A round robin (RR) is simply a nickname for a type of parlay wagering strategy. You take a group of three or more selections and put them in combinations of individual parlays. You could enter these parlays individually yourself, but a lot of sportsbooks allow you to select a round-robin option and do it automatically. This proves to be a much faster proposition.
Round robins get a lot more complex as the number of teams goes up. A two-way round robin means that you are betting as many different two-team parlay combinations as you can with a given number of teams. On a three-team RR two-way parlay, you would have three different two-teamers.
Let’s just give an example to show you how a three-team RR two-way bet would work. You like three teams we’ll call the Cowboys -7, Packers -7 and 49ers +4. Let’s say you wanted $100 on each pair. Here’s how your wagers would look:
- Parlay 1:
Cowboys -7
Packers -7
Betting $100 to win $260 - Parlay 2:
Cowboys -7
49ers +4
Betting $100 to win $260 - Parlay 3:
Packers -7
49ers +4
Betting $100 to win $260
How Do You Win a Round Robin?
So, you’ll be risking $300 for a potential profit of $780. Your only options will be to lose all three, win all three, or lose two and win one. If you lose all three, you would obviously be out $300. If you win one and lose two, you would win $60. So, you basically have to go 2-1 or 3-0 to show a profit.
Are They Worth It?
That’s why it might be better to just bet all three separately for $100 each because if you go 2-1, you win $90 instead of $60. If you go 1-2 you lose $120 instead of $300. However, if you go 3-0, you would only win $300 compared to $780! The chances of going 3-0 are 7/1, meaning you will only hit one three-team parlay out of every seven you bet.
Here is a look at the Round Robin table showing you how many picks, how many ways you can bet them, and how many different combinations of bets you will have for each.
| Picks | Ways | Number of Bets |
|---|
| 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | 2 | 10 |
| 5 | 3 | 10 |
| 5 | 4 | 5 |
| 6 | 2 | 15 |
| 6 | 3 | 20 |
| 6 | 4 | 15 |
| 6 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | 2 | 21 |
| 7 | 3 | 35 |
| 7 | 4 | 35 |
| 7 | 5 | 21 |
| 7 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 2 | 28 |
| 8 | 3 | 56 |
| 8 | 4 | 70 |
| 8 | 5 | 56 |
| 8 | 6 | 28 |
As you can see, there are so many different combinations you can bet. The problem is that the more teams you have, the more bets you are going to have to place. Say you have eight teams and want to do as many 4-team parlays as you can do with those eight teams. Well, there’s a whopping 70 different combinations of 4-team parlays with eight teams. So, if you’re betting $100 on each parlay, that means you will be betting $7,000.
It’s simply not worth the risk in my opinion. If you go 3-5, you lose all 70 bets for a grand total of $7,000. You would have to go at least 4-4 to get any money back, and even then you’d only hit one 4-team parlay at 10/1 odds, which would bring back $1,000. So, you’d still lose $5,900 by simply going .500. You’d lose 69 bets at $1000 each and win one for $1,000.
The novice sports bettor sees a chance at a huge payout with these Round Robin parlays. And, if you do bet as many parlays as you can with six teams and go 6-0, then you are going to make a fortune. But how many times have you actually gone 6-0 in a day? The chances of doing so are slim to none, and if you bet too many of these Round Robin parlays, then you’re going to be broke before you ever get the chance to go 6-0.
FAQs
Lower Profit Margins – While round robin bets offer the potential for higher payouts, the profit margins can be lower compared to single bets or straight parlays. This is due to the increased stake and the fact that you are splitting your wager across multiple parlays.
What is the most profitable strategy for a parlay? ›
Hedging Parlay Betting Strategy
This strategy is one that many consider to be the best parlay strategy. If the favorite wins, the underdog pick helps to balance out the loss of the other game. The other part of hedging is making selections based on when the game is being played.
How do you win a round robin parlay? ›
As long as 2 out of the 3 teams win, in an RR you'll receive a payout. This is the main difference between an RR and a regular parlay, where you would need all three teams to win for your bet to be considered as winning.
What are the combinations for round robin parlays? ›
Round Robin betting essentially is a parlay, but instead of three to 15 individual games or outcomes, you have a parlay with three or more parlays within it – parlays within a parlay. These round robin bets can include any betting option – moneyline, totals, point spreads, etc.
Can you win all round robin bets? ›
By playing the round-robin, you now have every combination of two-leg parlays from those four bets. If you play the regular four-leg parlay, all four bets have to win, or you get nothing. In this case, as long as at least two of the bets win, you'll get some of your money back.
Is it smart to bet round robins? ›
Round robin parlays offer a bigger top payout and a better chance to mitigate losses. But it's not always the top choice. A $100 bet on a three-team point spread parlay wager can win you roughly $600. A $100 wager on a three-team round robin costs you $300, but the payout is nearly $1,100.
How do you consistently win parlays? ›
The best and most profitable strategy to employ with parlays is known as a correlated parlay. Another way to incorporate parlays into your strategy is to bet into weak numbers and combine them with other, stronger spreads to increase your exposure to the weak number.
What pays more round robin or parlay? ›
Whereas a single parlay bet gives bettors just one chance to win if all legs are successful, a round robin bet gives bettors multiple chances to win. Potential payouts are higher, but so are the risks even when you're using Arizona sportsbook promo codes.
What is the most profitable bet? ›
Hedging bets is by far the most successful betting strategy. This is where you're able to place multiple bets to cover all possible results and still make a profit regardless of the outcome of the game.
What are the 10 bets in a round robin? ›
The round robin bet is a 3 selection wager consisting of 10 bets: 3 doubles, 1 treble and 3 up-and-down single stakes about pairs.
While some punters prefer to risk it by wagering on a parlay with long odds, others consider it safer to break their big parlay down into multiple parts and bet on each smaller parlay. This betting type is called a round-robin bet.
Can you lose a round robin bet? ›
Potentially High Risk for Minimal Reward
This is because round-robin bets require multiple parlays to win, and if none of them hit, you'll lose your entire wager. Even if one or more of your parlays win, the payout may not be enough to cover the losses on the other parlays.
What is round robin pattern? ›
A round robin is an arrangement of choosing all elements in a group equally in some rational order, usually from the top to the bottom of a list and then starting again at the top of the list and so on.
How do you calculate round robin matches? ›
To determine the number of games for a single round robin tournament, as seen above, use the following formula, N x (N-1)/2. With a tournament of 6 teams, the calculation would be: 6 x (6-1)/2 = 6 x 5/2 = 30/2 = 15 games. To keep track of winners I use the following record chart in class.
How many bets can you lose in a round robin? ›
You still break even with a round robin bet, even if one leg fails. Of course, if two teams do not cover, you will lose every parlay in your round robin bet. Say that you bet the same $15 and created a single three-team parlay that featured the Nets, Rangers, and Cowboys covering the spread.
Are parlays a good way to make money? ›
Bettors are far less likely to win parlay bets than individual bets, and sportsbooks make more money from parlay bets than individual bets. The odds on individual bets are calculated even to generate a small profit for the sportsbook. That gives gamblers a 50% chance of making a profit with standard bets.
Can parlays be profitable? ›
Parlays Can Be Profitable
A great thing about parlays is that most bookmakers will automatically laugh and think 'sucker bet', when in fact some parlays are highly profitable for the bettor. Knowing these spots will greatly increase to your bankroll and will also provide some laughs along the way.
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