What is an Accumulator? Acca Betting Guide

An accumulator is a type of bet combining multiple individual wagers into one. The critical aspect is that all the selections included must win for the bet to pay out. The odds of each selection in the acca are multiplied, increasing the potential returns. Our guide will delve into more details, explaining essentials like potential risks, how to place such bets, and the available types.

The Top 5 Accumulator Betting Sites
BookmakerWelcome BonusHighlightsRatingVisit BookmakerT&C
Get £50Markets: 102 Bet Types: 37 Odds Levels: 96.15%5.0 out of 5Full T&Cs Apply! For new customers at bet365. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required. 18+ Begambleaware.org
£10 When You Bet £15Markets: 89 Bet Types: 32 Odds Levels: 93.04%4.9 out of 5Full T&Cs Apply! New customers only. Max one £10 free bet. Qualifying bets must be placed at odds of 1/1 or greater. Paid as bonus token with min 4/5 odds req. Skrill, Neteller, & PayPal not eligible.
£30Markets: 101 Bet Types: 39 Odds Levels: 93.75%4.8 out of 5Full T&Cs Apply! 18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10 at odds 2.00+ within 7 days, no cashout. Get 6x £5 Free Bets, set events at odds 2.00+. 7 day bonus expiry. Debit Card / Apple Pay payments only. Click for T&Cs. Please Gamble Responsibly.
Get a £10 Free BetMarkets: 88 Bet Types: 30 Odds Levels: 95.13%4.7 out of 5Full T&Cs Apply! 18+, Welcome Bonus: New Players only, 1st Deposit, Min Deposit,: £10, max £10 free bet valid for 14 days, bets must be placed at odds of 1/1 or greater and be settled within 14 days of placement. System bets not eligible. Neteller,Skrill and Paypal not eligible.
£50Markets: 98 Bet Types: 41 Odds Levels: 93.75%4.6 out of 5Full T&Cs Apply! 18+ begambleaware.org; New bettors get 50% of deposit up to £50; Once per household; Min deposit £15 (no Skrill/Neteller); Wager a total of 8 times deposit + bonus, with max qualifying bet stake equal to your initial bonus amount; Bonus expires after 60 days; Min odds of 4/5 on singles, or 2/5 per leg for acca; Some bet types excluded.

We further explain what does acca mean in betting and share some success stories plus occasions it didn’t go as planned. If you are new to acca betting, don’t worry we have your back and soon you’ll be placing accumulators like a pro from home or via the best betting apps.


What Does an Acca Mean?

An acca bet, which is short for an accumulator bet, is a single wager that brings together multiple stakes. It offers you the chance for substantial payouts from relatively small stakes and is a great option at the top football betting sites. It is also often used for other sports like horse racing, tennis, basketball, cricket, eSports, etc. For an accumulator to be successful, each of your predictions must be correct.

A lot of bookies, including the top golf betting sites, will offer promotions that will pay back your stake if just one of the selections lets you down. Some online betting sites will also give you a bonus which increases as you add more selections. We will discuss this in more detail later. On an accumulator, your winnings from one prediction carry onto the next prediction you have made. That means your winnings are much higher than if you placed a series of single bets. Let’s have a look at an example.

These games took place on the 1st of April, we are predicting home wins for all 8 fixtures. The table below shows the return on a single bet of £5.

GameOddsReturn on £5
Liverpool v Everton8/13£8.07
Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur9/2£27.50
Chelsea v Crystal Palace2/7£6.42
Hull City v West Ham United6/4£12.50
Leicester City v Stoke City1/1£10
Manchester United v West Bromwich Albion1/4£6.25
Watford v Sunderland4/5£9
Southampton v Bournemouth4/7£7.85

There are many bet types related to different sports. If you go for the popular singles, taking those in the table as a base would cost £40 and will give you a return of £87.59.


Example of an Accumulator

Now, let’s have a look at the same sequence of games with a different wagering approach. This time, we will use one accumulator bet and will track how the amount changes.

GameOddsCumulative total
Liverpool v Everton8/13£8.07
Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur9/2£44.38
Chelsea v Crystal Palace2/7£57.06
Hull City v West Ham United6/4£142.65
Leicester City v Stoke City1/1£285.30
Manchester United v West Bromwich Albion1/4£356.62
Watford v Sunderland4/5£641.91
Southampton v Bournemouth4/7£1008.71

On an 8-fold acca, the odds are 201.74/1, which means for £5, you would see a return of £1,008.71. Even by this simple example, you can see why acca bets are extremely popular among players. That has even greater value for players who understand odds and value betting.

For a relatively small outlay, you can win a substantial amount of money. The downside of acca betting is that there is no margin for error. Get one result wrong and you don’t see a return.

Types of betNumber of betsCost of bet at £5Potential return
Single8£40£87.59
Eight-fold1£5£1008.71

Types of Accumulators

The first acca bet consists of two predictions, this is called a double. As with all accumulator bets, both selections need to be correct to see a return. An acca containing three selections is called a treble. After that, the names correspond to the number of selections, as seen in the following table:

Number of selectionsName of accumulatorDescription of bet
2DoubleA double consists of 1 bet involving 2 selections
3TrebleA treble consists of 1 bet involving 3 selections
4Four-foldA Four-fold consists of 1 bet involving 4 selections
5Five-foldA Five-fold consists of 1 bet involving 5 selections
6Six-foldA Six-fold consists of 1 bet involving 6 selections
7Seven-foldA Seven-fold consists of 1 bet involving 7 selections
8Eight-foldAn Eight-fold consists of 1 bet involving 8 selections
9Nine-foldA Nine-fold consists of 1 bet involving 9 selections
10Ten-foldA Ten-fold consists of 1 bet involving 10 selections
11Eleven-foldAn Eleven-fold consists of 1 bet involving 11 selections
12Twelve-foldA Twelve-fold consists of 1 bet involving 12 selections
13Thirteen-foldA Thirteen-fold consists of 1 bet involving 13 selections
14Fourteen-foldA Fourteen-fold consists of 1 bet involving 14 selections
15Fifteen-foldA Fifteen-fold consists of 1 bet involving 15 selections
16Sixteen-foldA Sixteen-fold consists of 1 bet involving 16 selections
17Seventeen-foldA Seventeen-fold consists of 1 bet involving 17 selections
18Eighteen-foldAn Eighteen-fold consists of 1 bet involving 18 selections
19Nineteen-foldA Nineteen-fold consists of 1 bet involving 19 selections
20Twenty-foldA Twenty-fold consists of 1 bet involving 20 selections

What is Acca Insurance?

Acca insurance is a type of betting offer that adds a level of protection to your accumulator bets. If one leg fails but all the others win, you get your stake back in the form of a free wager. That makes accumulator betting slightly less risky, especially for bets with many selections that are usually made at the leading horse racing betting sites, for example. Keep in mind that such acca incurance offers carry certain terms and conditions, such as minimum total odds, minimum selections, maximum free bet, and more.


Pros and Cons of Accumulator Betting

Acca bets combine multiple selections into a single wager to boost payouts from small stakes and make watching sports more thrilling. It delivers an exciting way to engage with sports betting, with the lure of substantial returns from small bets. While the appeal of significant returns is strong, weighing both advantages and disadvantages before diving in is essential.

The complexity and increased risk require a cautious approach and a strategy. Sometimes, the combined odds may lead to emotionally driven decisions. They also may not offer the best value or be restricted by some bookmakers in terms of included markets. Those can include some wagers and markets at the top tennis betting sites, rugby platforms, ice hockey websites, etc.


How to Place an Accumulator Bet?

We have discussed why accumulator bets are so popular, let’s now look at how easy acca betting is. All you need to do is follow the same process as placing a single bet. Instead of confirming your wager, you continue to pick more selections. That involves many outcomes within one bet, where the odds multiply with each addition.

Step One Acca Step 1: Pick as many selections as you like then click on “Bet Slip” Step Two Acca Step 2: A summary is shown, click on “Multiple Options” Step Three Acca Step 3: A List of possible bets is shown Step Four Acca Step 4: In the stake box, enter the bet amount and press “Place Bet”

It really is that easy. The screenshots are taken from bet365 but the process is almost identical at all the best betting sites. They are licensed, with a great reputation and offer accumulator bets with favourable terms.


Accumulator Betting Tips

One of the biggest challenges with betting with accumulators is managing your expectations. It’s important to understand that the likelihood of all your selections coming in is low. The more selections you make, the higher the potential payout gets. But with more selections, the possibility for at least one of them to lose also gets higher.

Moreover, looking at team form and stats when making accumulator bets is crucial. Taking the time to research and apply a strategic approach can significantly enhance your success rate. Analysing injuries, suspensions, motivation, previous games, performance, and external factors like weather is helpful. If you are new to accumulator betting online, you can try an accumulator calculator to help you calculate the potential winnings.

We’ve had some great wins from not a lot of money. We recently had a double on Lincoln City and Sutton Utd in the FA Cup. What made this bet so satisfying was that it was placed in-play at half-time.

Enjoying one game on the radio and monitoring the other on TV made us feel like we could have a double shock. Wimbledon, who were playing Sutton, had been reduced to 10 men, with both games at 0-0. This bet was so memorable because the winning goals in both games were scored in the last few minutes.

That’s why we recommend you always consider in-play accumulators, as betting after the games have started would help you make a better prediction and take advantage of higher odds.

Picking an Acca Winner thumb

Another useful tip is to consider cashing out if several of your legs have already won. It allows you to settle your bet before all events finish. Many see it as a safeguard against last-minute goals and turnarounds and securing partial profits. Here, timing and judgement play vital roles, just like when participating in live betting. Many betting sites also offer Partial Cash Out, so you can cash in part of your profits and let the rest play out.

So Near…. Yet So Far Acca So Close thumb 1 Close seven-fold Acca So Close 2-thumb Luckily, a covering six-fold

Above is a good example of how a Partial Cash Out would have helped. We had a £3 Seven-fold, and one by one, they came in. We were being offered more money to cash out. Six of the selections had already won, and we needed West Ham to beat Watford.

Alas, it was not meant to be. The game ended 1-1, and even to the last second there was a chance the bet would win. We did have a Six-fold on another bet that came in. However, the total cost of our bets was meagre.


Best Betting Site for Football Accumulators

Now that you know how easy acca betting is, you’re aware of the benefits. So, it’s time for us to share what we feel are the best online betting sites for placing football accumulator bets. Some platforms are better for specific games and markets, like the Premier League betting sites.

Some of you might be more into global events, so the best World Cup betting sites will come in handy. There, you will also find some promotions built with accas in mind, which can help you in your betting journey.


Other Types of Bets Available at Online Bookies

Online bookmakers offer a vast range of wagering options beyond accumulators. They cater to many different preferences and strategies. A popular type of bet is the System bet. Some of the most played System wagers include Yankee, Heinz and Trixie.

Of course, accumulators are widely preferred at online betting sites. Still, if you are interested in finding out more about the other bets, there are several helpful articles. You can start by reviewing the detailed football betting guide and horse racing betting guide. We wish you all the best in your upcoming online betting adventures.


FAQs

Accumulator betting, a popular form of sports wagering, offers the potential for increased returns from a small stake. It has a high-risk high-reward nature compared to single bets. Given its popularity and complexity, the following FAQ section provides insights and guidance to both new and experienced bettors.

What does acca mean in betting?

It is short for an accumulator bet and involves combining multiple selections into one stake. All the included choices must win for the bet to pay out. That significantly increases the potential return at any of the top accumulator betting sites because the odds are multiplied.

What sports can I bet on with an accumulator?

You can place acca bets on a wide range of sports, including football, basketball, tennis, horse racing, American football, baseball, golf, darts, and more. Still, the football accumulators are the most common due to the popularity of the sport and the numerous leagues, tournaments, and teams. Regardless of your choice, you have a unique set of opportunities.

Is there a maximum payout on an accumulator?

Yes, most betting sites impose maximum payout limitations on accumulator bets. These limits can vary between different sports and leagues to restrict the financial risk to the bookie. Furthermore, many operators also offer the so-called acca insurance offers, which can help you reduce the risk and get your stake back as a free bet.

What happens if one of the bets loses?

Even if one game doesn't turn out how you predicted, the entire acca bet is lost. That is a fundamental rule of accumulator betting: all selections must win for the bet to payout. It is advisable to consider the pros and cons of this high-risk wagering option.