A Yankee bet is a four-selection multiple bet that can be used as a more flexible alternative to a four-fold accumulator.
It is one of a number of full-cover, multiple selection bets available at a typical bookmaker.
The Yankee bet gets its name from a potentially apocryphal story from WWII. It suggests that a U.S. serviceman based in the U.K. won a large amount of money from a bookmaker using this wager.
U.S. service personnel were nicknamed “Yanks” or “Yankees” in the U.K. at the time (after the song Yankee Doodle Dandy). Hence the name for this bet type stuck.
Unlike an acca, which requires all selections to win, with using Yankees, a bettor only needs two or more selections out of their four to win to generate a return.
Whether that return is enough to generate a profit, depends on two factors: Firstly, the number of winners from your selections and also the odds you backed them at with the sportsbook.
To Yankees in more detail, let’s first explore how they work.
How does a Yankee bet work?
When a punter places a Yankee bet, they start by making no more than four selections on their bet slip. The selections must be from markets that are acceptable to their bookmaker to accept the wager.
You will find the Yankee bet option under the multiple bet (sometimes called multiples) on your bet slip.
With this type of bet, you are going to cover 11 separate betting outcomes from your selections. Here is how those 11 bets break down:
Example of a Yankee Bet breakdown
Your Four Yankee Bet Selections – Selection A, Selection B, Selection C and Selection D.
Now to cover the possible options for two or more winners from this selection you need to place:
- Six Doubles (A&B, A&C, A&D, B&C, B&D, C&D)
- Four Trebles (A, B & C, A, B & D, A, C & D and B, C & D)
- One Fourfold (A, B, C & D)
It is easy to see that covering six doubles, four trebles and one fourfold adds up to 11 bets (or to use bookmaker terminology, 11 lines).
It should be noted at this point that no single bets on any one of the four selections are covered by this bet (but we’ll get back to that later).
However, covering all those 11 lines requires you to wager your Unit Stake 11 times. So for example, a £1 Yankee Bet when sports betting would see you bet a total of £11. (11 Lines x £1 Unit Stake = £11).
It should be clear at this point that these types of multiple bet offer the bettor a greater chance of a payout than other multiple bets, such as an accumulator.
That’s because up to two selections on your Yankee can lose, and you’d still get a return if the other two win.
Furthermore, land one or more of the Treble bets, or the fourfold, and those potential sports betting winnings can increase markedly.
Let’s explore more about how Yankee bets payout.
How do bookies pay out Yankee bets?
When you place a Yankee bet, your chances of winning, compared to an accumulator, are much higher. So, in theory, you should earn a payout more often.
However how much you stand to win (and whether or not you make a profit) when to place a Yankee bet is down to three factors:
- Your unit stake (and total spend)
- How many of your four selections win.
- What the odds of your winning selections are.
As always, it is best to show you the process in practice by means of an example. You can also use an online Yankee calculator to work out the different potential returns you could receive when you make a Yankee bet.
Example of Yankee Bet Potential Winnings
In our example, our punter, Jan Key, has placed a £1 Yankee bet (£11 in total) on the following horse racing selections at the shown odds to win.
- Horse A – Sure Thing – Even Money
- Horse B – Good Chance – 2/1
- Horse C – Should Go Well – 4/1
- Horse D – Outside Hope – 10/1
So he starts the day with £11 staked, so let’s look at how all the potential 11 bet scenarios could play out for him.
If 0 or 1 of his four selections win
Jan wins nothing. None of his 11 lines come in and he loses his bet (£11 loss).
If two of the four selections win
Good news! Jan celebrates a return here, but how much he gets back will depend on which two of the horses from the four he selected wins.
The total returns for every possible combination of two winners from the four selections is shown below:
- Sure Thing (Evens) & Good Chance (2/1) – £6 return (-£5 loss)
- Sure Thing (Evens) & Should Go Well (4/1) – £10 return (-£1 loss)
- Sure Thing (Evens) & Outside Hope (10/1) – £22 return (£11 profit)
- Good Chance (2/1) & Should Go Well (4/1) – £15 return (£4 profit)
- Good Chance (2/1) & Outside Hope (10/1) – £33 return (£22 profit)
- Should Go Well (4/1) & Outside Hope (10/1) – £55 return (£44 profit)
In this scenario, Jan’s return from two winners could see him at worst lose £5 of his £11 stake or earn a profit of £44.
That is because out of the 11 possible lines, Jan managed to hit just one with his Yankee bet.
However, the chance of profitability increases markedly if Jan hits three or more winners in his bet.
If three of the four selections win
Jan will certainly be delighted as if three or more of his selections win, then he guarantees himself a pretty decent profit. Here’s why, starting with the winning treble bet options from his four selections.
- Sure Thing, Good Chance, Should Go Well Win – £61 return (£50 profit)
- Sure Thing, Good Chance, Outside Hope Win – £127 return (£116 profit)
- Sure Thing, Should Go Well, Outside Hope Win – £197 return (£186 profit)
- Good Chance, Should Go Well, Outside Hope Win – £268 return (£257 profit)
An important thing to note here is that the stated amount of returns for the three winning selections includes not just the win for the three selections combined, but also for the successful double bets that landed alongside the treble bet.
That inflates the size of the win considerably and of course, if all four bets win, then that means all bets are winners!
If all four selections win
The dream scenario for Jan and any Yankee bet punter is for all four selections to win. This means that every one of the 11 lines he covered with the bet is a winner.
That would give Jan a total return of £842.00 on his Yankee bet, a profit of £831.00.
Are there similar bets to the Yankee bet available?
- 3 Selections – Trixie (6 lines)
- 5 Selections – Super Yankee or Canadian (26 lines)
- 6 Selections – Heinz (57 lines)
- 7 Selections – Super Heinz (120 lines)
- 8 Selections – Goliath (247 lines)
Should I use a Yankee bet calculator?
Yes. There are many useful Yankee calculators available online that allow you to set different parameters for the bet. This includes changing the size of your stake, the odds on the four selections and whether two, three or four of the selections win.
They are a good way to start to understand how the maths works when calculating your potential payout from a Yankee bet for the 11 different scenarios.
What is a Super Yankee bet?
A Super Yankee bet is the same kind of bet as a Yankee, but with one further selection added to the bet slip to make five selections.
This increases the number of lines to cover to 26 (10 x Doubles, 10 x Trebles, 5 x Fourfolds, 1 x Fivefold)
This type of bet can also be called a Canadian. A £1 unit stake on a Super Yankee bet would cost £26.
What is the difference between a Yankee bet and a Lucky 15 bet?
There is only one difference between a Yankee bet and a Lucky 15 bet and that is the Lucky 15 bet also covers each of the four selections made as a single bet, with another Unit Stake placed on each of the four selections to win.
That means that the number of bets you need to cover with a Lucky 15 bet increases from 11 to 15. But the flip side of this is that you will generate a return if just one of your four selections’ win.
However, it is much more difficult to make a profit if just one of your four selections wins. In fact you’d need the sole winner to have odds of at least 14/1 to break even with the bet.
Can I place an Each-Way Yankee Bet?
An each-way bet is a popular option for many punters and you can place an each-way Yankee bet.
However, as with a standard each way bet, it does depend on the market you are betting on.
For example, betting on a selection each way in a horse race is fine, but betting on the winner of a football game each way is not allowed.
As with other forms of this bet type, An Each Way bet will double the unit stake you need to pay for every line covered.
This means that a £1 Each Way Yankee bet would cost you £22 as you are covering the 11 lines as win bets, and the same 11 lines as place bets.
Yankee bets and other full cover bets are a fantastic addition to the armoury of punters that enjoy multiple selection bets. They are far more flexible than an accumulator bet and offer punters a better chance of at least some return more often.
