How To Read A Football Parlay Card

Keep reading more below as we will explain further in-depth and help you understand how betting odds work when it comes to making a teaser bet. What Is A Teaser Bet. A teaser is akin to a parlay placed on a number of games, but the difference is that points are adjusted in order to help you. This new wager allows you to bet a parlay and have some losses but the bet still pays out at lesser odds. To read more about them, click here: Progressive Parlays. Note: In the event of a tie in a parlay wager, the bet reverts to one team lesser. If a two team parlay has a push in it, it reverts to a straight wager at.

Before you can learn how to make parlay cards, you need to have a good understanding of what a parlay is and how it works. I cover parlay bets, especially football parlays, in detail in the beginning of this post.

I offer advice about how to actually make the parlay cards later in this post, too.

(By the way, parlays are also often called accumulator or combination bets, but parlay is the most common term used in American sports betting.)

What Is a Parlay Card and How Do Parlay Bets Work?

A parlay bet is a single bet on multiple outcomes. It’s basically a combination of bets, and the parlay only wins if all the outcomes win. Those bets are listed on a parlay card.

Having multiple bets in play at one time provides you with a bigger payout, but you also have a smaller probability of winning.

I like to think of things in terms of casino bets, so I think of a parlay as being like a bet that you’ll win black twice in a row on the roulette table. If you win, you might get paid off at 3 to 1 instead of the usual even money action. But your probability of winning 2 bets in a row is obviously much lower.

But parlays are usually thought of in terms of sports. And most sports parlays consist of 2 to 10 different bets on the same card.

For example, you might choose 4 football teams to win their games this Sunday:

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. New Orleans Saints
3. New England Patriots
4. Tennessee Titans

You COULD just place a single bet on each of those games, and that would be fun.

But if you place a bet on all 4 of them on a parlay, you’ll win more than you would even if you won the 4 individual bets.

And you only win the parlay bet if you’re right about all 4 teams. If even one team on your parlay loses, you’ve lost the bet.

You could also face a situation where one of the games tie. That’s called a “push.” If that happens, you don’t lose your parlay, but you’re only paid off as if you’d placed a smaller parlay—it’s as if that game didn’t exist on your card.

In the example above, where you’re betting on 4 games at the same time, if one of the games resulted in a tie, you’d get paid off as if you’d bet on a 3-game parlay. It’s a smaller payoff, but that’s better than a loss.

Parlay Odds, Probability, and Payouts

It should go without saying that the more games on the parlay card, the lower your odds of winning are. That’s because the odds of multiple things happening get multiplied by each other.

Let’s say that each of the teams on your 4-game parlay above have a 50% probability of winning. The probability that all 4 of them will win is:

50% X 50% X 50% X 50%, or 6.25%. That’s the same thing as 16 to 1 odds.

A 4-team parlay bet usually pays off at 13 to 1. If you bet $100 on that parlay and won, you’d win $1300.

The payouts are correspondingly higher, too.

Notice the discrepancy between the odds on the payout and the odds of winning. That difference is the vigorish, or “vig,” which is where the sports book makes its money.

Here’s how that amounts to a profit for the book:

• Take 17 parlays with those odds. The book collects $100 X 17 bets, or $1700.
• Since the odds are 16 to 1, they only expect to pay off a player once, for $1300.
• The other $400 is profit. Divide that $400 by 17 bets, and the book makes an average profit of $23.52.

That’s not a bad profit margin.

In most gambling businesses, the company makes its money by offering payout odds that are lower than the odds of winning. If you think of the odds as being similar to a fraction, you’ll understand why 1 in 16 is smaller than 1 in 13, even though 13 is smaller than 16. (It’s the same thing as saying 1/14 or 1/17.)

A 10-team parlay can make for a huge payout, by the way. A payout of 825 to 1 wouldn’t be unusual for such a bet, but the probability of winning that bet are bigger than that—1023 to 1.

Bet $100 on a 10-parlay, and you’re looking at winnings of $82,500.
This is a profitable parlay for the sportsbook, too, if you look at it statistically:

The book makes a smaller percentage profit, but on that kind of action, they can afford a smaller percentage profit.

If you think of it in terms of “the house edge,” like you would a casino game, you’re talking about a house edge that’s still 19.43%.

If you’re good at picking winners, you could theoretically make a profitable bet on a parlay. If, for example, you’re right 55% of the time instead of 50% of the time, your probability of winning the 4-game parlay skyrockets:

55% X 55% X 55% X 55% is 9.15%, or about 11 to 1.

With a 13 to 1 payout, it’s easy to see how a bettor comes out ahead, statistically.

You place 12 bets, and you win 1 of them. You have $1200 invested, but on the one bet you win, you win $1300. That’s a profit of $100 over 12 bets, or $8.33 per bet.

Getting an edge of 8.33% when you’re gambling is huge, by the way. You can’t get an edge like that even if you’re counting cards professionally (unless you’re also doing things like shuffle tracking, edge sorting, and/or hole carding, but that’s an entirely different blog post.)

What Kind of Parlay Cards Can You Make?

So far, the only examples I’ve used have been for bets on who’s going to win a football game. Parlay cards aren’t limited to the most basic bets, though. You can also place any of the following parlays at various sportsbooks:

1. Moneyline
2. Over/under
3. Pleasers
4. Point spread
5. Teasers

A moneyline bet is one that doesn’t account for the point spread. You bet on who’s going to win, regardless of the strength of the teams. The payouts for bets on the favorite in a moneyline bet are smaller—sometimes MUCH smaller.

But if you can find an underdog or 2 that are going to pull off an upset, you can get a big payout on a parlay made up of moneyline bets.

An over/under bet is a bet on the total points scored in a game. The over/under is set by the handicappers at the sportsbooks, who project the final scores of each game. To get the total, you just add the scores for both teams together.

If the handicappers expect a high scoring game, the over/under will be a higher number than if they expect a low scoring game. Theoretically, the over/under number is set in such a way to give you a 50/50 probability of winning.

Combining multiple bets on the over/under can be a fun way to place a parlay bet.

How To Read A Parlay Card

A pleaser is a point spread bet where you’re given the opportunity to move the point spread to make it more likely that the book will win. You get a higher payout if you win, though.

A point spread bet is a bet on who’s going to win the game, but the strength of the teams are accounted for by giving the underdog points. This is the most common way to place a football bet, and if you’re making a single wager, you get an even money payout.

The point spread is set (theoretically) so that you get a 50/50 probability of winning.

A teaser is like a pleaser, only instead of moving the point spread to favor the book, you get to move the point spread to favor you. You get a lower payout if you win, though.

Teasers and pleasers are also available for over/under bets.

How to Make and Print Your Own Parlay Cards

You can find various websites where you can create your own parlay cards and print them. It would be best to print them on cardstock if you go this route.

Some of these sites even offer you parlay cards that already have all the numbers on them, but you can also choose to create your own numbers with their software.

ParlayCardsNow.com is one site which offers either option. You just input how you want the header to read, the name and date you want printed on the card, and your organization’s logo.

Then you have multiple lines where you can input the favorite and the underdog for each game in the parlay. You can also include the line (the point spread) and the over/under. Finally, you would include a section for the rules of the parlay and the payouts for the winners.

The parlay cards come out as PDF’s when you use the software on this site to create your parlay cards. They suggest that you uncheck the box that reads “fit to printable area,” as different printers have different parameters.

For their standard cards, this site uses Vegas odds, and the payoffs are as follows:

Of course, websites like this are in business to make money. They charge fees to access these cards, which can be bought on a weekly, 4-week, or season basis for $20, $60, or $140, respectively.

Another option would be to just find someone who has a little knowledge of how to create printable forms in Excel and have them design printable parlay cards for you. You’d probably need to give them an example to work from, but it wouldn’t be hard for them to create something you could use and re-use.

You’d be responsible for finding the point spreads for the games on the parlay card, though. This might be more trouble than you want to go to, but if you’re doing a lot of business taking action on parlays—maybe you’re getting your own bookmaking operation going—it’s probably worth the investment.

Conclusion

A parlay bet is one of the most entertaining bets a sports bettor can make, so if you’re running a bookmaking operation—even on a small basis—it’s probably worth offering these. It’s a combination bet that only pays off if the bettors gets all the bets in the combination right.

If you’re an individual sports bettor, you don’t have to worry about printing your parlay cards. The bookie you’re doing business with should be able to provide you with them. The trick is to beat the odds and win the payout.

The easiest way to make parlay cards is to use a subscription-based site that offers such functionality. Failing that, you just need to find a spreadsheet guru who can create fillable forms for you to use.

Since the whole reason we are here is to explain betting odds, we need to teach people how parlay betting works and help them understand things like payouts, rules, and other things that come up when placing a parlay bet. This is one of the things we talk about first because it is such a popular way to bet on a variety of games, but many people waste their bankroll on them. For just a few dollars, someone could conceivably win as much as a million dollars or more, but that thrill is why most people lose their money when betting on parlays. Of course, this is an extremely rare situation but using a parlay to build the payouts on several bets you're feeling good about is a common + profitable practice if you are on a hot streak.

I think of parlays this way. If you are confident enough in so many bets that you feel like you need to put them in a parlay, then you should bet them all straight as well. That way if you win 3 out of 5 for example, you will still win money or break even. As to where if you just bet one parlay then you will walk away with nothing more times than not. So, if you have $25 to bet a 4-team parlay, bet $5 on each team individually and then bet them all in a $5 parlay. You will be a much more profitable sports bettor if you stick to this philosophy.

Below is our complete rundown of what a parlay bet is in a way that you should be able to understand it. We try and break down all the different aspects of it, but please know that some sportsbooks have different rules and you may be able to do things on some sites but not others. Enjoy the page and we hope that we help you become better at sports betting by reading this page.

What Is A Parlay Wager?

A parlay is a single bet that is placed down that includes more than one pick to win a game or cover the spread, usually between 2-10 teams. You will win your parlay bet if all of your bets are won that you included on the betting slip. But if you have even a single loss, then the parlay is lost and so is your money. And it does not matter how many of the games you won on the betting slip because ALL of them must win.

What Happens If There Is A Push Or A Tie In A Parlay?

If any of your picks in the parlay turn out to be a push, then that bet basically acts as a tie and the payout of your payout will be reduced if you won your other bets. In other words, if you have an 8-team parlay and one of those picks is a push or tie, then you essentially are left with a 7-team parlay. The push doesn’t signify that your parlay will be graded as a loss; however, your total winnings will be reduced as the sportsbook removes that “leg” from your parlay.

Why Do People Bet On Parlays

A parlay is enticing to bettors because of the high return on investment should the bet be won. The payouts for a parlay can be very high, and thus very rewarding. The more teams you take in a parlay, the greater the return and it is completely possible to win thousands of dollars with a $1 parlay if all your picks are correct.

Example Of How A Parlay Bet Works

Let's say that you placed a three-team parlay on the Falcons, Cowboys, and Packers covering their respective point spreads in their match ups. Typically, a three team parlay will pay out at 6/1. If all three of these teams cover the point spread, then the bet would be won. For every $100 wagered on this parlay, a $600 profit is made. If one of the bets was to push though for example, you would be paid as if you made a 2 team parlay bet, which would be 3 to 1, or $300. If any of the three teams loses then so do you.

How Do You Calculate A Parlay?

The easiest way to calculate is to simply go to an online sportsbook and start putting your bets in. You will be able to see the payouts for the parlay before you confirm the bet. If you look at the table below then you can see the payouts if you were to bet a parlay using regular betting lines that are set at -110. Any time one of your bets is different then -110 then the payouts of your parlay will be different depending on which way you are betting. If you are betting an underdog that was +200 for instance, then your payouts for the parlay will be much higher. And if one of them was a favorite at -200 then your payout will be lower.

How To Parlay Football

We're sure you're ready to learn more about the parlay wager and the best online sportsbooks that allow users to make wagers using the parlay. Here's a tip: stick to the sports betting sites that have friendly parlay rules which allow you to jump across different sports + parlay wagers within the same game! Now, let's get on with the show...

Bovada Sportsbook - Best Sports Betting Site For Betting Parlays

When it comes to betting games, sometimes players only pick one game to place a wager on, and sometimes a lot of money can be one quickly. The reason that Bovada is so popular is that most players know that there are all the games that they can pick from and make money on. This opens eyes but another thing that sticks out on Bovada is the parlay bets that can be made on all of the games here on Bovada.

Parlay bets here have all the making of big cashouts! With parlay bets, there are games that you can pick that you know that are for sure wins and take a few upsets and that’s where the money that players can be will increase. Bovada odds set on all the bets offered are set up for players to cash out huge and all it takes is a player to take the chance on more than one game or one more than one prop bet.

SportsBetting Sportsbook - Tons Of Parlay Bet For All Sports

The reason that many players love to place bets on SportsBetting is because the odds are set up perfect players to win big. There are always great games going on no matter the sport so that means that there are plenty of bets that will show up and many of the time players will decide which prop bets are best for them. Most of the time players will see more than one bet that they really like and this is where parlay bets will come.

The thing is SportsBetting already has all the great bets so now when you put all these prop bets in the basket and make it one big bet, this is where cash will flow! SportsBetting is known for great prop bets so when you can tie them all together, this only means more players will come in and place parlay bets and win huge!

BetOnline Sportsbook - Best Sportsbook With Parlay Bets

Knowing that all the bets you are at the tip of your fingers are what Betonline gives to all their account holders. These bets are always exciting and the odds are set up for players win big. With the games are always going on, bets are always popping and that also more the features are filled with a lot of different bets.

Prop bets are everywhere on BetOnline and that means that parlay bets will be the best way for players with accounts. The reason for this is because when it comes to betting, the main goal is to win as much money as you can. BetOnline has great odds for every bet in different games so tagging different bets in one parlay only increase the winning. Picking 12 bets with a few underdog pick only scream a lot of winnings when a player hits on BetOnline.

MyBookie Sportsbook - Parlay Bets Profit Top Of Line On MyBookie

The bets that are set on MyBookie has always been very favored for players to win money on. The ultimate way to win is to take advantage of the bets that are here and set no matter the games or the sport. This is why most players come back to MyBookie and bring back other players as well. Sometimes picking the underdog to win only shows that it will be more money to be made. The thing that comes with betting the underdog is there is also a chance you can pick the underdog and place a bet on your favorite at the same time. This is called parlay bets.

These parlay bets can be placed and when you do that this only means more money can be won because of the multiple games that place are betting on. Even in the live betting feature, players could also place parlay bets as well. At the end of the day, betting is about profiting big, and here on MyBookie, parlay bets are one of the most profitable ways to win money. Adding all of the best you have on to one ticket and place big money on MyBookie will prove to profitable because of the odds set on MyBookie!

More About How Parlays Work In Sports Betting

As the parlays increase, so too does the margin of profit and payouts. But the more games linked together on the parlay, the more difficult the bet becomes to win. Parlays usually can go up to as many as 15 games. It's also important to know that parlays are not made for you as a bettor on the sportsbook. You have the power to fill out your own parlay slip for the games that you want to place a wager on.

Betting a parlay does not have to be on the point spread either. When placing a parlay bet, then you can bet on either the spread, the money line, or a combination of the two. But on the money line, which is a wager on a game without a point spread, the payouts can be a lot different. If a bettor takes the favorite on the money line for every parlay, the payout won't be the near the amount than if one or more underdogs had been selected.

Is Betting A Parlay Worth It?

How To Read A Football Parlay Card Calculator

While the major payouts and hopes of a changed lifestyle for only risking a few dollars may seem too good to be true, oftentimes it is. Still, you will hear stories about bettors who won a crazy 8-leg parlay where they turned $100 into a few hundred thousand. More often than not though, parlays are what give sportsbooks easy money. Sports betting can be difficult and if you are required to get every wager you make correct in order to win, you will find yourself running out of money much quicker in most scenarios.