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Jon
Betting Expert

2 December 2024

Yankee Bet or Lucky 15

This is one question I get asked at least once a week so I thought I better share this with the WhatAcca community.

All acca bets are high risk in return for high rewards. Placing a Yankee bet or a Lucky 15 offers you a better chance to get a return from 4 selections.

Both of these bets are very similar but if you read on, you will find out the differences and be able to know when to place each one.

Article updated 2022 – Ad

What is a Yankee Bet?

A yankee bet is available by adding 4 selections to your betslip. This bet covers the following combinations; Doubles, Trebles and 4-Fold (acca).

  • 6 Doubles
  • 4 Trebles
  • 1 Acca

This means you are placing 11 bets in one. So, if you put £1 in this box in your betslip, you will be betting a total of £11.

The beauty of this bet is that only 2 selections need to come in to get a return. If 2 win and 2 lose you will win some money but usually not enough to cover the amount of the bet.

If you hit 3 out of 4 correct bets, you can expect to break even at least. normally you will win a small / medium profit.

All 4 win and you will be jumping for joy. That means all 11 bets won and you take the profits from each one.

What is a Lucky 15?

Like the yankee bet, a lucky 15 consists of 4 selections. With this bet though, it’s a total of 15 bets in one covering Singles, Doubles, Trebles and a 4 fold Acca.

  • 4 Singles
  • 6 Doubles
    4 Trebles
    1 Acca

Your chances of winning increase over a yankee bet as you just need 1 selection to win. The total bet will cost more though. 15 times your stake to be exact.

That means a £1 stake will cost you £15.

Due to the extra cost of the single bets, you really need 2 selections to come in to secure a decent return. It’s a nice bet for first goalscorer bets, as the bigger odds help to boost returns even if one or two selections lose.

Yankee v Lucky 15 Compared

Let me lay out the positives and negatives of these two multiple bet options;

Yankee Bet Positives and Negatives

+ Just two winning selections secures a decent return
+ Bigger return than a standard acca if all 4 selections win
+ If one selection loses the return is better than acca insurance
+ Cheaper to bet than a Lucky 15

– If only 1 selection wins you lose, like an acca
– You need to back longer odds

Lucky 15 Bet Positives and Negatives

+ You only need 1 selection to win to secure a return
+ Bookies often pay double the odds if only 1 selection wins
+ Covers the maximum bets for 4 selections

– 3 selections from 4 need to win to get a decent return
– Expensive to bet

Top Tip

Stakes: Most online betting sites will allow you to stake £0.10p per bet / line.

This means if you bet 10p on a yankee bet, you’re total bet would be £1.10 and a Lucky 15 would come in at £1.50.

Choosing an online bookmaker that allows a low stake per bet can help a lot if you are regularly placing Yankee’s and Lucky 15’s. You can basically place more bets and risk less money.

I have found some sites only let me bet as low as 20p so it’s worth checking.

Best Markets for Yankee and Lucky 15 Bets

For football I am a big fan of the following markets to fill my yankee or lucky 15 bets with;

  • First Goalscorer
  • Anytime Goalscorer
  • Match Result & BTTS
  • Draw
  • Penalty Scored Yes

If you add these markets to these bets, you will be getting better value due to the higher odds. If two selections win you will most likely get your stake back or make a small profit.

And if all 4 win you are in the money!

Other sports I think are great for Lucky 15’s or Yankee bets are;

  • Horse Racing
  • Darts
  • Tennis (Correct Score market)

When to place a Lucky 15?

When you fancy a few bets that are at high odds, all bets start at similar times and when you are looking for a big winner.

Go big or go home with the Lucky 15 bet.

When to place a Yankee Bet?

I would place a yankee bet when I’m confident I have 4 selections at big odds that I think have a really strong chance to win.

I know that sounds obvious but when you are staking 11 bets over a straight up acca, you think differently on the winning chances of the bet.

Closing Thoughts

These two acca style bets are worth understanding. Hopefully the explanation above has given you the knowledge to go out and place these bets.

Always be mindful of the total bet as it can be expensive so save these for special occasions or those days when you really fancy your bets.

You can win big from these bets so have fun and I wish you plenty of luck over the coming season!

Cheers
Jon

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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