A parlay bet is a common way for sports bettors to increase their odds and payoffs. Instead of making multiple, single bets, a parlay bet combines 2 or more bets into one bet. Each bet within the parlay must win in order for the parlay to win. If any bet within the parlay loses, the bet loses. The more teams put into a parlay bet, the higher the odds.

• What Does A 3 Team Parlay Payout Calculator
• What Does A 3 Team Parlay Payout Table
• What Does A 3 Team Parlay Payout Schedule

If there is a tie or no action, the parlay reverts to the next lowest number for pay-off, for example: if you select 4 teams and one of those ties, it becomes a 3 team parlay. A tie and win on a 2 team parlay pays out as a straight bet. You cannot combine ‘connected’, ‘dependent’ or ‘correlated’ events in the same parlay. All payouts based on odds of -110 This means that if you were to say pick a parlay like our example from earlier for three teams, you would get paid out at 6 to 1. The last and final way that you can figure out the payout on a parlay bet is to calculate it yourself. Instead of placing a $20, 5 team parlay, it’s better to make a 3 team parlay for more money. While the odds are lower, the win-rate is much higher, relying on only 3 wins instead of 5. By increasing the bet size, you can make up for the lower odds. This gives you a better chance at a win and a nice payday. Typically, a three team parlay will pay out at 6/1. If all three of these teams cover the point spread, then the bet would be won. For every $100 wagered on this parlay, a $600 profit is made. If one of the bets was to push though for example, you would be paid as if you made a 2 team parlay bet, which would be 3 to 1, or $300. Consider a $100 bet with the stake not included in the payout: 2 team parlay – 13/5 odds, pays $260 3 team parlay – 6/1 odds, pays $600 4 team parlay – 10/1 odds, pays $1000.

Parlay bets should be used by one type of bettor, casual bettors doing it for occasional fun. Serious and professional sports bettors should only place parlay bets on very limited occasions, if ever. Since it only takes one loss within a parlay to lose the entire bet, the risk is very high. On a 6 team parlay, you could go 5-1 and lose your entire bet. Had these been straight bets, you’d be a happy camper.

Recommended Sportsbook for Parlay Bets:

Higher than normal parlay payout odds

Parlay Betting Odds

Two types of parlay bets can be made – those that use a point spread, and those that use a money line. Point spread parlay bets have somewhat standard odds, being very close at most sportsbooks. While there can be some slight variation from one sportsbook to another, in order to be competitive they’re generally pretty similar.

Typical Point Spread Parlay Betting Odds

• 2 Teams: 2.6:1
• 3 Teams: 6:1
• 4 Teams: 10:1
• 5 Teams: 20:1
• 6 Teams: 40:1
• 7 Teams: 80:1
• 8 Teams: 100:1
• 9 Teams: 150:1
• 10 Teams: 300:1
• 11 Teams: 450:1
• 12 Teams: 600:1
• 13 Teams: 750:1
• 14 Teams: 900:1
• 15 Teams: 1500:1

Money Line Parlay Betting Odds

Odds for parlay bets when using a money line are relative to the odds of each pick within the parlay. If you’ve chosen a number of underdogs, your odds will go up. If you’ve chosen big favorites, the odds will be lower. Money line parlays are great for an annual trip to Vegas where the idea is to go big or go home. However, for people who take their sports betting seriously, they’re too high risk to be a reasonable betting strategy.

Benefits of Parlay Betting

Parlay bets allow sports bettors to make small bets with the possibility of large wins. They also allow bettors who have a limited bankroll to bet on multiple games, instead of waiting for games to end and time to collect their winnings. If multiple games are going on at the same time and you don’t have enough money to make straight bets on each game, a parlay bet is a way to get action on each game.

To put a parlay win into perspective, lets use a 5 game parlay as an example. If you made 5 straight bets for $22 each ($110 total wagered) and won all of them, you would win $20 per game for a $100 total profit. However that same $110 wagered on a successful 5 team parlay would pay $2200. But wait, before you go place your bet, keep reading.

Negatives of Parlay Betting

The major problem with parlay betting is that they don’t offer true odds. For example, the true odds of hitting an 8 team parlay is 255:1, while the payoff is only 100:1. This is a big disadvantage to the bettor. Similar to Roulette, when you split your chips across 2 numbers, you get slightly worse odds. When you split them across four numbers, the odds get worse again. The same can be said for parlay bets in sports betting.

Think of it this way. If you want to bet $100 on each of 5 games, but can’t afford to risk the full $500, you probably shouldn’t be betting at all. If you can afford the full $500, you will get a better payout with less risk of losing all your money by making straight bets.

Parlay Betting Tips

There are all sorts of little tips for improving your ROI on parlay bets, but there are a couple of tips that everyone needs to know. To improve your chances and win more on your parlay bets, follow these tips.

Bet on Fewer Teams, Raise Your Bets

Parlays are often used the wrong way. Instead of placing a $20, 5 team parlay, it’s better to make a 3 team parlay for more money. While the odds are lower, the win-rate is much higher, relying on only 3 wins instead of 5. By increasing the bet size, you can make up for the lower odds. This gives you a better chance at a win and a nice payday.

If you have more teams you want to bet on, split your parlays into multiple, smaller parlay bets.

Protect Your Bets

If you have a 5 team parlay that is 4-0 going into the fifth game, you stand to win $1000 on a $50 wager. A loss in the fifth game pays you nothing. To guarantee a win, place a straight bet for $525 on the team opposing your parlay pick. This will guarantee you a minimum win of $425 no matter what the result of the fifth game is. While expert bettors don’t bet a lot of parlays, when they do, this is a strategy they often employ.

If your parlay wins, you collect $1000. This is a $950 profit from your $50 bet, minus the $525 side bet, for a guaranteed win of $425.

If your parlay loses, you lose $50 there but make $477 profit (11/10 odds) on the $525 side bet, for $427 guaranteed profit.

Either way, you can grab a beer and enjoy that last game, knowing you’re a winner no matter what.

Parlay Betting Rules in Event of a Tie

Before placing a parlay bet at a live or online sportsbook, find out the rules in the event of a tie. At some sportsbooks a tie will remove one team from the parlay, moving it down one level. For example, if you have a 5 team parlay with one tie, the parlay will automatically become a 4 team parlay, essentially removing one team from the bet.

At other sportsbooks, a tie results in a loss. This is bad for the bettor, so make sure you know the rules before placing your bet. This is especially important for betting on soccer or hockey where ties are common. Expert sports bettors never place a parlay bet without knowing these rules.

NFL & NCAA Football Parlay Betting

Parlay bets are extremely popular with NFL and NCAA football bettors. Parlay bets for football combine multiple straight bets, meaning the point spread is used. A bettors job is to pick teams that will cover the spread. If any team within the parlay does not cover the spread, the entire parlay bet loses.

While we don’t like parlay bets for serious bettors, they’re a great way to add tons of excitement to a weekend of football. Just remember how hard it is to go 3 for 3 in your fantasy league before you place a 10 team parlay.

Find the odds of winning your sports bet parlay with the free parlay calculator (with push) below.

How to Use the Parlay Calculator

Enter your wager amount and odds (yellow fields) for each leg of the parlay and you will see your potential profit, equivalent American and Decimal odds, as well as the implied win probability of your parlay bet.

For a single bet, enter odds in American format. A minus sign (-) indicates a favorite while a plus sign (+) indicates an underdog.

Moneyline odds are the most common bets in a parlay, however you can select any type of bet. A money line bet is a wager on which team you think will win. Therefore money line bets are the most straight forward and easiest to interpret, especially when there are multiple in a parlay.

See Your Parlay Odds with Bets that Push

You can also check the Push boxes if your bet has pushed. Checking this box will adjust the parlay odds to account for the fact that you have pushed a given bet.

A “push” or tie, means that your bet will not cause your parlay to be graded as a loss. Instead that leg of the parlay will basically be ignored when calculating the payout of your parlay.

A bet could push if you bet on a point spread or total that hit exactly. For example, if the New York Knicks were +8 against the Los Angeles Lakers and lost by exactly 8 points, that would be a push.

Parlay Payouts Chart

Parlay Betting FAQ

How do you calculate parlay odds?

1. Convert all bets to decimal odds
2. Multiply the decimal odds of each bet together
3. Convert combined decimal odds back to American odds

How much will my parlay pay?

Your parlay pay out will depend on the odds and bet amount of each leg of your parlay. You can use the parlay calculator above to see exactly how much your parlay will pay given the odds of each bet in the parlay.

How much does a 10 team parlay pay?

A 10 team parlay will pay out 643 times your wager amount assuming each leg of the parlay has -110 odds. For example, if you place a $10 bet on a 10 team parlay, your pay out would be $6,430.

What does a $20 two team parlay pay?

A $20 two team parlay pays $72.89 assuming both legs of the parlay were bet at -110 odds. This would result in a profit of $52.89.

What happens when a bet in a parlay pushes?

When one leg of a parlay pushes (“ties”), then that bet is essentially excluded from the parlay without making the whole bet a loss. When calculating the parlay odds, that bet will essentially be removed from the equation.

What Does A 3 Team Parlay Payout Calculator

Do you need to bet the money line to bet a parlay?

What Does A 3 Team Parlay Payout Table

No, you can parlay almost any bet type. Money line bets are the most common, however you can also include point spreads, totals, props, etc.

What Does A 3 Team Parlay Payout Schedule