Parlays are one of the most popular forms of soccer betting. Rather than just choosing one particular match to put otakparlay money on, a parlay allows bettors to place a wager on various different games with a view to maximizing earnings.
Parlay: A single bet that links together two or more individual wagers and is dependent on all of those wagers winning together. Check out our comprehensive guide on parlay betting.
As well as being fun, it can also be hugely effective. With each line that is added to a parlay, the potential return increases. Of course, this can be a risky form of betting– you either win or you do not, and just one incorrect prediction will result in a squandered stake.
Do Your Research
This is essential to any form of soccer betting. Before choosing a match to put money on, you should make sure you have a handle on the state of the two teams. What kind of form are they in? Are any key players missing through injury or suspension? Are they better at home or away? If you want to go further in-depth (and you should if you want to win more often than you lose), look at the underlying statistics. Expected Goals is a useful tool that measures underlying performance and can be used to make predictions about future games.
Mix up Your Markets
The most popular soccer market is – unsurprisingly – the one that predicts the winner of the game. There is nothing wrong with sticking to this straightforward market, but bettors can reap the rewards by digging a little deeper.
Get creative. If you fancy Manchester City to beat West Bromwich Albion and are confident that the favorites will run up the score, look for a combination bet of City to win and over 2.5 goals. This does not have to be done for every match and you are obviously relying on more than one thing to go right per game, but it can be a good way to add further value to your choices.
Avoid Overly Risky Selections
It is important not to go too far in the other direction, though. High-risk selections are tempting, particularly when you see how much the potential winnings increase.
It is useful to play around with the odds before placing your parlay bet. You can use WSN’s free parlay calculator to help you. This tool certainly shows why some bettors cannot resist including a risky wager in their parlay. Four picks of +150, +100, +110 and +120 would return $231 including a $10 stake. If you add a +500 selection, the potential winnings rocket to $1,386 including the stake. That is the advantage of a parlay – the return increases exponentially with each selection. There is a reason why the above combination pays out almost $1,500 on a small stake, though: it is very unlikely to be successful. It is best to stick to more achievable wagers rather than chasing improbable triumphs.
Bigger Is Not Always Better
On a similar note, try not to get carried away with too many plays – a five-play or six-play parlay is usually the best choice. Again, the parlay calculator illustrates how adding more plays to your bet can hugely increase your potential winnings. A five-play parlay of +100 for each selection returns $160 including a $10 stake. An eight-play parlay with the same odds per play gives a return of $1,280 including the stake.
Bigger is not always better, though. In fact, in the parlay world, it usually isn’t. This is partly because a parlay with too many plays is highly unlikely to win, but also because a larger parlay means you are more likely to be dipping your toes in leagues or matches you are not really familiar with. Stick to what you know when it comes to building a parlay.
Site Title 