What is a lucky 31 bet?

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·       Made up from 5 selections, the 'Lucky 31' bet consists of 31 bets as you may have guessed, and as such, a £1 Lucky 31 would result in an overall stake of £31. Making up this particuar bet type are the following bets; 5 singles, 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 four-fold accumulators and 1 five-fold accumulator.

Bettors who want to place a bet that offers a strong chance of making a return of some kind should consider the Lucky 31 bet. Similar to the Lucky 15, a Lucky 31 is a combination bet that allows the bettor to make 31 bets from five selections and potentially reap very high rewards. 

It's important for anyone considering placing a Lucky 31 to understand the risks. As there are so many bets being made, a Lucky 31 costs much more than a standard bet. With each additional bet, the bettor is staking a multiple of their original stake. For example, if the original stake were £5 then this figure would be multiplied to £155 because £5 is placed for each and every one of the 31 bets. 

The Lucky 31 is tempting for bettors to place as it offers a sense of security that many other bets do not. As there are so many bets being placed within a Lucky 31, some of the selections that are made can lose and the bettor will still make a return. Additionally, many bookmakers such as Paddy Power and Betfair offer bonuses in certain situations. If those situations come about then the bettor will make a little extra money on top of whatever their return is, adding extra incentive to this kind of bet.

Lucky 31

A Lucky 31 bet allows bettors to select five different participants and make 31 bets from those selections. It is typically available across sports where there are multiple events across a day or a weekend, for example football, rugby, horse racing and greyhound racing. The bets must be placed on different events and cannot be placed on a single game or event. For example, a bettor would need to select five horses from five different races, rather than five horses within the same race.

The bets that are made within a Lucky 31 are: ten double bets, ten treble bets, five single bets, five four-strong accumulator bets and one five-fold accumulator. By applying the Lucky 31 to a weekend of football, it is easy to see how the rules of the bet apply. In this scenario, a bettor wishes to place a Lucky 31 on the FA Cup Third Round and selects the five matches they want to bet on. The bettor believes that the following outcomes will happen:

• West Bromwich Albion will beat Watford
• Leeds United will beat Doncaster Rovers
• Manchester City will beat Leyton Orient
• Middlesbrough will beat Burton Albion
• Blackburn Rovers will beat Sunderland

Within the Lucky 31, the bettor would place the following bets:

• Five Single Bets

1. West Bromwich Albion will win, but all the other teams will not win
2. Leeds United will win, but all the other teams will not win
3. Manchester City will win, but all the other teams will not win
4. Middlesbrough will win but all the other teams will not win
5. Blackburn Rovers will win but all the other teams will not win

• Ten Double Bets:

1. West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United only will win
2. West Bromwich Albion and Manchester City only will win
3. West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough only will win
4. West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn Rovers only will win
5. Leeds United and Manchester City only will win
6. Leeds United and Middlesbrough only will win
7. Leeds United and Blackburn Rovers only will win
8. Manchester City and Middlesbrough only will win
9. Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers only will win
10. Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers only will win

• Ten Treble Bets

1. West Bromwich Albion, Leeds United and Manchester City only will win
2. West Bromwich Albion, Leeds United and Middlesbrough only will win
3. West Bromwich Albion, Leeds United and Blackburn Rovers only will win
4. West Bromwich Albion, Manchester City and Middlesbrough only will win
5. West Bromwich Albion, Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers only will win
6. West Bromwich Albion, Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers only will win
7. Leeds United, Manchester City and Middlesbrough only will win
8. Leeds United, Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers only will win
9. Leeds United, Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers only will win
10. Manchester City, Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers only will win

• Five Four-Fold Accumulators

1. West Bromwich Albion will beat Watford, Leeds United will beat Doncaster Rovers, Manchester City will beat Leyton Orient and Middlesbrough will beat Burton Albion
2. West Bromwich Albion will beat Watford, Leeds United will beat Doncaster Rovers, Manchester City will beat Leyton Orient and Blackburn Rovers will beat Sunderland
3. West Bromwich Albion will beat Watford, Leeds United will beat Doncaster Rovers, Middlesbrough will beat Burton Albion and Blackburn Rovers will beat Sunderland
4. West Bromwich Albion will beat Watford, Manchester City will beat Leyton Orient, Middlesbrough will beat Burton Albion and Blackburn Rovers will beat Sunderland
5. Leeds United will beat Doncaster Rovers, Manchester City will beat Leyton Orient, Middlesbrough will beat Burton Albion and Blackburn Rovers will beat Sunderland

• One five-fold accumulator

1. West Bromwich Albion, Leeds United, Manchester City, Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers will all win

The amounts paid out for a Lucky 31 depend on the numbers of winning selections the bettor makes. If, for example, only West Brom and Manchester City were to win, two single bets and one of the double bets would win and so an appropriate return would be made by the bettor. However, if all five teams were to win, then every above bet listed would win, and the payout would be many, many times higher.

Other forms of Lucky 31 bets

There are a couple of other bets similar to Lucky 31s that are available to bettors. All offer different numbers of bets and selections, and all have bonuses available as part of the bet, which is why they're called Lucky. A Lucky 15 bet allows bettors to make 15 bets from four selections, while a Lucky 63 allows bettors to make 63 bets from six selections. 

Lucky 31s and other kinds of 'Lucky' style bets are tempting for bettors to make. The number of bets being made ensure that some kind of return is likely to be ensured, so even if one or some of the selections do not win, the bettor can still earn a pay out. However, it is vital that the bettor is aware that the stake is likely to be very high and that they are knowledgeable about what they are placing the bet on. Those without this knowledge could be likely to lose out.

Plus, don't forget to check out our bet calculator, where you can calculate your winnings.

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