Round Robin Betting Guide: How to Build Smarter Multi-Bet Combos

Round robin betting has never been more popular or advantageous. What was once considered an exotic or recreational form of sports gambling has become a science that professionals and sharps effectively use.

In today’s era of limitless choices, the chances of building smarter multi-bet combos have never been greater. Yet, increased opportunity comes with the potential for increased risk.

So, what does round robin mean in sports betting? And is it worth it? It all comes down to ability, probability, and the best possible price.

What Is a Round Robin Bet in Sports Betting?

So, how does round robin betting work? In sports betting, a round robin is a type of parlay wager in which the gambler can automatically bet on smaller parlays within a larger overall parlay bet.

An example would be an original three-leg parlay of the Chiefs, Cowboys, and Eagles. From this three-team parlay, you can automatically get four parlays for a round robin (three two-leg parlays and then the main three-legger).

The purpose of round robin betting is to still make gains from your top parlay picks, should one of the legs fail. If two of your three legs of a parlay win, you will still have something to show for it by going with a round robin.

Round robin betting can also be taken as an insurance policy to protect yourself from a complete loss on a parlay.

Keep in mind that round robin betting can become expensive, so it should be used with prudence. The expense comes from the number of teams you add to your round robin bet.

To illustrate, the more teams you add to a round robin parlay, the more parlay combinations you must use, which means you’ll need to lay more money out.

How Round Robin Betting Works: Step-by-Step

Round robin betting for sports is a parlay wager where a sportsbook will automatically create smaller parlays out of, but still within, the larger main parlay.

The idea is that if one leg loses, there are still chances to win other bets in the parlay based on the performance of the other legs within it. Thus, all of the parlay legs form separate parlays within the main parlay group.

At the onset, when you select multiple games to bet on, a sportsbook will immediately offer the option to create a series of parlays within the parlay. So if there are a total of 11 legs within a round robin parlay, you will have six two-leg parlays, four three-leg parlays, and then the total of one four-leg parlay.

Round Robin Bet Types: 2-Leg, 3-Leg, or Full Combos

You can have two-leg, four-leg, and full combinations.

Depending on the types of round robin betting that a gambler participates in and the results, the payouts can be substantial, but so can the losses.

2-Team Parlays in Round Robins

As we have illustrated, round robin betting is multiple smaller parlays within the larger parlay.

In turn, this helps keep your winning legs of the parlay alive should one of the legs of your parlay fail.

Thus, whenever you make a round robin betting parlay, there will normally be multiple two-leg parlays within that round robin.

3-Team Parlay Combos

How does round robin betting work for three-team parlay combos? When you expand to four or more teams of round robin betting, you will have the addition of three-leg parlays as part of the overall bet.

For example, on a four-leg round robin parlay, you will have five two-leg parlays, four three-leg parlays, and then the final and single four-leg parlay. As you can see, the more legs you have on your largest parlay, the more separate, smaller three-leg parlays you will have for round robin betting.

Round robin betting offers a hedge against potential losses on the large parlay that the smaller leg parlays are born from. Still, the financial commitment dramatically increases with each increase in legs within the parlay.

Full Coverage Round Robin (All Possible Combos)

A good example of the bets required for a full coverage round robin would be from an original main parlay of five legs.

To fully cover such a round robin betting play, there would be a total of 26 combinations that must comprise the bet in this situation. In sum, there would be ten two-leg parlays, ten three-leg parlays, five four-leg parlays, and one five-leg parlay.

Indeed, that is plenty of coverage, but you’ll also have potential insurance from a total loss if one of the legs loses.

Pros and Cons of Round Robin Bets

How does round robin betting work most effectively? Instead of risking all your stake on a single parlay, you are splitting your overall wager into smaller parlays within the parlay to enhance your chances of ending up with a profit for the overall bet.

While it is true that the smaller parlays won’t pay as much, you will have a hedge against the potential loss of one or some of our legs losing on the parlay. Also, keep in mind that smaller round robin parlays still have a greater payout than regular single bets.

The potential downside to round robin betting is that the more legs you have on your parlay, you must make more smaller parlay bet. Thus, there is a larger outlay up front for your round robin parlay, and with that comes the risk of potentially greater losses on a bad round robin parlay.

Best Situations to Use Round Robin Betting

Round robin betting is best used when you confidently have three to five picks. You will have insurance so that, regardless of how confident you are, should one of the legs fail, you can still profit on the overall round robin instead of a total loss on a single parlay.

Round robin betting with underdogs and combining those with sharp side wagers can be advantageous. Sometimes the wrong team is favored in a game, creating live underdogs that can deliver.

Tracking sharps for their line moves will offer additional clues to help you find winning legs within your parlays.

Thus, a round robin parlay helps mitigate risk and maximize profit.

Round Robin Betting Strategy Tips

Like all forms of sports betting, the same principles for a good bet apply to round robin betting.

You must not force questionable bets. Instead, acquire the maximum best price for the most probable outcomes for success.

Start with 3 or 4 Selections Max

When you begin making round robin wagers, it is best to limit them to three- or four-leg parlays.

While round robin betting is not complicated, there is a lot to track, and newer gamblers can find learning what round robin means in sports betting overwhelming.

Also, there is less financial risk with three or four legs instead of more, where the initial outlay and risk can get serious.

Use Stronger Edges, Not Coin Flips

You must be selective when making any type of sports wager, especially with parlays and round robin betting. Making reaches on coin flip-type legs on your parlay will not be sustainable and will result in eventual losses.

The most successful sports gamblers are choosy and will seek to eliminate plays from a parlay instead of looking to add questionable legs on the ticket that could drag the entire round robin parlay down. Less is more when it comes to profits in round robin betting.

Track Results and Learn from Combinations

With round robin betting, experience is the best teacher.

Keeping logs from your round robin bets is an essential tool for success. Track your round robin wagers to learn patterns to differentiate between wins and losses. Such logs will also prevent you from repeating mistakes while potentially guiding you toward future successes.