What Is a Yankee Bet and How Does It Work?

When placing a Yankee bet, you are betting on four different events for a total of eleven bets. There are six doubles, four trebles, and a four-fold accumulator bet in each Yankee bet. If a gambler wins all of the selections on this wager, they will receive a handsome return. The amount of money won from a Yankee is dependent on the amount of winning selections and the odds offered for each bet.

In this article, we will explore how the Yankee bet works in detail, how it is calculated, and the benefits and drawbacks of this wager.

The Yankee Bet Explained

Since a Yankee consists of 11 bets, it is relatively complex and not the most straightforward wager for beginners to understand. For this reason, if you are a sports betting newbie, we will first look at what double, treble, and four-fold bets are. If you are a more experienced punter, then skip ahead to the next section.

Double

A double is a bet on two different events; let’s say A and B, with odds of 3/1 and 4/1, respectively. A double therefore offers the chance of greatly multiplying your stake.

If you were to bet £10 on event A at 3/1 and it came in, you would receive a return of £30 and your initial stake of £10.

This would then be staked on event B if this wager also came in your £40 would become £160 + your stake, making a total profit of £190 taking into account your initial £10 stake.

However, both bets must win, or your bet is voided.

Treble

A treble is like a double but with three selections, hence the name.

If you place a £10 bet on events A, B, and C at odds of 3/1, 4/1, and 5/1, respectively, your return would be:

• If event A won: £30 + stake (£10) = £40
• If event B won: £160 + stake (£40) = £200
• If event C won: £1,000 + stake (£200) = 1,200

However, as for a double, if one or more bets lose, your stake is lost.

Four-Fold Accumulator

After a single, double, and treble, you have the first accumulator bet or ‘Acca,’ which is a four-fold bet; you can also have five-fold, six-fold, etc. So an accumulator is a multiple bet on at least four selections. As we demonstrated with the double and treble, your stake multiplies as each selection wins. If your four-fold bet comes in, you are looking at an impressive return, but if any of your selections don’t win, you can say goodbye to your stake.

Now everyone is on the same page and understands all the different bets that a Yankee is made of; let’s look at this wager a little closer.

 As previously mentioned, the Yankee bet includes six doubles, four trebles, and one 4-fold accumulator over four selections. So in total, if you were to place a Yankee with £1 on each bet, it would cost £11. Two selections must win to receive a return.

If two selections win and the odds are large enough, a Yankee bet can be profitable in theory. Usually, though, it takes three selections to succeed to make this bet lucrative.

Each Way Yankee Bet

This is a straightforward option if you wish to place an each-way Yankee bet on a horse or greyhound race. In contrast to the standard Yankee bet, which consists of 11 bets, an each-way Yankee consists of 22. So staking £1 for each bet on an each-way Yankee would cost £22. Eleven of these bets would be to win and eleven for the horse to place.

The benefit of an each-way bet is that you still get a return on your stake even if none of your picks wins. If one of your selections is placed, you would still get a payout. The downside, of course, is that you will have to double the stake of your wager to account for the 22 different bets.

Yankee Bet Calculator

To work out your potential winning before you place your bet, you can use a Yankee bet calculator; you’ll find these at online bookies such as William Hill and 888 Sports. If you wonder how much you need to win to buy that brand new Tesla or go on a luxury cruise, then a Yankee bet calculator will crunch the numbers for you!

If you want to give your brain cells a workout, you can forgo the Yankee bet calculator and do the calculations yourself, but it does take a bit of work. However, some old-school punters prefer this way.

Yankee Bet Example

The following are the 11 winning permutations on four events A-B-C-D:

• 6 Doubles: A-B, A-C, A-D, B-C, B-D, C-D
• 4 Trebles: A-B-C, A-B-D, A-C-D, B-C-D
• 1 Fourfold: A-B-C-D

Let’s go over the same concept again, but this time with the help of football betting as an example. Consider the following scenario: you place your bets on these four selections Manchester United, Everton, Chelsea, and Newcastle, to win their Premier League games.

These are 11 possible bet permutations that you can make:

6 doubles:

• Manchester United -Everton
• Manchester United – Chelsea
• Manchester United – Newcastle
• Everton – Chelsea
• Everton – Newcastle
• Chelsea – Newcastle

4 Trebles:

• Manchester United – Everton – Chelsea
• Manchester United – Everton – Newcastle
• Manchester United – Chelsea – Newcastle
• Everton – Chelsea – Newcastle

1 Four-fold:

• Manchester United – Everton – Chelsea – Newcastle

Pros and Cons of a Yankee Bet

Yankee bets offer big rewards but also can be a risky option if you are placing a large bet. The upside is that only two need to win out of eleven bets, and even if eight of the selections aren’t successful, the three wins can give you a profitable return. The not so secret to success with a Yankee bet is having a good enough knowledge of your sport to pick at least a few winning selections. Essentially you are hedging your bets with a Yankee.

The main downside is that you must place equal bets on each selection, so you must have 11 bets, all of the same amount. If your guts tell you that one of them is a surefire winner, it might be best to go with a single bet for that selection in addition to or in place of the Yankee bet.

FAQ

Where can I make a Yankee Bet?

Yankee bets are found at most online betting sites, including Bet 365, William Hill, and Paddy Power. All are straightforward to place, but Paddy Power is the easiest of them all. As soon as you make your four selections, you will see the option for a Yankee appear on the betting slip.

What’s the difference between a Lucky 15 and a Yankee bet?

It’s all in the name; that’s right, a Lucky 15 is a combination of 15 bets and 4 selections. The bets in the transaction include 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and one four-fold. Only one selection needs to win to make a return, though three or four will likely be required to make a profit.

What’s the difference between a Yankie and a Trixie bet?

As with a Yankie, a Trixie bet has no single bets, and two selections are needed for a return. The Trixie only consists of three rather than four selections and four bets; three doubles and a treble.

Why is it called a Yankee bet?

According to legend, the Yankee bet got its name from an American soldier serving in the United Kingdom who placed a small wager while stationed there. Because of the dynamics of the multiple rollovers that are put into effect with this bet, the lucky soldier was able to win a substantial sum of money that he could take back to the USA.

What is a Super Yankee?

If you are an experienced punter and want to take your Yankee bet to the next level, then a Super Yankee would be the obvious choice. This is a five selection wager, consisting of 26 bets, rather than the mere 11 bets placed on a regular Yankee. The bets are 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 four-fold accumulators, and one five-fold. Two selections are required to make a return with a Super Yankee.

When does a Yankee bet payout?

A Yankee bet pays out if a minimum of two of your selections come in.

Which sports can I place a Yankee bet on?

You can bet a Yankee on most sports, but popular choices include horse racing, football, and greyhound racing.

What if there is a non-runner after I place a Yankee bet?

If a non-runner occurs in any of your wagers, it is removed from the bet. So all sub-bets are corrected one level down to adjust for the non-runner. Affected doubles, for instance, will be regarded as singles, affected trebles will be considered doubles, and the four-fold bet becomes a treble.