Accumulator v Yankee – Which Is The Best Bet?
It’s seriously annoying as an accumulator punter when your bet lets you down by just one or two selections. If you find yourself in that position on a regular basis then a Yankee bet might better fit your needs.
In this article we’ll look at if you should place an Accumulator or Yankee and which bet is better.
What is an Accumulator Bet?
An accumulator bet is a single bet consisting of multiple selections (in this example, we are using four selections as a default but you can include as many selections as you like on an accumulator bet).
In order for your accumulator bet to win, all the chosen selections you make must win. If one or more of your selections does not win, then you lose the bet (unless you have bet with a company offering some form of offer, such as Acca insurance in the event of one selection losing).
As there is only one ‘line’ within this bet, there is only one bet placed so a £10 accumulator bet, would cost you £10.
Accumulators are seen as low risk/high reward bets, where a punter can wager a small amount, yet yield large returns if they manage to land all selections.
What is a Yankee Bet?
A Yankee bet is a wager that consists of four selections, which is comprised of a total of eleven different bets. The bets that constituent a yankee are:
- Six Doubles: Selections 1 & 2, 1 & 3, 1 & 4, 2 & 3, 2 & 4 and 3 & 4.
- Four Trebles: Selections 1, 2 and 3, 1, 2 and 4, 1, 3 and 4 and 2, 3 and 4.
- One Four-Fold – Selections, 1, 2, 3 and 4.
There are no single bets placed with a Yankee (If you want single bets, this is called a Lucky 15) and in order to generate a return, you need two of your four selections to win, though if more win the greater the return.
The Accumulator Vs Yankee Bet
So, if I am considering placing a bet on four selections, which type of bet suits me best? In truth, that depends very much on the bet and what you want to achieve from it, as well as how much you are prepared to wager. Let’s take a closer look at the main differences between each bet by examining the positive and negative aspects of each.
Accumulator Positives & Negatives
+ Cheap to place – An accumulator is a single line bet which means you only pay one unit stake. With a unit stake of £10, to place an acca bet would cost you £10.
+ Big wins possible – Even on a four-fold accumulator, it is possible to land a significant return even from a modest initial bet. For example place £10 on a four-fold with four selections of 5/1 and a £10 bet would return you £12,960
+ Easy to follow – Acca bets are very easy to place, one single unit stake and all your selections need to win. Simple.
+ Acca promotions always readily available – Because accumulator bets are so popular most major online bookmakers will have one or more accumulator-based offers available for punters to use which can give them insurance on their bet, or a bonus payable on a successful acca win (full list of promotions here).
+ Flexible – You can make as many or as few selections to an acca bet as you like but the price of the bet does not change.
– All selections must win – If just one of your selections lets you down, the bet is lost.
Yankee Positives and Negatives
+ Win more often – Given that you don’t need all your selections to win to receive some cash back, indeed only half of the four selections, you will find you will get a return more often on a yankee bet than an accumulator
+ Includes accumulator – Your yankee bet includes a wager on all four selections winning together, so if your accumulator comes in, you’d still gain a good return on the fourfold with a yankee bet.
+ One winner can equal profit – a Yankee bet is 11 different bets, but landing just one double could see you earn enough to make a profit. For example, place a £10 unit stake Yankee bet on four selections at 3/1, 4/1, 6/1 and 8/1 would cost you £110. However if your 3/1 and 8/1 selections come in, you would return £360 in total, meaning though even 10 of your 11 bets did not come to fruition, you still make a £250 profit.
– Inflexible – A yankee bet can only consist of four selections, whereas an acca can be any number of selections.
– More expensive – As a yankee is 11 bets together in one, you need to place 11 unit stakes. If a £10 accumulator costs £10, a £10 Yankee bet would cost £110.
When is an Accumulator bet the better option?
An accumulator bet is usually a better option when you think all of your selections have a good chance of winning or are very low odds selections which would mean even if they were to land as a double or treble, you would not be likely to make your money back. They are ideal bets for punters who don’t want to risk much on a bet, but would like the chance to win big if all of their selections come in.
When is a Yankee bet the better option?
A yankee bet is probably a better option for the more experienced punter who is willing to ‘speculate to accumulate’. Yankee bets are more expensive but they offer better long term profitability if you can hit two or more of your selections regularly at the right odds. A yankee bet isn’t good value with three or more odds on selections, but if you have several longer odds options (say 3/1 or higher) then they are better value for the punter.
Related Reading
– Best Bookmakers For Accumulators
– Best Bookmakers For Yankee Bets
– Yankee vs Lucky 15
– Accumulator vs Lucky 15
