Goliath Bet Explained
Test your betting muscles (and potentially win a fortune) with the most complicated bet of them all!
The Yankee bet is rumoured to be named after an American soldier who used this system to place a bet at a UK bookmaker, and won a fortune off a small wager when all his selections won.
The Yankee bet is one of the easier combination bets to place, and also costs less than larger combination bets like the Lucky 31 and Canadian/Super Yankee.
Major online bookmakers don’t even require you to place the sub-bets separately.
Instead they automatically detect once you have made four selections and then offer a Yankee bet as an option on the betting slip.
What’s a Yankee bet?
A Yankee bet is a combination of:
- six doubles
- four trebles
- one four-fold accumulator.
These bets are placed using four selections from the betting markets. The same stake is placed on each of the sub-bets, and at least two odds-against selections will need to win for a Yankee bet to generate a return.
| Sub-bet | Yankee selections | Number of bets |
|---|---|---|
| Doubles | 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 2-3, 2-4, 3-4 | 6 |
| Trebles | 1-2-3, 1-2-4, 1-2-5, 1-3-4, 2-3-4 | 4 |
| Four-folds | 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-5, 1-2-4-5, 1-3-4-5, 2-3-4-5 | 1 |
| Total: | 11 |
How does a Yankee bet work?
To place a Yankee bet you will first need to identify four selections in the betting markets that you are confident can win.
Save your riskier bets for singles, as the primary focus of a Yankee bet is to trigger the maximum potential payout by getting all four selections to win.
If you were to construct a Yankee bet from scratch you would need to include every selection you made in at least one double, treble and fourfold accumulator with every other selection.
Prior to online betting, you would have needed to do this manually, which would require using the bet table in the previous section.
However, online bookmakers have made it easier than ever to place Yankee bets. Simply make four selections and a Yankee will come up as a betting option on your betting slip.
If you’re sure your selections are on point, you can place your Yankee bet by entering the stake for the bet.
Keep in mind that the stake you enter will be multiplied by 11, with the same stake going to each of the 11 component bets.
Provided at least two of your selections win you will generate a payout on your Yankee bet, with at least one of your doubles paying off.
A Yankee bet can theoretically deliver an overall profit if two selections win, and the odds on these selections are high enough. Typically, however, at least three winning selections are required to return an overall profit on the bet.
Yankee bet strategy
The best way to use a Yankee bet is to make four strong selections and ensure all four of your sub-bets, including the most lucrative, the four fold accumulator, pay out.
One way to do this is to make all your selections at odds under Evens. Odds on selections are highly likely to win their events, and selecting four gives you a solid chance of winning your Yankee bet.
However, taking this approach will usually result in a modest payout on your Yankee bet, and can easily lead to a profit smaller than your stake.
This is not the type of massive return your average punter is looking for from a Yankee bet, so chances are you will want to place bets on higher priced entries.
In this case the Yankee betting strategy is similar to placing a single bet:
- Ensure you understand and are deeply familiar with the sport you are betting on to maximise your chances to identify value selections in the betting markets (i.e. good prospects at decent prices)
- Take time to make your selections and try ensure you’re getting the best balance of price and prospects of winning on every selection you make.
When it comes to deciding what your stake on a Yankee bet will be, keep in mind that this is a high-risk, high-reward bet.
Using a large stake weights all the risk on your pocket. If the bet does not come off as intended, you’re looking at a significant loss.
Instead you should look at constructing Yankee bets that offer you the opportunity to make a big profit off a modest stake.
While this does involve choosing higher prices, which reduces the probability of all selections winning, it weights the risk on losing the bet, rather than potentially losing a large sum of money.
Yankee Bet Calculator
* Select “Yankee” from the bet type drop-down
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Yankee bet FAQ
How much does a Yankee bet cost?
A Yankee bet costs 11 times the stake you set for the bet. So for example if you bet £1 on a Yankee bet, the overall cost will be £11.
How to place a Yankee bet at William Hill?
To place a Yankee bet at William Hill make four selections in the William Hill betting markets. Then choose All Multiples on the betting slip. Yankee will appear as an option on the Multiples section of the betting slip, and you can now enter your stake and confirm your bet.
How to place a Yankee bet at bet365?
Placing a Yankee bet at bet365 is easy. Make four selections in the betting markets then open your online betting slip. At the bottom of the betting slip you will see an option for ‘Folds’ with text beneath it inviting you to ‘Show more multiples’. Click this option and additional multiple bet options will be displayed, including a Yankee. Enter your stake for the Yankee and confirm your bet.
How to place a Yankee bet at Boylesports?
To place a Yankee bet at Boylesports, make four selections in the betting markets. Once you have done this, check the on-screen betting slip and you will see the Yankee bet option listed under Accumulators/Multiples. Submit your stake and place your bet.
How to place a Yankee bet at Paddy Power?
Placing a Yankee bet at Paddy Power is as easy as it gets. Make four selections from the betting markets and ‘Yankee’ will automatically appear as a betting option near the bottom of your betting slip. Click on the option to expand it, enter your stake and you’re done.
Do bookies still take Yankee bets?
Bookies not only accept Yankee bets, but make it as easy as possible for you to place these combination bets. Simply make four selections at an online bookie and choose ‘Yankee’ from the multiple bet options on the betting slip.
Do you get a bonus for a Yankee bet?
A number of bookies offer bonuses on winning combination bets. Many require combination bets to have five or more selections to be eligible for a bonus. However, if you’re prepared to look around you can find combination bet bonuses that cover Yankee bets. For example bet365’s Tennis Accumulator Bonus kicks in when two or more winning selections are made on qualifying matches.
How much is a 10p Yankee bet?
A 10p Yankee bet will set you back £1.10.
Which is best, Lucky 15 or Yankee?
A Lucky 15 bet with four winning selections will always pay out more than a Yankee bet with the same four winning selections, due to the return on the additional four bets in the Lucky 15. Conversely you will lose more on a Lucky 15 with losing selections than you would on a comparable Yankee bet.
What happens if all 4 Yankee bets win?
If all four selections in a Yankee bet wins, then all 11 sub-bets pay out. The total amount paid out will depend on the odds on the individual selections.
What happens to a Yankee bet with a non-runner?
When there is a non-runner in a Yankee bet the selection in question does not affect the outcome of sub-bets it is part of in any way and is simply removed from the equation. Therefore all sub-bets will effectively be adjusted a level down to compensate. For example affected doubles are treated as singles, affected trebles will become doubles, and the four fold will be calculated the same way as a treble.
What is a permed Yankee bet?
A Permed Yankee bet is a combination of five Yankee bets focusing on five selections. Each of the Yankee bets in a Permed Yankee bet covers a different combination of four of the five selections used for the overall bet, covering all five possible Yankee bets that can be made using these selections.
