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Jon
Betting Expert

19 March 2024

When should you cash out your In-Play accumulators?

The leading bookmakers now give you the opportunity to Cash Out your accumulator every time you place a multiple bet, with the majority of customers exercising their Cash Out option when at least one of the matches are In-Play. After all, the immediate Cash Out value when you place a £10 accumulator on Premier League matches is likely to be £10.

We can, however, diminish our profits if we cash out too early or too often. We need to strike a balance between the price offered for cashing out and the risk involved in letting our accumulator ride.

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      There are two important questions when it comes to Accumulator Cash Out:

      • Should I Cash Out My Accumulator?
      • If Yes, When Should I Cash Out My Acca?
      Learn when to Cash Out of your Football Bet - Free Advice & Tips

      Let me start with an answer to the first question. You never have to Cash Out your acca and I always tell readers to back their judgement, especially if they’re following my usually excellent football tips! After all, there’s nothing worse than cashing out your accumulator only to find all your selections are settled as a winner and you could have landed a much bigger return with your acca.

      However, there might be a genuine case for Cash Out if you have placed a football acca with five selections and the first three have won. It might be that you’re surprised by the Cash Out value (in a good way) and that means taking the money, especially as the aim of the game is to land a profit against the bookies every time.

      The traditional bookmaker is effectively acting like a betting exchange with this new feature. But it’s much easier for the novice punter to use and understand ‘Cash Out’ rather than using the betting exchanges to hedge your accumulator.

      I’ve written an article detailing what you need to know about each bookmaker, including a laymen’s break down of their terms and conditions that you can read by clicking this link. 

      When to use ‘Cash Out’ option:

      There is, of course, no exact science to this. If there was then we would all be millionaires but there are occasions when I would advise taking your cash early and banking that profit.

      1. Waiting on the last leg of a large accumulator – it’s that agonising wait for the Monday night game to collect on your 7-fold, the other six games have bolted in but your almost regretting the decision to add West Brom at home to Aston Villa. Check your account and see what the Cash Out offer is – just consider the feeling you’ll have if West Brom let you down and you didn’t take the £200 on offer.
      2. Last 15 minutes  – you have 15 minutes left and Peterborough have just scored to go two nil edging you closer to a payout but your final match has just a slender 1-0 lead – and you backed the away win. In these instances, when every team on your acca is winning and you enter the final 15 mins of a tight game, I would seriously advise looking at the Cash Out option. There is nothing worse than that empty feeling when you are gazumped by a 90th minute equaliser.
      3. When the offer is too good to turn down – This usually happens when you’ve had a change of heart or some team news has gone against you. If you think the last leg of the acca looks doomed before kickoff then you are best advised to get the hell out of there and cash out early.

      It’s worth remembering that you won’t be able to cash out at certain times during the action. It’s common practice for bookies to withdraw the cash out option during the last five minutes of the action or when a penalty or red card is awarded.  So don’t wait around for too long – if you want to cash out, do it before that late goal against you is scored!

      Why Do Bookies Offer Punters Acca Cash Out?

      Before I aim to answer the second question above, I want you to reflect on why bookies have invented Cash Out. Let’s face some facts, it’s always punter v bookmakers no matter how many great promotions are available at an operator website and you should always question why a bookie is willing to give you what seems like a cracking Cash Out value.

      Firstly, we should note that once the first bookie offered Acca Cash Out In-Play, then the rest had to follow suit. Not only were they meeting customer demand but you will find the bookmakers copy each other and that includes things like Acca Insurance, Acca Boosts and Money Back Specials.

      However, there are some cases where a bookie WANTS you to Cash Out your Acca. It might seem illogical that a bookmaker wants to hand you an early profit or give you a “Get Out of Jail Free” card by reducing your potential losses, although they would much rather you walk away with £50 than £100 and sometimes they are aiming to reduce their liabilities.

      Secondly, I also think bookies love Accumulator Cash Out as it means that many customers will reinvest their winnings on another betting market. Perhaps they might even place more In-Play football accumulators, especially if they have just cashed out an acca and have money in their betting balance.

      How In-Play Accumulator Cash Out Values Are Calculated

      If you place a £10 football accumulator with bet365 before kick-off, then you might notice that the Cash Out value remains at £10 while all the odds remain the same. However, as soon as at least one match kicks off, then that Cash Out value will change on a frequent basis. The fluctuations are even greater if several games relating to your football acca are going on at the same time.

      But how does a bookie calculate Cash Out? We know that the closer our accumulator gets to being a winner, the bigger the Cash Out value although the plain truth is that a bookmaker doesn’t have someone sitting there with a pocket calculator coming up with a number. Instead, they have sophisticated software which automatically offers punters a Cash Out amount for that moment in time.

      The decision for the cash out amount is led by the odds in-play. As your odds get shorter, the cash out value goes up. The closer you get to full time however with one selection not winning, your cash out figure will go down by the minute!

      Let’s say you place a £10 accumulator on the following teams and stand to get a return of £200 if they all win their games in ninety minutes:

      • Manchester City
      • Chelsea
      • Birmingham City
      • Rotherham United
      • Exeter City

      Now let’s say all five teams are leading 1-0 at half-time. Brilliant, we’re on course to land that £200 jackpot although 1-0 is a slender advantage for any team and we only need one team to fail to let down the above multiple bet.

      Let’s imagine the Cash Out value is £100 with all the teams leading 1-0. The bookie is offering you something highly tempting although the maths probably don’t stack up in terms of the probability that your football acca wins. After all, you are getting offered a 50% return of the overall profit despite all your teams leading. They might all double their lead in the second half.

      Keep a Record of Your Accumulator Cash Out Bets

      OK, so I’ll let you in on another free-of-charge betting tip. I like to keep a diary where I write down every bet I make in a particular month. That naturally includes accumulator bets where I will write down a profit and loss with each one. As mentioned, I often like to Cash Out of my football accas if one of the above scenarios plays out and I also like to make a note of whether I was RIGHT or WRONG to Cash Out of that particular multiple.

      Therefore, if you’re cashing out your football accumulators that consistently end up winning, you might want to rethink your Cash Out strategy. Perhaps you’re getting too twitchy about a bet that you previously placed confidently and need to trust your judgement, with those naughty bookies putting doubts into your head with those Cash Out offers!

      Consider Partial Cash Out With In-Play Accas

      My final point is to look at a halfway house when it comes to Cash Out. Nobody likes to lose money and I completely understand any punter wanting to make an early profit. However, Partial Cash Out allows you to come out of the football acca with some money and still keep part of your stake in the bet until the bitter end.

      I really like playing around with the slider function that you get with a bookie like bet365 and I sometimes like to secure my original stake back so that any profit I make from the accumulator is bonus winnings. Perhaps you want to take a heftier amount from your football acca before the last leg is played, although we recommend you play around with the slider until you’re happy with the final outcome.

      Jon

      Betting Expert
      I've made What Acca to try and help people starting out with accumulator betting. The possibilities of these types of bets are pretty much endless, with the major attraction coming from the fact that a lot of money can be won for very little outlay. What Acca will hopefully teach you how to make more profitable accumulator bets whilst also eradicating some of the mistakes that I have made over the years.

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