Bet types: from singles to system bets
Every sportsbook offers the same handful of bet structures under different names. Knowing them lets you compare prices, and — the angle this site cares about — tells you which bets actually count under a promotion's rules. Examples on this page use round decimal odds for clarity.
Singles
One selection, one stake. A single at 2.20 with a stake of 10 returns 22 if it wins. Singles are the easiest bet to track and the easiest to budget, and they are what most bonus turnover is made of.
Accumulators
Several selections in one bet, with the odds multiplied together. Three selections at 1.80, 2.00 and 1.50 give 5.40 combined. One loss and the whole bet loses. Accumulator offers often require a minimum number of selections and minimum odds per leg; an "acca insurance" refund is usually paid as a free bet, not cash.
System bets
A system bet splits your selections into several accumulators. A Trixie (three selections) has four bets; a Yankee (four selections) has eleven. Each line costs a stake, so the total outlay is larger than it looks at first glance.
Handicaps and totals
A handicap gives one side a head start: -1.5 means the team must win by two or more. Asian handicaps use quarter and half lines, which can split the stake between two outcomes. Totals bet on the number of goals, points or games against a line, such as over 2.5.
How bet types change from sport to sport
In football, the draw shapes the menu and double chance or draw-no-bet soften that risk at a price. In tennis there is no draw, so handicaps run on games or sets. In basketball, point spreads and totals dominate. In cricket, formats differ so much that a market in one has no equivalent in another.
Bet types and promotion rules
Promotions usually define which bets count: often singles and accumulators above a minimum price, sometimes excluding system bets, handicaps that can void, or bets that are cashed out early. As an illustrative example, not a Kabaler term, an offer counting only bets at 1.80 or higher would ignore a single at 1.50 but count an accumulator of two 1.40 legs at 1.96 — unless the rule applies per leg. That sentence in the terms decides how you build your bets.
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