Using Parlays to Increase Exposure to Weak Lines. Another way to win using parlays is to find a line that is very weak, and use a parlay to increase your odds by pairing the weak line with another bet on the board. For example, the market consensus is that Pittsburgh is a 5 point favorite over Kansas City. NBA Picks & Predictions. For almost a decade, Picks and Parlays has dominated the hardwood, with the winningest NBA picks. If you're looking to soar above the rim, we are your best source for analysis, insight, information and previews, including daily expert picks for every game in the NBA and NBA Predictions like no other.
- To improve your chances and win more on your parlay bets, follow these tips. Bet on Fewer Teams, Raise Your Bets. Parlays are often used the wrong way. Instead of placing a $20, 5 team parlay, it's better to make a 3 team parlay for more money. While the odds are lower, the win-rate is much higher, relying on only 3 wins instead of 5.
- Payouts for parlays can be calculated in two different ways, using fixed odds or true odds. Fixed odds are used only when all the selections in a parlay are at -110 odds, so they're commonly used for parlays involving point spread and total selections. Potential payouts are directly related to how many selections are in the wager.
This article assumes the reader is at least familiar with the bare bones basics of parlays. It is intended to be slightly advanced and will deal with various strategies and tactics that can be used to defeat sports books.
The best and most profitable strategy to employ with parlays is known as a correlated parlay.
Another way to incorporate parlays into your strategy is to bet into weak numbers and combine them with other, stronger spreads to increase your exposure to the weak number. The hope is that your edge on the weak number more than compensates for the house edge on parlays as well as the more fair spread.
Correlated Parlays: Yes!
One way to win using parlays is to find (and bet) a correlated parlay. This bet has been called the 'holy grail' of sports betting, because, if you find a sports book that will take action on these bets, they are a virtual goldmine. Here's how a correlated parlay works.
Let's assume New Orleans is at home playing against Cleveland. Cleveland opened as a 15 point underdog, but now things have gone from bad to worse as the flu bug has caught the Browns. Now on Saturday (one day before the game), Cleveland is up to an outrageous 23 point underdog! A few key players are sick and the line has moved up. The over/under for this game is a relatively low 37, since New Orleans is expected to do much (if not all) of the scoring. In this case, a correlated parlay, using New Orleans/over 37 would probably be a smart bet. Chances are that if New Orleans wins and covers the high spread, the game total will also soar above the 37. This is not an extreme example, as many such bets can be found using college football especially. Another example would be if a sports book allowed parlays such as a hockey team -1.5 goals and the over on the same game. This would be extremely profitable, because if one bet wins, the other is highly likely (correlated) to hit also. Other examples include halftime/fulltime bets on the same game or props that relate to the game in question. The good news is that these bets are insanely profitable. The bad news is that very few books offer or allow them. If you find one that does, please let me know so I may join you in taking that establishment broke.
Using Parlays to Increase Exposure to Weak Lines
Another way to win using parlays is to find a line that is very weak, and use a parlay to increase your odds by pairing the weak line with another bet on the board.
For example, the market consensus is that Pittsburgh is a 5 point favorite over Kansas City. However, there is a sports book that gets a lot of action coming in on Pittsburgh, and so they offer Kansas City +7, which is a massive opportunity. You would be well served to first try and bet the max on Kansas City +7, since this bet will show a profit in the long run. However, maybe you don't have the funds, or risk tolerance, to bet the max. A great way to leverage this bad line is to simply pair Kansas City with another bet on the board. Maybe you bet the total in the same game, maybe you bet a different team. Either way, your edge by including Kansas City +7 should more than compensate for the house edge normally present in parlays.
This reminds me of an amusing story I heard of a few years back. A lot of the details escape me, but the main points of the story are accurate.
This would not work with online books, but it's entertaining and does serve to show how this strategy can work, at least in theory.
In Las Vegas, when a bet is made, and the ticket is printed, the bet stands. So bookmakers must be extra careful not to post an obviously bad line. The consequences for doing so can be a recipe for disaster.
Anyway, there was a college football game featuring a powerhouse and a below average team. Something like Nebraska in their heyday versus Western Michigan. The spread nearly everywhere was around Nebraska -49, however, one book in Vegas mistakenly posted Nebraska +49!! As the story goes, a rather large bettor noticed this, and, instead of simply betting the max, decided to try and bet some large parlays. He proceeded to bet a few thousand dollars on Nebraska +49/over, and also Nebraska +49/under and also paired Nebraska with other teams in other games, until he was satisfied and had laid down in excess of five figures. Obviously, Nebraska won easily, and a bunch of his parlays paid out. There was nothing the book could do except honor the tickets.
This story illustrates a few important points. First, the bettor tried to be smart and not raise the obvious red flag that a max bet would. Second, the bettor was not greedy, and bet a lot of parlays that he knew would lose, in order to lock in some near-certain profits. For example, taking Nebraska/over and also Nebraska/under. One will lose, but one will almost certainly win, netting a nice payday with very low risk.
If you ever find yourself in this position, in Las Vegas, don't get too excited! You may just ruin the whole thing before it has a chance to pay off!
Parlays Can Be Profitable
Parlay Tips
In conclusion, be aware that parlays can offer much leveraged, profitable opportunities, if you know where to look. A great thing about parlays is that most bookmakers will automatically laugh and think 'sucker bet' when in fact some parlays are highly profitable for the bettor. Knowing these spots will greatly increase to your bankroll and will also provide some laughs along the way.
Ready For More?
What Is A College Football Parlay
College football betting and college football parlays go hand in hand, and aside from straight wagering, college football parlay bets are the most popular type of wager placed each week.
A college football parlay is a bet where you combine multiple selections into a single wager, with all of the selections needing to cash your ticket. While the difficulty of winning a college football parlay increases with the number of selections you add, so do the odds. To calculate the odds of a parlay you multiply the odds of each selection so the more selections, the bigger the parlay odds.
You can combine a range of college football picks into a parlay bet, but the most commonly used markets in college football parlays are moneylines, spreads, or totals, which are also our most common College Football Picks and Predictions.
College football parlay bets are great options for bettors who prefer to wager smaller amounts on greater odds. Most spreads and totals markets will be odds of around -110 or -120, a three-team parlay on these markets typically pay around 6/1 (+600) with a four-team parlay paying around 12/1 (+1200)
College football parlays are also a popular choice amongst bettors that like to bet the favorites on the moneyline. For example, if you select three teams all at odds of -350, some bettors may not want to wager $350 to win $100 on each selection, instead, you can combine them into a three-team parlay where the odds will be +113.
Our experts will highlight the best college football picks this week to combine into a college football parlay, offering you even more variation into how you want to wager on this week's college football action.
How To Win A College Football Parlay
College football parlay bets despite their popularity can be one of the most difficult bets to hit with increased difficulty with each selection you add to your parlay.
College Football differs from the pro ranks with its scheduling and there is far less parity throughout the regular season. With this you see crazy odds, in some cases, no moneyline offered and spreads as high as -40 or above. This presents a unique type of difficulty, particularly when adding multiple selections so here are three quick tips to better your chances of winning long-term with your college football parlays
- Keep to either a 2, 3 or 4 team parlay – Any more than this will be tough to keep profitable long term, despite the increased parlay odds.
- Shop the odds – Online sportsbooks compete to offer the best odds, and while there may only be a marginal difference on each selection, it adds up in a college football parlay., If you can wager three picks at -100 each instead of -125, your payout would be $800.00 instead of $583.20 to a $100 stake.
- Managing your bankroll – its obvious, and not unique to college football parlays, and should be considered all the time, but being disciplined with your bankroll is key long term. Not all parlays will win, that's part of sports betting, but if you keep your stake consistent, at odds of around 6/1, you only need to win 1 in 7 parlays to break even, any better than that is profit.
Best Way To Parlay Bets
How To Bet On College Football Picks And Parlays
Betting on college football picks and parlays is a quick and easy process with any online sportsbook. To create a parlay, simply add multiple selections into your bet slip and click the parlay option before placing your wager.
Nfl Parlay Betting
Due to the popularity of parlay betting, sportsbooks pay a considerable amount of attention to these markets, and in shopping around you can find great variations in the odds, lines, and often find price boosts.
Unsure where is best to place your college football parlay bets? Head over to our Online Sportsbook Reviews page where we breakdown all the information and latest Promo Codes you'll need to know for all of the top online sportsbooks.