2 Game Parlay
A parlay is a single sports wager that involves two or more bets combined into one. This can include point spreads, moneylines, totals, futures, or even prop bets, as long as the bets are on different games.
The allure of these bets has always been a larger payout than choosing a single team to win. But there’s more gamble to these types of wagers because every “leg” of the parlay needs to not lose in order to win. If one leg loses, the whole parlay loses.
2 Team Parlay Payouts - Betting Parlays Explained Payouts on a 2 team parlay are standard throughout the industry at 13/5. Sportsbooks will pay $2.64 for every $1.00 wagered. To reiterate, each of these choices is expected to win their game. However, the combined chance that all three bets will win is still almost 2 to 1 against. So, bear in mind that in parlays, there’s no such thing as a safe option. Bet #1: Moneyline @ +145 Bet #2. A parlay is a wager on multiple games all placed into a single bet. In theory the payout for a 2-team parlay is the same as if you bet one game, collected your winnings plus stake, and then bet the winnings plus stake on a second game.
A parlay bet is a form of sports wagering where a single bet combines together two or more individual wagers up to a total of 12 picks and is dependent on all of those wagers winning together for the bet to cash. At the casino or on a sports book, to parlay means something similar. Easily the most popular of all exotic wagers in sports betting, a parlay (or “combo”) is a collection of 2 or more sides or totals that you place a wager on and all of them must win in order for you to cash in. MLB, NFL and NBA Parlay Rules.
The flexibility of a parlay bet also makes it attractive to gamblers. You can combine multiple sports into your parlay bet; for example, you can include the Cowboys from the NFL, the Celtics from the NBA and the Coyotes from the NHL into a single bet. If they all win, you win.
2 Team Parlay
Test out the parlay calculator above and compare odds at different sportsbooks to see how it works!
Placing a parlay bet
There are two ways to place a parlay bet and both are quite simple. Bettors can either tell the ticket writer directly which teams and totals they’d like to bet on and how much they’d like to risk on the bet. Filling out a parlay card is the other option for placing this kind of bet. Once the card is filled in, the bettor simply needs to visit the sportsbook desk to place the bet.
Some mobile sports wagering apps offer both types of parlay bets.
Get the best parlay deal at online sportsbooks with Parlay Insurance here:
Winning a parlay
There are two instances when a parlay can be a winning bet. A parlay only wins if none of the sides, totals or moneylines selected is a loser. The parlay can still be a winner if a game is canceled or ends in a tie. The pay schedule will simply more down to the lesser payment. For example, the bettor will win if a baseball parlay for four teams has three winners and one game is canceled because of rain. The bet will only pay based on the schedule for three winners instead of four as originally planned. The bet is a loser if one pick for a parlay is wrong.
Parlay odds
Not all parlay payouts are the same. Sportsbooks may have different odds for the number of teams bet in a parlay. This can be very confusing when looking at online sports that have different odds and payouts for the same parlay. Further, these odds may change at any time so bettors should check with the ticket writer in sportsbook before placing a parlay.
Parlay payouts
Payouts for a parlay are fixed by the time the bet is placed. Even if the lines and odds for an individual game move, the parlay lines and odds won’t change from when the parlay bet was placed. The parlay bet won’t be changed whether the lines change for or against the bettor.
If the lines change for a game, or games, in the favor of the bettor another parlay may be bet with the new line. The original bet cannot be changed and the bet will stand. The good news is that the bettor has two live parlay bets.
Types of parlays
A parlay is a type of sports bet and there are different variations of this kind of wager. The most common types of parlays are Round Robin parlays and Teasers.
Round Robin
A Round Robin bet is placing multiple parlay wagers at once. It’s just that simple. Round Robin bets are just a way to simplify making multiple parlays. When a bettor “Round Robin’s” teams in sports betting it’s similar to a horse bettor “boxing” horses for an exacta or trifecta bet in a race.
The bettor will select anywhere from 3 to 8 teams or totals to be in the Round Robin. They will then choose how many teams or totals they’d like to tie together for the Round Robin. For example, a bettor may select eight teams and totals for a Round Robin and tie the parlays to as many three-team combinations as possible.
The combination of teams will dictate how many different parlays the bettor has. Continuing the example, if a bettor wants to Round Robin eight teams they will have 28 different parlays if they choose two teams. If the bettor chooses to make three-team parlays they will have 56 different parlay tickets.
The ticket will cost the amount chosen for each parlay. If the bettor only has $300 they might choose to Round Robin the teams by two, so they have 28 different parlays for $10 each. The payout for each winning parlay is the same as it would be if the parlay bets were each made individually.
Teaser
A teaser is similar to a traditional parlay where the bettor can select multiple teams or totals. However, there are no moneylines allowed with a teaser. Unlike a parlay, the bettor may move each point spread or total plus or minus a certain number of points. The additional points on the spread or total make these bets easier to win and thus they pay less than a traditional parlay.
Teaser bets can change the point spreads or totals anywhere from six to 10 points. However, each leg of the teaser must use the same number of points. Those legs of the teaser may go in different directions.
- For example, the New England Patriots -7 can be teased down six points to -1. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns can be teased up six points from +4 to +10 points.
Much like a traditional parlay, the more teams involved with a teaser the better the payoff. Again, different sportsbooks have different odds and rules so they might have different payouts and teaser options available to bet.
Parlay Cards
The more popular way to bet parlays in casinos today seems to be with a Parlay Card. These are the long narrow cards where bettors fill in the numbered circle of the side or point spread they want to include in their bet. Once the teams and totals are chosen the bettor simply presents the filled in portion on the card to the ticket writer in the sportsbook along with how much they’d like to wager.
Parlay Cards are especially popular during football season. There are many different types of Parlay Cards including a variety of teasers, ties win and reverse teaser cards known as pleasers. These are more popular every year so the mobile sports wagering apps have started to add Parlay Cards for mobile bettors.
A parlay is a type of wager where multiple outcomes are selected. Each of the outcomes must win in order for the parlay to win. Any point spread tie reduces to the next lowest number of teams in the parlay. The odds for the number of teams placed in a parlay are based on the pay table below when the selections (point spreads and totals for football and basketball, games and segments) have a default line of -110. Listed below is the BetMGM/Borgata Online pay table.
All Football and Basketball Parlays
(Point Spreads and Totals all - 110)
2 Teams | +260 |
3 Teams | +600 |
4 Teams | +1000 |
5 Teams | +2000 |
6 Teams | +4000 |
7 Teams | +8000 |
8 Teams | +15000 |
9 Teams | +30000 |
10 Teams | +60000 |
11 Teams | +110000 |
12 Teams | +200000 |
13 Teams | +300000 |
14 Teams | +600000 |
15 Teams | +1000000 |
Parlay Odds Selections:
The legs in a Pay Table parlay all must meet the following requirements:
- Football, basketball (excluding money lines) and their halves or quarters
- Point spread or totals
- Default odds that are set at -110.
Maximum payoff on off the board parlays is 10000/1. Acceptance of all parlays is at the discretion of management.
Example 1: The 2-team parlay (See picture below) is a standard parlay paying 2.6 to 1 or 3.6 for 1. Using the Pay Table, $10.00 x 3.6 = $36.00 payout. Pay Table parlays are not calculated using “true odds” (-110 is not .9091 in this case). The Pay Table Multiplier section below explains the way that Pay Table odds are calculated.
PARLAY (2 TEAMS) | |
---|---|
1 PARLAY @$10.00 | |
24Jan PRO FOOTBALL | |
[302] COLTS | -71/2-110 |
22Jan PRO BASKETBALL | |
[702] BOBCATS | -6-110 |
Ticket Cost: | $10.00 |
To Win: | $26.00 |
Collect: | $36.00 |
WRIT2 SR_POS2 | 22Jan18 11:02:40 |
Pay Table Multiplier
This is the factor that, when used for each leg of a parlay, gives the Pay Table payout. For a 2-team parlay at default odds, the factor is a square root. For a 3-team parlay, it is a cube root, for a 4-team parlay, it is the 4th root of the payout.
The return on a 2-team Pay Table parlay at 2.6 to 1 is 3.6 for one, as the payout. The square root of 3.6 is 1.8974. This is the Pay Table Multiplier for 2-team parlays.
$10 X 1.89736 X 1.89736 = 36.00.
Below is the pay table multiplier which is used as the method to calculate pay table parlays when the default odds are -110.The respective Pay Table Multiplier (shown below) by the True Odds Multiplier of the number (other than -110) minus the True Odds Differential (shown below).
2 Teams | 1.89736 |
3 Teams | 1.91293 |
4 Teams | 1.82116 |
5 Teams | 1.83841 |
6 Teams | 1.85693 |
7 Teams | 1.87344 |
8 Teams | 1.87228 |
9 Teams | 1.88536 |
10 Teams | 1.89621 |
11 Teams | 1.89027 |
12 Teams | 1.88409 |
13 Teams | 1.87339 |
14 Teams | 1.86154 |
15 Teams | 1.84786 |
Non-Pay Table Parlays
We use the term Non-Pay Table parlay when at least one leg does not meet requirements 1 and/or 2 of the Pay Table parlay default odds section above.
Sports like Boxing, Baseball, and Hockey use Non-Pay Table Odds. Football money line bets also use them. The True Odds Multiplier section below explains the way that Non Pay Table odds are calculated.
Example 2: The 2-team parlay below uses the True Odds Multiplier because neither leg meets the Pay Table requirements, so $10 x 1.9091 x 1.9091 (rounded) = $36.45 payout.
PARLAY (2 TEAMS) | |
---|---|
1 PARLAY @$10.00 | |
30Jan PRO HOCKEY | |
[2] CAPITALS | -110 |
28Jan BOXING | |
[3605] MAYWEATHER | -110 |
Ticket Cost: | $10.00 |
To Win: | $26.45 |
Collect: | $36.45 |
WRIT2 SR_POS2 | 22Jan18 16:26:24 |
Example 3: The 2-team parlay below uses the Pay Table Multiplier for 105 because it meets all other requirements for Pay Table Odds (see Pay Table Parlays above). Note: The root for the Pay Table Multiplier is based on only the number of legs that meet the requirement. It usesthe True Odds Multiplier for 107 (-1/-120 = .8333) because that leg does not meet requirement 2. Although it is a Football game, it is a money line wager.
$10 x 1.9091 x 1.8333 = $35 payout.
PARLAY (2 TEAMS) | |
---|---|
1 PARLAY @$10.00 | |
Jan 08 NFL | |
NFL WILDCARD PLAYOFFS | |
[105] FALCONS | +3-110 |
Jan 08 NFL | |
NFL WILDCARD PLAYOFFS | |
[107] STEELERS | -120 |
Ticket Cost: | $10.00 |
To Win: | $25.00 |
Collect: | $35.00 |
TIMW BODINES T01 | 5Jan18 09:35:56 |
Pay Table Non-Default Odds
We use the term Pay Table Non-Default Odds when all legs meet requirements 1 and 2 of a Pay Table parlay: 1) Football, basketball, and their halves or quarters 2) Point spread or totals, but at least one leg does not meet requirement 3 because it hasodds that are not equal to the default odds.
Pay Table Non-Default parlays are not calculated using “true odds” (-120 is not .8333). The True Odds Differential section below explains the way that Pay Table Non-Default odds are calculated.
Example 4: The 2-team parlay below uses the Pay Table Multiplierfor default odds for 302 (which meets all the requirements of a Pay Table parlay like Example 1 above). However, the other leg (304 Saints) has non-default odds -120, so a factor called the True Odds Differential is used to adjust the True Odds Multiplier of the -120 to derive the new Pay Table Multiplier for non-default odds -120.
$10 x 1.8974 x 1.8216 = $34.56 (rounded to nearest nickel $34.55)
PARLAY (2 TEAMS) | |
---|---|
1 PARLAY @$10.00 | |
24Jan PRO FOOTBALL | |
[302] COLTS | -71/2-110 |
22Jan PRO FOOTBALL | |
[304] SAINTS | -3-120 |
Ticket Cost: | $10.00 |
To Win: | $24.55 |
Collect: | $34.55 |
WRIT2 SR_POS2 | 22Jan18 11:03:11 |
True Odds Differential
The only time that the True Odds Differential is used is when a leg contains a Pay Table sport that has non-default odds for point spread or totals (Example 4 above has -3-120 instead of -3 -110).
Calculating the True Odds Differential for a Non-Default Odds leg when default odds = -110
(True Odds Multiplier of -110) - (Pay Table Multiplier of -110) = True Odds Differential
1.9091 - 1.8974 = .0117
2 Team Parlay Odds
Calculation to find the Pay Table Multiplier for Non-Default odds -120 in Example 4
True Odds Multiplier of -120 = 1.8333 – True Odds Differential = . 0117
Pay Table Multiplier of -120 = 1.8216
The only exception for not using the true odds differential is when the pay table multiplier exceeds that of true odds (-110 or .9091).
Calculations to find the True Odds Multiplier
When the Leg is a Favorite
When laying odds (money line is less than 0): (-1) x (100)/ (money line) +1.
Example: True Odds Multiplier for Money line: -110: (-1) x ((100)/ (-110)) +1 = 1.9091
When the Leg is an Underdog
When taking odds (money line is greater than 0): (money line)/ (100) +1 Example:
True Odds Multiplier for Money line: +130 = ((+130) /(100)) +1 = 2.3