What is a Lucky 15 bet?
A Lucky 15 bet consists of 15 unique bets, covering every possible combination that comes from backing four selections. The 15 bets are broken down like this:
– 1 fourfold accumulator
– 4 trebles, with each treble omitting one of your selections
– 6 doubles, again covering every possible combination
– 4 singles
It is the last part, the 4 singles, that differentiates the Lucky 15 from a Yankee, which only includes the first 11 bets. The appeal of a Lucky 15 is that it offers many more ways to win than a conventional accumulator. Of course, if a bookie offers you acca insurance (one in particular springs to mind) then you can get money back as a free bet if one pesky side lets you down – but the Lucky 15 builds a level of insurance into the bet itself.
A Lucky 15 uses both your acca and your singles as well as producing trebles and doubles that reward you for correctly calling 2/4 or 3/4 of your selections. To cover the 15 separate bets, a Lucky 15 uses your stake 15 times. If you were to place £1 on a Lucky 15, you would be staking £15 in total across the various bets.
Lucky 15 example
Lucky 15 bets are traditionally associated with horse racing, but there is no reason why they can’t be your go-to bet for a Soccer Saturday either. There’s nothing more frustrating than when you carefully research your teams to unearth some value picks, only for a nailed-on home favourite to get a man sent off in the first 10 minutes. With a Lucky 15, the excitement keeps rolling because you’ve got a variety of singles, doubles and trebles still in play.
Here’s an example of a Lucky 15 using a selection of Premier League matches on November 2.
See also: What is a Yankee bet?
In this scenario, this punter has decided to back Brighton at 4/5, West Ham at 5/6, Chelsea at 8/13 and Burnley at 12/5. With two home favourites at under evens and a strong Chelsea side at Watford, it’s clear that Burnley are the biggest question mark. However, this punter fancies Sean Dyche’s side to grind out their first away league win of the season at Bramall Lane.
The hefty price of 12/5 means that this fourfold accumulator returns £18.12 from a £1 stake. If placed as a Lucky 15 (the option below Accumulator on the bet slip), the potential return is £90.29 from a £1 stake. That maximum return depends on each of the four teams coming out on top.
How is that return broken down? Let’s go back to the bets that make up the Lucky 15.
– 1 fourfold accumulator: returns £18.12
– 4 trebles: return £36.51
– 6 doubles: return £27.01
– 4 singles: return £8.65
That’s your best-case scenario there, where all four teams win. However, the advantages of a Lucky 15 come to the fore in a less-than-best-case scenario. Let’s imagine that Burnley did win at Sheffield United, but it was West Ham who failed to see off a stubborn Newcastle. In that situation, this would happen:
– 1 fourfold accumulator: loses
– 4 trebles: 1 winning treble, returns £6.89
– 6 doubles: 3 winning doubles, return £11.52
– 4 singles: 3 winning singles, return £5.82
In this case, the total return of £24.23 brings in £9.23 profit from the £15 stakes. If the bet had been placed as a standard accumulator, the total return would have been £0.
How does a Lucky 15 each-way work?
While a standard Lucky 15 can be used on any sport, the Lucky 15 each way is best suited to horse racing. An each way Lucky 15 includes the standard array of bets but adds another 15 based on the ‘place’ part of the each way bets. A Lucky 15 each way consists of 30 bets in total, so a stake of £1 would produce a total outlay of £30.
In this situation, a standard Lucky 15 would return £989 from 15 £1 stakes. A Lucky 15 each way pays at 1/5 odds if a horse finishes in the top 3, producing a maximum return of £1044.16 from 30 £1 stakes.
Of course, there are some situations where you’ll want to stick with a straightforward accumulator, most notably if you intend on adding more than four selections.
Simply put, if you’ve got a shortlist of four picks, then a Lucky 15 bet could be the ideal way to bring home a return – even if one or two of the picks don’t go to plan. What do you think – are you going to try it out soon?