Once you start gaining experience as a bettor, you will want to explore more possibilities that bookmaking platforms offer. And sooner or later you will discover accumulator and full cover bets. These are the bets that include four or sometimes more selections. Depending on the particular type of the bet, all or some of the selections must come in for you to get a payout. Accumulators come in a variety of forms, with the selections varying depending on the sport.
One of the most popular variations of accumulator betting is a Trixie bet. It is most frequently used in horse racing, however can be found in sports like football and some others as well. Its high popularity among punters is explained by the fact that it offers a certain level of security on your bet, unlike many other accumulators.
In the article below we will look in detail at what a Trixie bet is, how it works, how it compares to other bets, and what you should know when placing one.
What Is a Trixie Bet?
A Trixie bet consists of three selections combined into four separate bets: 3 doubles and one treble. Singles aren’t included in a Trixie bet. Let’s break it down even further.
The double bets here include all possible double combinations across all three of your selections. The treble bet is placed on all your selections to win.
Combining several doubles and a treble, a Trixie bet actually offers more security than any of these bets would do separately, and this is how it works.
When you place any of the accumulator (often called simply “acca”) bets, you need all your selections to win for you to get a return on your wager. This is where the most interesting part of the Trixie bet comes in. Even if one of your three selections doesn’t win, you are still eligible for a payout.
However, while this may sound very appealing, before you make a decision to place a Trixie bet, there is a number of things you should be aware of, from its mechanism to what bets you can and can’t place under a Trixie, as well as when it is actually the best to place a Trixie bet.
How Does a Trixie Bet Work?
Before you start with a Trixie bet, there are two fundamental rules that you should remember.
- Number one: You can’t place your bet on multiple outcomes in the same event.
- Number two: All your bets must be within the same sport.
So for example, you can’t choose a winner in a Premier League football match and then a winner in a horse racing event. Neither can you bet on three different horses taking the first, the second, and the third place correspondingly in the same horse racing event.
Now when it comes to the actual betting, these are the steps of making a Trixie bet:
- Choose three winners, for example, this can be three different horses from three different horse racing events. These are your A, B, and C selections. You bet on all three of them coming first to the finishing line in their respective races.
- Your treble bet on this occasion means that horse A, horse B, and horse C all have to finish the race first for you to win.
- Three of your double bets are the following: horse A and horse B win, horse B and horse C win, horse A and horse C win.
- If you are placing a bet on a bookmaking platform, all three of your selections will show up in your slip along with the various multiple bets that can be applied to your selection. All you have to do is choose the Trixie bet for all of your four possible bets to be included.
Another thing you should remember is how many wins you need to qualify for a payout. Of course, if none of your selections win, your stake loses. If only one of your selections wins, you still don’t get a payout because it is considered a single bet, which is not included in a Trixie bet.
However, if any of your two selections win, so does the double that includes them, and this brings you a payout. If all three of your selections finish first (or win the game, if you are betting on football), it means you win all your double bets as well as the treble bet.
When you are placing a stake on a Trixie bet, remember that the total amount you spend will be multiplied by 4, as your stake applies separately to each bet. This means that if your stake is £1, it doesn’t cover all your bets within a Trixie, but is added up to a total of £4 (£1 for a treble and £3 for all of the doubles). Of course, if you don’t want to go over the budget of £1, you can simply divide this amount into four bets and place a £0.25 wager on each.
Your total winnings are calculated as the sum of all the winning bets within your Trixie bet. But how do you calculate the winnings for each of the doubles and the treble bet?
Let’s say, the initial odds for the horses that you selected were as follows:
- Horse A to win at 2/1
- Horse B to win at 5/2
- Horse C to win at 3/1
If you placed a wager of £1 on each of the four bets, your odds calculations will look like this:
- Double 1 (horse A + horse B win) = 2/1 × 5/2
- Double 2 (horse B + horse C win) = 5/2 × 3/1
- Double 3 (horse A + horse C win) = 2/1 × 3/1
- Treble (All three horses to win) = 2/1 × 5/2 × 3/1
Based on these calculations, your return on each bet will equal to:
- Double 1 – £10.50
- Double 2 – £14
- Double 3 – £12
- Treble – £42
If any two of your selections win, you get the corresponding amount depending on which selections actually won. But if all three of your selections win, you will get the total sum of all four bets you placed, i.e. £10.50 + £14 + £12 + £42 = £78.50. If we consider that you had to spend £4 on the stakes, your net profit is £74.50.
There are multiple Trixie bet calculators online, so it is always a good idea to use one to be sure of your possible returns.
Difference Between a Trixie and Other Bet Types
With bookmaking platforms offering so many different types of bets, it is sometimes easy to get confused how they differ and which one is the best for you in the given situation, especially if the bets in question have similar conditions. To clear this confusion, let’s take a look at how a Trixie bet compares against other multiple bets.
Trixie vs Treble
When you are placing a treble bet, you need all of your three selections to win for your bet to get a payout.
With a Trixie bet, if only two out of your three selections win, your bet is still considered as a win.
Trixie vs Patent
First of all, a Trixie bet system includes four bets, while a Patent bet system includes seven. The additional three bets in Patent are three possible singles. This results in the fact that only one winning selection (horse A, horse B, or horse C) is enough in a Patent bet to get a payout.
A Trixie bet doesn’t allow singles, so if only one of your selections wins, your stake will fall through.
Trixie vs Acca
Accumulators usually start at four selections but can include more. For your stake to win, all of your selections must win.
A Trixie bet gives you a certain level of security, as you still qualify for a payout if only two of your three selections win. However, it also has a higher cost as you need to multiply your stake by 4 separate bets.
When to Use a Trixie Bet
So keeping all that in mind, when would it be the best time to use a Trixie bet instead of a simple double or treble or really any other accumulator bet?
First things first, some of the sports that are most adapted for a Trixie bet are horse racing, tennis, and football. If you are certain in two of your selections but have your doubts about the third one (for any reason), a Trixie bet might be a better option for you than, for example, a treble bet. Another thing that works well for a Trixie bet are higher odds.
FAQ
What does Trixie mean in betting?
Trixie bet is a special full cover bet that includes three selections on four different bets: three doubles and one treble. You can win a Trixie bet even if one of your three selections fails.
How many bets are there in a Trixie?
There are four bets over three selections in a Trixie bet: three doubles and one treble. Singles aren’t included in a Trixie bet.
Do you get a return if only one selection wins?
No, if only one of your selections wins, you don’t get a payout. This counts as a single bet, but because a Trixie bet doesn’t include singles, its result doesn’t count towards your win.
Is a Trixie better than an accumulator?
With an accumulator bet, you need all your selections to come in to get a return. With a Trixie bet, you still qualify for a payout if only two of your three selections win. However, it doesn’t make any of the bet types better than the other, as each has its upsides and downsides and are suitable for different conditions.
Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org