Parlay bets are sometimes referred to as multiple or combination bets – and those terms reflect the nature of these wagers in a much better way. Rather than making a single – or straight – bet on an event, you will include a number of bets in your wager. A parlay is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers for a high payout. A 2 team parlay might pay 13/5, a three team parlay might pay 6/1, a four team parlay might pay 10/1, and so forth with the payouts getting higher with more teams or totals selected. For a single bet, 2 to 8 teams or totals can be selected.

Parlay betting allows horseplayers to bet the races they want, their way. Since your Parlay races don’t have to be consecutive on the card, you can identify the horses you want to bet no matter the race they’re in. Plus, you can alternate between Win, Place and Show bets, so you can build your Parlay based on how strongly you feel about each horse. Plus, parlay wagering is the only way to roll over all of your winnings to the next bet – even the pennies. So you really are betting every penny.

My preferred Parlay betting approach is to build a Parlay around my day’s ‘best bets,’ especially when they’re racing later in the card. Start a small ($10 or $20) five-leg parlay and make the first four legs Show bets on lower-priced horses. Then close it to a Win bet on the horse you like most. You just might be able to parlay your $10 or $20 base bet into a $50 or $100 Win bet on your horse just by making a series of Show bets. And if you lose along the way, you’re only out your starting amount. But if you win, you could be looking at a very nice payout.

Parlay Gambling Definition

What is a Parlay Bet?

A parlay is a sports bet in which you combine multiple individual bets. You must win the entire combination of bets or you lose. It’s that simple.

Parlay Gambling

To choose a parlay wager, you first select at least two standard wagers you like. It could include bets against the spread, moneyline wagers, or the over/under. The more bets you make for your parlay, the more you can win. But there’s always a caveat. Once you start getting into four or higher team parlays, they become extremely difficult to win.

What makes parlays so difficult is you have to win 100% of your games. Whereas, with regular bets against the spread, for example, you only need to win around 60 percent to turn a profit. Parlays can sometimes be frustrating because you could conceivably run pretty hot and still lose. We’ve had some parlay losers where we actually won around 70 percent of the games.

But there’s certainly a ton of upside and some great benefits to betting parlays as opposed to just straight wagers. If all you’re doing is betting individual games against the spread, you’re limiting how much you can win. A $110 bet typically only pays a $100 profit, which really isn’t that great.

Parlay Gambling Services

Sure, if you’re really good at betting the spread or over/unders and you get in enough volume, you’ll make a nice living. You still won’t make as much if you become skilled at betting parlays, however. The profit potential on parlays is much higher.