What is a lucky 15 bet?
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The 'Lucky 15' bet is a popular multiple bet, which involves 4 selections, amounting to 15 invdividual bets across those. This bet type consists of 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles and 1 four-fold accumulator. In order to gain a return, the bettor requires just one of the four selections to be settled as a winner.
Bettors wishing to cover a range of outcomes and bundle numerous wagers into one multiple bet could consider the Lucky 15 bet. This type of bet allows punters to make four selections and 15 different wagers from those selections.
Four, three, two or just one of those selections can win and the bettor can make a return. The bet is called a Lucky 15 because in certain scenarios, a bettor can earn bonuses from bookmakers and add more money to their winnings.
Lucky 15s are more expensive to place that regular bets. This is because for every bet placed, a new stake is being added. For example, if the punter wishes to place a £2 unit stake per leg, this total would rise to £30 overall because a £2 unit stake is being placed on each of the 15 bets.
Lucky 15 bets
As part of a Lucky 15 bet, punters make four selections and 15 bets are placed from those: one four-strong accumulator bet, four single bets, six double bets and four treble bets. These selections must be made across different events: for example, four different football matches or four different horse races. A punter who wants to make numerous selections in one single event should explore their options within the range of forecast bets that are available from most bookmakers.
To get a clearer understanding of how the Lucky 15 works, it is worthwhile applying it to a real-world scenario based around a weekend of football.
In this scenario, the bettor has selected four matches: Manchester City v Huddersfield Town, Liverpool v Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham United v Newcastle United and Leicester City v Cardiff City. From those matches, they have made the following predictions:
- Manchester City will beat Huddersfield Town
- Liverpool will beat Brighton & Hove Albion
- West Ham United will beat Newcastle United
- Leicester City will beat Cardiff City
From these selections, the following bets would be made:
- Four single bets
- Manchester City will beat Huddersfield Town. This bet does not require Liverpool, West Ham United or Leicester City to win their matches
- Liverpool will beat Brighton & Hove Albion. This bet does not require Manchester City, West Ham United or Leicester City to win their matches
- West Ham United will beat Newcastle United. This bet does not require Manchester City, Liverpool or Leicester City to win their matches
- Leicester City will beat Cardiff City. This bet does not require Manchester City, Liverpool or West Ham United to win their matches.
- Six double bets
- Manchester City will beat Huddersfield Town and Liverpool will beat Brighton & Hove Albion
- Manchester City will beat Huddersfield Town and West Ham United will beat Newcastle United
- Manchester City will beat Huddersfield Town and Leicester City will beat Cardiff City
- Liverpool will beat Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United will beat Newcastle United
- Liverpool will beat Brighton & Hove Albion and Leicester City will beat Cardiff City
- West Ham United will beat Newcastle United and Leicester City will beat Cardiff City
- Four treble bets
- Manchester City will beat Huddersfield Town, Liverpool will beat Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United will beat Newcastle United
- Manchester City will beat Huddersfield Town, Liverpool will beat Brighton & Hove Albion and Leicester City will beat Cardiff City
- Manchester City will beat Huddersfield Town, West Ham United will beat Newcastle United and Leicester City will beat Cardiff City
- Liverpool will beat Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham United will beat Newcastle United and Leicester City will beat Cardiff City
- One four-strong accumulator
- All four selected winners will win
Bookmakers often offer up a bonus if legs are successfully predicted. Some add quite a nice slice of extra money to the return if the four selected teams are victorious. This is why the bet has the name Lucky 15.
Other kinds of multiple bets
A Lucky 15 is a form of multiple bet and there are many different variations on this type of wager available to punters, each one offering a different number of selections and bets.
A double bet and a treble bet mean punters make two and three different selections respectively. If they all win then the bettor wins the bet and makes a return. A Trixie bet is a slightly different spin on a treble bet in that three different selections are made. However, four rather than three bets are placed within a Trixie bet. These are: three double bets and one treble bet. This offers the punter a little security: one selection can fail to win and they will still make a return because of the three double bets that have been included.
Patent bets, yankee bets and Canadian bets allow punters to make multiple selections and wagers, like in Lucky 15s. Within these options, a bettor can make three selections and seven bets (patent bet), four selections and 11 bets (yankee bet) or five selections and 26 bets (Canadian bets). A patent bet also has the benefit of allowing singles, so that even if just one of the selections made wins, the bettor will still make some form of a return.
Some other bets offer even more selections and bets. The heinz bet allows for six selections and 57 bets, the super heinz allows for seven selections and 120 bets and the goliath bet allows for eight selections and 247 bets.
Lucky 15s are good options for punters who are looking to widen the net with their predictions. They offer more security than many kinds of bets and are therefore more likely to make a return of some kind. They can be quite complicated to place, but are less complicated than the likes of a heinz, super heinz or goliath bet. However, it is important that anyone looking to make this kind of a bet does so with clear information about the sport they are betting on and the participants they are selecting. Those who place a Lucky 15 without this knowledge may find themselves losing out.
Plus, don't forget to check out our bet calculator, where you can calculate your winnings.