Those looking to place rather a more ambitious cover or multiple bet can consider the Lucky 31. Used within football and horse racing primarily but available on numerous sports, the Lucky 31 is made up of five different selections. These five selections the create 31 different wagers, as the name of this bet suggests. Watch out for the cost of a Lucky 31 therefore, as going at £1 a line will lead to a total stake of £31.
While ultimately the dream is to land all five legs of the Lucky 31, the spread of different bet combinations means that this is the ideal punt for those looking to get some sort of return for their efforts. If you do get all five selections right, however, the payouts can be massive. Punters must always consider risk versus reward with a Lucky 31. Going at too large an amount per line makes it an expensive bet, for example at £5 a line the Lucky 31 costs £155. Going too low however means that, unless four or five or your selections are successful, returns can be meagre.
How the Lucky 31 Works
As discussed, the Lucky 31 works by you choosing five different selections, making up 31 bets in total. The bet is allowed on all sports in which there are multiple events during a day or a weekend. Lucky 31’s can be placed on horse racing, football, rugby, greyhounds, etc.
The five individual selections must be on five different events, for example five different football games or five different horse races. In most cases, bookies will allow you to mix the sports up, though you cannot select more than one bet in each event. The bet is made up of 31 selections, namely:
- 5 x Singles
- 10 x Doubles
- 10 x Trebles
- 5 x Four-Fold Accumulator
- 1 x Five-Fold Accumulator
Players should keep in mind that this multiplication greatly increases the cost of a bet. At £2 per line, a Lucky 31 would cost £62 with all 31 bets needing to be covered. Here we’ve given a real example of a Lucky 31 on Premier League football games:
Here, we’re going for five football teams to win their respective games over the weekend. At £2 per line, the total bet this time is £62. You can fiddle about with that however to find a total amount that works for you. These are all 31 bets now being placed on one coupon:
- Bet 1 – £2 single on Newcastle to beat Brighton
- Bet 2 – £2 single on Leeds to beat Southampton
- Bet 3 – £2 single on Wolves to beat Fulham
- Bet 4 – £2 single on Brentford to beat Man United
- Bet 5 – £2 single on Chelsea to beat Tottenham
- Bet 6 – £2 double on Newcastle and Leeds
- Bet 7 – £2 double on Newcastle and Wolves
- Bet 8 – £2 double on Newcastle and Brentford
- Bet 9 – £2 double on Newcastle and Chelsea
- Bet 10 – £2 double on Leeds and Wolves
- Bet 11 – £2 double on Leeds and Brentford
- Bet 12 – £2 double on Leeds and Chelsea
- Bet 13 – £2 double on Wolves and Brentford
- Bet 14 – £2 double on Wolves and Chelse
- Bet 15 – £2 double on Brentford and Chelsea
- Bet 16 – £2 treble on Newcastle, Leeds and Wolves
- Bet 17 – £2 treble on Newcastle, Leeds and Brentford
- Bet 18 – £2 treble on Newcastle, Leeds and Chelsea
- Bet 19 – £2 treble on Newcastle, Wolves and Brentford
- Bet 20 – £2 treble on Newcastle, Wolves and Chelsea
- Bet 21 – £2 treble on Newcastle, Brentford and Chelsea
- Bet 22 – £2 treble on Leeds, Wolves and Brentford
- Bet 23 – £2 treble on Leeds, Wolves and Chelsea
- Bet 24 – £2 treble on Leeds, Brentford and Chelsea
- Bet 25 – £2 treble on Wolves, Brentford and Chelsea
- Bet 26 – £2 four-fold on Newcastle, Leeds, Wolves and Brentford
- Bet 27 – £2 four-fold on Newcastle, Leeds, Wolves and Chelsea
- Bet 28 – £2 four-fold on Newcastle, Leeds, Brentford and Chelsea
- Bet 29 – £2 four-fold on Newcastle, Wolves, Brentford and Chelsea
- Bet 30 – £2 four-fold on Leeds, Wolves, Brentford and Chelsea
- Bet 31 – £2 five-fold on Newcastle, Leeds, Wolves, Brentford and Chelsea
Even at the relatively short prices offered on football games versus horse racing, landing all five wins and therefore all 31 permutations here can yield simply massive returns. Even losing two legs can yield a net win though. For example, if only the three lowest-priced teams win, Newcastle, Wolves and Chelsea, a punter can expect a return of £83.80 at these odds. That payout is based on these results:
£2 single on Newcastle @ 2/1 returns = £6
£2 single on Wolves @ 13/10 returns = £4.60
£2 single on Chelsea @ 5/4 returns = £4.50
£2 double on Newcastle and Wolves returns = £13.80
£2 double on Newcastle and Chelsea returns = £13.50
£2 double on Wolves and Chelsea returns = £10.35
£2 treble on Newcastle, Wolves and Chelsea returns = £31.05
It goes to show then that a majority of games are needed to be successful in order for a decent return to be expected. This is especially true when, in most cases, you’ll be taking shorter prices than these such as 4/5, 11/10 etc on strong home teams. That said, add a fourth to that let alone a fifth and we’re talking good money but there is always a risk involved with taking on so many bets.
Calculating a Lucky 31 Payout
Calculating such complex bets is never easy if you’re new at the game. Your bookmaker will calculate your potential winnings automatically, though may only do so on the basis of all 31 bets coming in. You can also use free bet calculation tools online. To look at each leg individually, simply use the 31 bets listed above. Calculate each leg, based on the odds you have been given by your bookmaker.
You know that if one selection wins at 2/1, your £2 bet brings you in £6 (£2 x 2 + £2). If your teams at 2/1 and 13/10 win, then you take the £6 from the first win, x 13/10 + £6 = £13.80 and so on. You can do this for each winning combination, unless they all win of course and then your bookie will show you what you’ve won and that will hopefully include a lovely bonus!
Lucky 31 Versus Canadian
Both then Lucky 31 and the Canadian, also known as a Super Yankee, contain five selections from different events. That’s the first similarity, the others being the 10 x doubles, 10 x trebles, 5 x four-folds and the five-fold acca. The major difference is that in the Canadian bet, no singles are included. This means that to gain a return with a Canadian bet, at least two winners are needed from your five selections.
If that is a concern, stick with the Lucky 31. If, however, you are confident that at least two of your teams or horses will win, then the Canadian may be for you. The Canadian, without the singles, is only 26 bets rather than 31. This means it can be cheaper to place, or provide you with a win overall per winning combo if you are using the same overall budget. If you need some insurance, however, the Lucky 31’s single bets are the way to go just in case you’re having an unlucky day.