this is a very risky move. With system bets, you can potentially win more money than you would on individual bets but without the strong risk associated with parlays.

Bear in mind that system bets are usually for more experienced bettors. If you are just starting out with system bets, it is probably best to try with low stakes so that you don’t lose too much if your picks are wrong. You can start there and work up to bigger stakes and more complicated systems once you get the hang of how this betting type works. Remember that while you start making returns from just two correct predictions, you might not always make enough money to cover your stake, so try to calculate your potential winnings before placing a single system bet.

Read More:

• Deposit with Airtel
• How to Make Bets on Ice Hockey
• Betting Against The Spread (ATS) Explained
• Why is Sports Betting Customer Service Important

FAQ

What is system bet in Parimatch?

A system bet in Parimatch is a type of wager that allows bettors to combine multiple selections into a single bet. It covers all possible combinations of the selected outcomes, increasing the chances of winning compared to traditional single bets. System bets offer flexibility and potential for profit, but they require a higher stake as multiple bets are placed simultaneously.

Please note that currently, Parimatch does not offer system bets as part of our betting options.

Are system bets worth it?

System bets help to spread your risks. This, in turn, boosts your chances of ultimately making a profit. Further, while system bets are designed for any sports betting, they are mostly worth using for sports, such as football, tennis, horse races, and basketball.

What is a system 4 5 bet?

A system 4 5 bet simply refers to when a bettor places five multiple wagers of four predictions. So, if you have five correct predictions, both of the five bets get you wins. But, if you only have four correct ones, you only win one accumulator bet.

What is a system 3/4 bet?

A 3/4 system bet refers to four wagers which transpire four picks with four 3 parlays. So, to win, you need to have at least three out of the four picks correct. But, the actual winnings are determined by the number of predictions proven correctly.