What Is a Trixie Bet and How Does It Work?

A Trixie Bet is a wager that is most often used in horse racing. It consists of a series of four bets placed on three selections that are competing in three different events. The Trixie bet incorporates three doubles and one treble for a total of four bets. Only two of these selections must win for a Trixie bet to result in a profitable return.

The Trixie Bet Explained

We briefly outlined what a Trixie bet is above but let’s look at it in a little more detail. A Trixie consists of four bets; the first three bets are doubles, and the fourth is a treble.  It involves betting on three selections in three different events. It might sound complicated, but it’s actually quite simple once you understand the steps involved.

We should begin with the basics and first explain what a double or triple is; if you already know what they are, feel free to skip this section.

What is a Double?

A Double is the most basic type of Multi-bet or Accumulator that a bettor can make. A single bet on two different selections is placed, with the initial stake being placed on the first selection. Then the returns from that first selection are carried over to the second selection if that first selection is successful.

For instance, if you bet £10 on selection A to win at 5/1 and it does, then the total you get back is £60 (including the initial stake of £10), which would be carried over to selection B. To make it easy, let’s assume selection B also wins at 5/1, then your final return will be £300 and your £60 stake to make £360. If both or either selection A and B lose or draw, then the bet is void.

What is a Treble?

A Treble is similar to a Double, but instead of doubling your initial stake, you treble that amount. So if selection A wins, then the total return from that would be carried over to selection B, which in turn would be carried over to selection C. 

An example of a winning treble would be this – let’s say you bet an initial stake of £5 on Selection A to win at odds of 3/1, which returns £15, and your £5 stake. This amount is then wagered on Selection B, which has odds of 2/1, so £20 x 2 and your stake = £60. The final bet is on Selection C, and let’s say the odds are 4/1, so doing the maths, we have £60 x 4 and your total stake = £300.

Now we have ascertained what a double and a treble are; you might ask how does a Trixie bet work?  Just remember that a Trixie consists of three doubles and a treble.  As we said earlier, only two selections out of these four bets need to win in order for a Trixie bet to result in a return.

You should know three rules before placing a Trixie bet:

• You can only bet on one sport, so you wouldn’t be able to wager on Leeds vs Arsenal, Chelsea vs Man C and the 2/1 favourite at Cheltenham! It would have to be horse racing or football, not two different sports.
• The second rule is that you can’t place bets on multiple outcomes for the same event.
• Lastly, is that each selection must have an equal stake on it, so if you placed a £12 Trixie, it would be divided into 4x £3 bets.

Win or Each Way Trixie Bet

You have the option of placing a standard win bet or an each-way Trixie wager. If you decide on an each-way bet, it will consist of eight-bets in total, so this type of Trixie bet will require twice the stake. So a £1 each-way Trixie bet would cost £8 while a standard win Trixie bet would cost £4. The reason to choose an each way Trixie bet is that you stand a chance of return on horses that place as well as the winners.

How to Calculate a Trixie Bet

Calculating your winnings is simple enough; all you have to do is add up the total return of each winning Double or Treble Bet bet you placed. Remember, you only need two wins to get a return. However, do consider that you can still get back less than your initial stake, depending on the odds of each selection. If you are mathematically challenged or want an easier way to work out your winnings, you can always use a Trixie bet calculator; you’ll find these at betting sites such as BetVictor.

Trixie Bet Example

A Trixie bet would involve betting on three selections in four bets.

Here’s what that would look like: You would place three doubles on Event A, B and C. For example, one double on A and B, one double on B and C and one double on A and C, the triple you would place on all three events.

The Outcome would be:

• If your bets didn’t come in for any of the events, then you lose your entire stake, whatever it is.
• If one of the events came in, then you would still come away with nothing.
• If two of your bets win, then you will generate a return on your stake.
• If you win on all three doubles, it will also mean that your treble won and you should make a nice profit.

What are the Benefits of a Trixie Bet?

In the event that one of your selections does not win, a Trixie bet can be a good way to play it safe and can be very profitable if they all win – this is why the Patent Bet and the Yankee bet are frequently used as comparisons to this method of wagering. If you feel confident that you can pick the selections to win in three sporting events and want to maximize your winnings, placing a Trixie can end up being a lot more profitable than placing several single bets.

FAQ

What is the difference between a Trixie bet and a Patent bet?

The primary difference between a Trixie and a Patent bet is that the first comprises four bets and the latter seven bets. As we have learnt from this article, a Trixie is made up of 3 doubles and a treble. A patent bet requires you to place 3 single bets in addition to the 3 doubles and the treble. While with a Trixie bet, two winning selections need to win, only one selection is required for a patent, though it will likely be less than the initial stake.

Are you only able to place a Trixie bet on horse racing events?

It is possible to use a Trixie on any sport, including horse racing. Many punters like to wager on football games with this bet because of its high payout.

Do Trixie bets include singles?

No, it wouldn’t be a Trixie if it included single bets. See our explanation of Patent bets above.

What is a Union Jack Trixie bet?

A Union Jack Trixie is a special type of bet that is fairly complicated but can be a fun wager if you are a punter with a little experience. It actually consists of 8 Trixie bets; in total, it has 32 bets over nine selections. The bet is laid out in a 3×3 grid pattern. As with a regular Trixie, you need a minimum of two winning selections.

How is a Trixie bet different from an accumulator?

If placing an accumulator bet, you must expect every wager to win. The great thing about a Trixie bet is that a return is still assured even if one of the selections fails.