What is a Yankee Bet? Yankee Bets Explained

The Yankee bet is a 4 selection wager consisting of 11 bets: 6 doubles, 4 trebles and a four-fold accumulator.

The Yankee is rumoured to be named after an American soldier who placed a small bet in the UK and won back hundreds of thousands due to the multiple roll-over mechanics at work.

This is a full cover bet where each selection appears in 3 doubles, 3 trebles and the four-fold accumulator. To understand how winnings change with the outcome, stake size and odds, most people prefer to use the Yankee calculator, both before placing a bet and after the outcomes are known.

Two or more winning choices guarantee a return from this wager.

Yankee Composition

The Yankee is composed of the following parts:

Permutations

As we can see, three different types of bets will be placed within the confines of a Yankee, but the quantity of each will differ. To get a better idea of how they work, let’s look at each betting permutation.

• Doubles: Six doubles are formed by combining every possible pair of the four selections. These pairs are AB, AC, AD, BC, BD, and CD.
• Trebles: Four trebles are created by selecting three of the four choices. The possible trebles are ABC, ABD, ACD, and BCD.
• Accumulator: The remaining bet is an accumulator involving all four selections (ABCD). This means that all four selections must win to secure a payout.

In total, 11 bets are placed, and if any two selections are correct, it will guarantee at least one winning combination. However, with your stake being multiple 11 times over, a double win in isolation may not be enough to turn a profit.

Yes, there may be more coverage and opportunity to come out on top, but at the same time, your original outlay is going to be far more than a standard single bet, and this is where the use of a Yankee calculator may come in handy.

By using a tool such as this, you can get a far better idea of how many winning bets you need to turn a profit. Remember, you do not necessarily have to win all 11 individual bets (although that would certainly help), you just need to clear the necessary threshold to earn profitability.

Of course, a lot will depend on the odds of your four selections and the margin of error that this will allow. Pick four favourites at less than Evens, and you best hope that they all do the business – just one slip-up and you could be going home with less than you started with.

While if you picked four outcomes that went slightly against the grain – let’s say you picked four football away wins priced between 2/1 and 5/1, you would only need two of your matches to end in stalemate before profitability is secured.

To make further sense of this, we will now highlight the maths behind it and for the purposes of the table. Each different away win will be named Team A through to Team D.

Yankee Example

Here's how the winnings would be calculated, assuming a £1 stake per bet (total stake of £11 since there are 11 bets):

1. Six Doubles:
   • If Team A and B win, your return is £1 * (3 + 1) * (4 + 1) = £20
   • If Team A and C win, your return is £1 * (3 + 1) * (5 + 1) = £24
   • If Team A and D win, your return is £1 * (3 + 1) * (2 + 1) = £12
   • If Team B and C win, your return is £1 * (4 + 1) * (5 + 1) = £30
   • If Team B and D win, your return is £1 * (4 + 1) * (2 + 1) = £15
   • If Team C and D win, your return is £1 * (5 + 1) * (2 + 1) = £18
2. Four Trebles:
   • If Team A, B, and C win, your return is £1 * (3 + 1) * (4 + 1) * (5 + 1) = £120
   • If Team A, B, and D win, your return is £1 * (3 + 1) * (4 + 1) * (2 + 1) = £60
   • If Team A, C, and D win, your return is £1 * (3 + 1) * (5 + 1) * (2 + 1) = £72
   • If Team B, C, and D win, your return is £1 * (4 + 1) * (5 + 1) * (2 + 1) = £90
3. One Fourfold:
   • If Team A, B, C, and D all win, your return is £1 * (3 + 1) * (4 + 1) * (5 + 1) * (2 + 1) = £360

Should all four football matches end in a relative upset, all 11 bets will be declared winners, and if you strike it lucky with a 100% success rate, a total return of £821 would be yours. The profit would then be the total return minus the initial stake of £11.

Therefore, an overall profit of £810 would be secured in the example above. However, this figure will vary depending on the odds of your original choices and the success that they subsequently have on the field of play or the turf.

Reasons for making a Yankee Bet

Now that we have explained a Yankee bet, we will look at why you would place one.

• Increased chances of winning: With 11 bets covering multiple combinations, a Yankee Bet offers more opportunities to win compared to a single bet.
• Potential for significant returns: If multiple selections win, the payouts from the doubles, trebles, and accumulator can accumulate to substantial winnings.
• Managing risk: Even if one or more selections fail, a Yankee Bet still allows for potential returns due to the various combinations involved.

One of the main points to consider here is the popularity of the weekend football accumulator. Multiple selections on one betting slip and if they all do the business, the winnings are usually rather sizeable. As exciting as that sounds, it does come with an incredible number of pitfalls. You only need one leg to let you down, and the whole bet collapses in front of your very eyes. Thankfully, this is not the case when it is included in a Yankee bet. Admittedly, your accumulator is capped at four legs, but in fairness, any bet of this kind that is larger than that only runs into more problems. Therefore, wrapping your Acca into a Yankee makes even more sense. Like any betting type, there will always be benefits and drawbacks. With this in mind, we shall look at the plusses and minuses of a Yankee.

Benefits

• Versatility: A Yankee bet provides plenty of flexibility and allows punters four different outcomes on their betting slip. This makes it more suitable if you are looking to mix and match your sports or markets. Here, you do not have to simply bet on all Team racing or all football. You could instead take two runners at Goodwood and two outcomes in the Champions League. You could just easily bet on 1x2, double chance, over 2.5 goals and total corners in a Yankee steeped in the beautiful game.
• Bankroll management: With a Yankee being split across 11 individual bets, the overall stake is spread across each of the wagers. As a consequence of this, the required investment is more manageable than placing separate bets. With there being 11 bets, the likelihood is that your stake will be lower. For example, if you worked on a unit basis, you would likely place 11 total units on each permutation. If you were to back all these individually, there may be the temptation to go with more units per bet.

Drawbacks

• Higher cost: Even though the risk is spread across 11 bets, that will still mean a rather considerable outlay and like all bets, it should be placed as part of a solid bankroll management system. Spending more on outlay is never a good thing, but you should consider this more akin to an insurance policy. You are not putting all your eggs in one betting basket, but unfortunately, the spread of risk does come at an additional cost.
• Lower returns with fewer wins: If only one or two selections win, the returns from a Yankee may be significantly lower compared to if all four choices were successful. The payouts from the doubles and trebles may not be substantial enough to offset the overall cost bet. This is arguably the most significant drawback when it comes to the Yankee. You may have picked some winnings up, but it is not enough to cover the original outlay. To avoid this, ensure you get good coverage when it comes to odds and increase your chances of earning overall profit.

How to Place a Yankee Bet at bet365

Plenty of maths may be attached to a Yankee bet, but our Bet Calculator is on hand to work out any potential returns and bonuses beforehand. Not only that, but it is also straightforward to place a wager of this kind on Bet365.

If you want to place a Yankee before this weekend’s Premier League action, our step-by-step guide will show you how easy it is. Of course, you are not only limited to the beautiful game; a bet of this kind can also be placed on sports such as horse racing or rugby.

• First, log into your existing Bet365.com account. You can sign up using the latest Bet365 bonus code if you are not a member. Whatever option you choose, make sure to select Soccer from the left-hand menu.

• This will then take you to the page showing all the upcoming matches that are set to take place over the next few days.
• The next step is to select the four matches or markets that will make up the 11 different combinations on your Yankee.
• This could be a mixture of match outcomes and goal markets. For example, you could back two home wins and two games, finishing with over 2.5 goals.

• Once you have made your four selections, expand the betting slip on your screen, scroll down, and select the Show More Multiples option.

• Here, you will see all the different multiple bets you can place. Scroll down to the Yankee option and enter your stake per bet. Bet365 will then calculate the total stake – remember, a Yankee will multiply your stake by 11. If you are placing this wager on horse racing, you can also tick the E/W box for any each-way bets. This will change your total bet accordingly.

• If you are happy with the selections that you have made and the stake you are willing to place, simply click Place Bet and proceed as usual. As always, ensure enough money is in your account to cover your wager.

Conclusion

Punters should consider whether the Yankee aligns with their personal betting strategy and appetite for risk like any multiple betting type. It can offer more profits, but without making the necessary number of winning selections, it can also empty your betting account rather quickly.