Bet types: what each form does to your risk and to the margin
By Kristaps Birznieks · updated October 2026
The same match can be bet in a dozen ways, and the choice of bet type changes both the risk and how much margin you pay. This page goes through the common forms in plain terms, with examples in euro. Sport-specific details are on the pages for hockey, football, basketball and tennis.
Single, accumulator, system
A single is one selection: €10 at 2.00 returns €20 if it wins. It is the form where you pay the margin once.
An accumulator (parlay) combines several selections; odds multiply and every leg must win. Three legs at 1.80 give 1.80 × 1.80 × 1.80 = 5.83. The catch is that margins multiply too. If each leg carries a margin of about 5%, the combined bet returns roughly 0.95 × 0.95 × 0.95 ≈ 86% of its fair value — around 14% lost to margin instead of 5%.
A system bet is a set of accumulators built from your selections. A "2 from 3" system, for example, places three doubles; you can lose one leg and still get a return. It spreads risk but also multiplies the number of stakes.
Handicaps
A European handicap gives one side a whole-goal start, and a draw on the handicap is a separate outcome. Team A −1 wins only if A wins by two or more.
An Asian handicap removes the draw. A half line (−0.5, +1.5) always has a winner. A whole line (−1) returns the stake if the margin is exactly one. A quarter line (−0.25, −0.75) splits the stake into two halves on neighbouring lines, so half can win and half be refunded or lost.
| Line (team A) | A wins by 1 | A wins by 2 | Draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| −0.5 | Win | Win | Lose |
| −1.0 | Stake back | Win | Lose |
| −0.25 | Win | Win | Half lose, half back |
Totals and both teams to score
Over/under bets on the combined score: over 2.5 goals wins with three or more. Totals are popular because they do not require picking a winner. Both teams to score (BTTS) asks only whether each side scores at least once.
Double chance and draw no bet
Double chance covers two of three outcomes (home or draw, for example) at a lower price. Draw no bet returns the stake if the match is drawn. Both reduce risk and pay accordingly; check the implied margin before treating them as safe.
Outrights
Outright or futures bets settle at the end of a tournament or season: league winner, top scorer, championship medals. Many outcomes share one market, so the total margin is often high, and your stake is tied up for weeks or months.
Choosing a form
If your aim is to keep the cost of betting low, singles on markets with a low margin are the cheapest form. Accumulators and outrights offer bigger prices at a higher hidden cost. Whichever form you use, check how the market settles and keep stakes within a budget set in advance. The margin calculation is explained step by step in Sports betting; how bet types interact with bonus conditions is in Bonus terms.