Round Robin Betting Strategy

Round Robin

Table of contents

Sports betting can be complicated, especially if you are unfamiliar with the hundreds of bet types available to you at any given sportsbook. Of course, the most common betting markets include the money line, point spread, and total, but there are so many more betting markets that are worth looking into.

One in particular is a betting market known as Round Robin betting. Round robin betting isn’t the most discussed type of sports gambling, nor is it the most popular. Complex and perhaps daunting for some bettors, it’s vital you fully understand the ins and outs of round robin betting before exploring your options.

Like with any bet type, there are pros and cons aplenty with round robins. It’s not going to be for everyone, and it’s not always the best way to go, but there are sizeable returns to be made if you successfully nail your round robin betting strategy. Our article will provide you with a complete overview of what Round Robin entails.

What is a round robin bet?

The first step to explaining Round Robin bets is to simply define them. A Round Robin bet is a type of parlay; however, instead of making one single parlay with multiple selections, it splits them up into several smaller parlays. Creating a round robin means you can still win a parlay (or parlays) even if one of your picks falls short. Some people might find it easiest to understand by viewing a round robin as parlay insurance.

Unsurprisingly, the name comes from a round robin tournament, where every competitor faces each other. It is also important to note that generally, Round Robin bets can be used with many different betting markets. This, of course, includes money line, point spread, run line, puck line, total, player props, and many more. It does not, however, include future bets.

Types of Round Robin Bets & Terminology

Having defined what a Round Robin bet is, the next step is to know what types of Round Robin bets are available for you to bet on. The terminology used for round robins will vary between sportsbooks and betting sites.

Below, we have explained some of the main types:

  • 2-Pick Round Robin: Perhaps the most common type of Round Robin is a ‘2-Pick Round Robin', also referred to as ‘By 2s’. With this type of Round Robin, the selections you make are split into 2-team parlays. Further, the number of 2-team parlays created is dependent on the number of bets you previously selected, which must be a minimum of three picks.
  • 3-Pick Round Robin: Another common type of Round Robin is a ‘3-Pick Round Robin’, which also can be seen as ‘By 3s’. Similar to a 2-Pick Round Robin, a 3-Pick Round Robin separates your bets into 3-team parlays. The difference with this type of Round Robin is that you must make a minimum of four picks to be able to place it.
  • 4-Pick Round Robin: The same principle applies to another type of Round Robin bet, which is a 4-Pick Round Robin. This Round Robin requires you to make a minimum of five picks and splits your picks into 4-team parlays.
  • Other Types: The types of Round Robin bets continue, such as 5-Pick Round Robin bets, etc. All of these work the same as we have explained above, with each type requiring a high minimum in terms of the number of bets you must select and the more bets your selected picks are broken down into.

Additionally, you might see these specific terms used on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel:

  • Trixie (3 Bets from 3 selections)
  • Patent (4 Bets from 3 selections, includes singles)
  • Yankee (11 Bets) / Lucky 15 (when singles are included)
  • Canadian (26 Bets) / Lucky 31 (when singles are included)
  • Heinz (57 Bets) / Lucky 63 (when singles are included)
  • Super Heinz (120 Bets) / Lucky 127

How Do Round Robin Bets Work?

When you’re browsing on your favorite online sportsbook, how a round robin is presented will vary a little. Once you have selected multiple bets, the sportsbook will show you the different parlay options available. For instance, if you have made 11 picks, there will be 2,036 combinations.

There are simpler ways to do this, of course. Having now explained some of the different types of Round Robin bets, the next step is to discuss how they will work using smaller combinations:

  • 2-Pick Round Robins: Remember that this type of Round Robin requires three selections at minimum. For example, let’s say you want to make a Round Robin bet using the following teams: Pick A, Pick B, and Pick C. The following parlays would be created: (Pick A, Pick B), (Pick A, Pick C), and (Pick B, Pick C). As you can see, every combination is covered, meaning you will now have three different parlays live. Now say you wanted to put down $5 on this 2-Pick Round Robin. The amount you want to bet would actually be multiplied by the number of parlays being created. (In this case, $5 X 3 Bets = $15.00 Total Wager).
  • 3-Pick Round Robins: As discussed, a 3-Pick Round Robin bet would split your selections into 3-team parlays and must have a minimum of four picks. Using Team A, Team B, Team C, and Team D, the following 3-team parlays would be created: (Pick A, Pick B, Pick C), (Pick A, Pick B, Pick D), (Pick A, Pick C, Pick D), and (Pick B, Pick C, Pick D). Using the same $5, this Round Robin bet would cost you $20 in total because ($5 X 4 Bets = $20 Total Wager). The payout for this Round Robin would also be much higher because you are adding a fourth parlay that needs to win compared to just having three in the 2-Pick Round Robin bet.
  • 4-Pick Round Robins: Finally, a 4-Pick Round Robin bet will split your bets into a 4-team parlay and will require a minimum of five bets (Team A, B, C, D, and E). Using this example, the following 4-team parlays would be created: (Pick A, B, C, D), (Pick A, B, D, E), (Pick A, B, C, E), (Pick A, C, D, E), and (Pick B, C, D, E). Again using $5, this Round Robin bet would cost you $25 because ($5 X 5 Bets = $25 Total Wager). Once again, the payout for this type of Round Robin bet would continue to increase because of the number of different bets you would have. From here, you can choose to place a small wager on each double, each treble, and the overall four-team parlay.

How to calculate the odds for a round robin?

It’s easy enough to work out the potential returns for a round robin bet depending on the winning selections. The amount you would win for all bets cashing would solely rely on the odds associated with each pick you made. This can help you to understand if you are really getting value by doing a round robin, while making it clear which combinations are most important to keep an eye out for.

Alternatively (and this is what we’d recommend), you can use a round robin betting calculator. This saves you a lot of time, particularly if you’re looking at going beyond three or four picks.

What are the benefits of a round robin bet?

Lower risk is the biggest benefit to a round robin bet. Bettors need to stump up larger stakes to have a chance at the same return, but a round robin bet is not an all-or-nothing scenario. It might mitigate some of the risks with normal parlays, but these are still parlay wagers, which are generally not the most efficient way to wager on sports.

The downside to round robin betting is how quickly the cost can escalate. The more selections involved, the more investment is required due to the rapid increase in the number of combinations. A six-team round robin carries 35 total parlays even if you only use the two-team and three-team parlays. This jumps to over 56 total parlays if you opt to include the four-team and five-team alternatives.

The total stakes can get out of hand if you aren’t careful. Bettors need to be ruthless with the selections they include when crafting a round robin. Additional stakes are required for this, but there is major upside if you nail a high proportion of your selections.

Round robin betting strategies

Having now explained what Round Robin types are and how they are formatted, it is also important to understand betting strategies for them. Below, we have explained a few of these to consider:

it is vital you thoroughly research your bets before committing to them

First and foremost, you need to decide whether to go with full or limited coverage. Full means backing every possible parlay for your selections. The costs are high with this option. Limited coverage means picking and choosing which parlays to back. This manages your total stakes for the round robin, but it leaves you vulnerable to frustratingly missing out on a parlay you could have backed.

How you approach a round robin will be defined by whether you go for full or limited coverage. In general, we would recommend going with full coverage, given that it provides all the benefits of round robin betting. If you’re considering limited coverage, it might be best to go with a different bet type.

  • Consider Using 2-Team Combos to Reduce Risk: The biggest Round Robin strategy we recommend is to consider only using the 2-Pick Round Robin bets. This is simply because having multiple two-team parlays significantly reduces your risk, compared to having three-team, four-team parlays, etc.
  • Thoroughly Research Your Bets: As ever, it is vital you thoroughly research your bets before committing to them. While there are multiple selections involved with a round robin, this should not mean you slack on your research. Be cutthroat with the selections you include, as one ill-informed pick could elevate the stakes required significantly. Like any form of gambling, round robins are not a sure-fire method for success.
  • Include Plus-Money & Underdog Bets: Given the way round robin bets control the overall risk with parlays, we would use this as an opportunity to include a few underdog wagers or longshot bets. Our second recommendation in regard to making Round Robin bets is to mix in some plus-money and underdog picks. This is not only to potentially help juice the odds and therefore your potential profit, but it is also because solely betting favorites is not a sustainable way to approach sports betting. In sports, upsets are part of the game, so look for underdogs to add. If you’ve got a couple of favorites in there, taking an underdog that you fancy as a value bet could prove to be extremely lucrative. If the underdog doesn’t pay off, you should still have winnings from parlays they were not included in. These do not need to be heavy underdogs, and they can even be underdogs in terms of the point spread or player props. Either way, having a mix of picks will likely help improve your chances of being profitable in the long run.
  • Mix Different Markets: Be open-minded with your round robin wagers, too. The beauty of a round robin is how it allows you to combine pretty much whatever you want. Don’t be afraid to mix up different markets, leagues, and sports. Chuck an NBA Finals game in with an MLB player prop. Pair an NHL underdog moneyline with a couple of NFL predictions.

The general principles of round robin betting are similar to standard parlays. There is, of course, a bit more to think about, so take some time to decide if this bet type is the right thing for you.

Round Robin Betting Sites

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