The round robin bet is perhaps the most complicated common sports wager around. In effect, they are bets made of other bets made of other bets.

Instead of making a three-team parlay, you can place a round robin and create all possible two-team parlays from the selections above. First Parlay: Atlanta Falcons -5. Denver Broncos +3. $10 to win 26 (+260 odds) Second Parlay: Atlanta Falcons -5. Pittsburgh Steelers -7. $10 to win 26 (+260 odds) Third Parlay. Denver Broncos +3. Following that, you will elect to do parlays of anywhere from 2 to 6 teams. The calculation of a round robin can be a little complicated, but this is how it works. If you did a three-team round robin; let’s say the teams are the Rams +10.5, Packers -6.5 and Lions +8. The parlays would be two-teamers, and there would be three of them.

However, Colorado residents are going to have to negotiate them as sports betting proceeds in the Centennial State. So, here is a handy guide to walk you through these betting conundrums.

How round robin betting works

A round robin bet is a combination wager consisting of multiple parlay bets. Despite the complexity of their construction, they are actually a useful tool in the sports bettor’s belt.

Essentially, round robins are the province of the parlay bettor. In a parlay, players choose to combine several wagers into one.

So, for example, a player might choose bets from five different games. All five bets would fold into a single parlay, and the parlay would offer a single payout that was derived from the collective odds of all five bets.

However, parlays are high-risk propositions because they require the player to be completely accurate in his or her selections in order to pay out. So, if the player’s bet on just one of the games did not prove to be accurate, the entire bet is lost, regardless of how well the bettor predicted the other four games.

The round robin allows the player to hedge the bet a bit and guard against this kind of outcome. Instead of creating a single parlay with 5 legs, a round robin could create multiple two-leg, three-leg, or four-leg parlays that address each possible combination of wagers.

One thing to note is that each parlay in a round robin essentially requires an individual bet. So, if you were planning to bet $100 on the parlay listed above, but wanted to do a two-pick round robin, you would need to bet $10 on each pick in the parlay. You can figure out how to make equivalent wagers by dividing the total desired bet amount by the number of parlays in the round robin.

As is the case with parlays, most sportsbooks will only let you combine point spreads, moneylines, and totals into round robins. There will be occasional exceptions for selected prop bets, but generally speaking, combining futures or props is not allowed.

Round Robin model

Although we will have several real world examples of round robins below, the entire concept of these wagers is a bit hard to grasp. So, hopefully, the following will help to illustrate further how these bets work.

Let’s say that you want to make bets on teams A, B, C, D, and E.

If you wanted to make a parlay wager, then all five bets (A – E) would be on the betslip. If any of the five bets loses, the entire parlay loses.

However, let’s say that you wanted to guard yourself a bit from this kind of disaster. You decide to do a round robin with the five teams.

Instead of a five-team parlay, you (in effect) have now made 10 two-team parlays. Here are the combinations that you have just wagered:

• AB
• AC
• AD
• AE
• BC
• BD
• BE
• CD
• CE
• DE

Now, since you have spread the combinations around, you don’t have such a small margin of error. Even if one of the bets goes wrong, you still have the opportunity to realize winnings on 60% of the round robin.

For instance, let’s say that team B does not win their game. In a standard parlay, the entire bet is lost.

However, in the round robin, only the parlays that involve team B are lost. So, you would still get paid on the following parlays:

• AC
• AD
• AE
• CD
• CE
• DE

While it would cap your payoff potential to use a round robin vs. a straight parlay, it might be worth it to give yourself space to realize some profit if you’re imperfect in your predictions.

Real world examples of round robins

Obviously, this type of bet requires several examples to explain how it works. So, we’ve constructed several round robins from actual bets offered on DraftKings Sportsbook at one time.

One major part of these examples to notice is the overall odds of the bet. Even if we use only favorites in our round robin, it is still a longshot to complete it successfully.

However, we will also include the odds associated with a straight parlay with the same elements. Hopefully, the discrepancy between the two numbers will highlight how much safer a round robin is.

NBA: 5-Team Round Robin

Individual bets

• Los Angeles Clippers vs. Philadelphia 76ers – OVER 225 @ -112
• Chicago Bulls vs. Washington Wizards – WSH Moneyline @ -152
• San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder – OKC Moneyline @ -360
• Portland Trailblazers vs. New Orleans Pelicans – POR Point Spread +3 @ -109
• Boston Celtics vs. Houston Rockets – HOU Moneyline @ -127

Sample potential payouts

For each line, we wagered $100 total. You don’t have to bet this amount; it was just a round and easily-divisible number to illustrate.

• Each selection wagered individually: $71 profit, $171 total
• 2-pick round robin: $191.04 profit, $291.04 total
• 3-pick round robin: $492.78 profit, $592.78 total
• 4-pick round robin: $829.56 profit, $929.56 total
• Parlay: $1387.48 profit, $1487.48 total

Comment: As you may have noticed, each of these wagers is on the favorite. DraftKings estimates that each selection we made is the more likely outcome. So, if we wager each of these five bets individually, we end up making less than a 1:1 return on our bet. The sportsbook is charging a heavy premium, or “vig,” to play it safe.

However, even if we spread out our parlay risk as far as possible with the 2-pick round robin, the overall chance of winning drops dramatically. Though we’re betting every possible combination of those bets, and each part of the bet is favored to occur, we are a 3:1 underdog to win the bet. Of course, a straight parlay of the same 5 bets is nearly 14 to 1 against. So, even though it’s still a decent long shot, round robins are a significantly safer wager than their parlay cousins.

NHL: 4-Team Round Robin

Individual Bets

• Arizona Coyotes vs. Toronto Maple Leafs – ARI Moneyline @ +165
• Las Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild – MIN Moneyline @ +123
• Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Islanders – OVER 6 @ +102
• Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers – EDM Puck Line -1 @ +150

Sample Potential Payouts

For this example, we used $100 as our total wagering amount. Because we have fewer teams in the parlay, we must divide the bets by 1, 4, and 6 to keep the amount equal. However, for the sake of an apples-to-apples comparison with the first example, we’re sticking with the same total.

• Each selection wagered individually: $135 profit, $235 total
• 2-pick round robin: $450.37 profit, $550.39 total
• 3-pick round robin: $1183.87 profit, $1283.87 total
• Parlay: $2884.30 profit, $2984.30 total

Comment: First and foremost, notice how the payouts have escalated dramatically in this example. Simply because we chose the underdogs for the four bets, our potential for profit has multiplied by more than twice the previous example’s payouts. However, what those increases truly speak to is the elevated odds against these parlays being correct. Even with one fewer selections, the chance of getting everything right is tremendously reduced.

That said, the 4.5:1 disadvantage for the 2-pick round robin is far more palatable than the nearly-29:1 odds against the straight parlay. So, once again, a round robin might be able to let you take a big risk, but not a crazy one.

Most Recent Betting Guides

Other uses for round robin

The term “round robin” is not the exclusive property of sports betting. In fact, those of you who are athletes may have encountered round robins before.

Some tournaments use this format to generate a group winner or team to move onto the next round. The abiding concept behind the round robin is that “all play all.”

The most famous use of round robins occurs in international soccer play. The World Cup’s groups and group winners advance after a round robin with several other teams.

So, if you’re ever confused or forget what a round robin bet is all about, remember what round robins mean in other scenarios. “All play all” is a great way to describe what’s happening to your bets, too.

What is a Round Robin bet?

A round robin bet is a series of parlay bets that contain every combination of teams in the parlay.

Round robin bets must consist of at least three teams (or bets).

The parlay can be broken up into individual parlays that include every team in your original parlay. Round robin betting is typically used in sports betting and is a way to decrease your risk compared to a traditional parlay.

Visually, here is how a round robin bet breaks down (by parlay size) compared to a traditional parlay using a 5 leg parlay as an example:

Round Robin Strategy: Why You Need It In Your Arsenal

Round robin betting can seem intimidating at first, but once you take some time to understand it, they can be a powerful sports betting tool for you.

Round Robin vs. Parlay: Which one is better?

Round robin betting is a good bet if you have any of the following priorities:

1. You want to bet a parlay but with less risk and thus smaller payouts
2. You want to maintain interest in the teams in your parlays even if one of them loses (entertainment value)
3. You have a bonus at a sportsbook that requires you to bet a certain amount before you can claim it

A straight parlay is advantageous for a few reasons:

1. It is simple and easier to understand your potential payout
2. There is higher risk and higher reward
3. You don’t need to wager as much money to get a big payoff

Round robin betting and parlay bets are similar in that a round robin is simply a group of (smaller) parlays.

Round Robin Pros and Cons

Pros

• Less risk than a traditional parlay
• Keeps your interest even if one of your teams loses
• Good for burning through sportsbook bonus requirements

Cons

• Conceptually confusing
• Hard to understand your potential payout
• Won’t have the same payoff as a traditional parlay

Round Robin Bet Examples You Can Understand

Let’s say you have a four team NFL parlay bet that you want to bet $5 on as a round robin:

• New York Giants -110
• New England Patriots -110
• Dallas Cowboys -110
• Green Bay Packers -110

Using our parlay calculator, we can see that this 4 team parlay would pay out 13.28x your wager amount, or +1228 in American odds. A $5 bet would profit $61.42 if all four teams won.

Where Parlays and Round Robins Differ

In sports betting, a round robins differ from a traditional parlay by taking those four bets and breaking them into smaller parlays.

Taking the four team NFL example above, if we bet these teams in a round robin “by 2’s” (meaning a series of two team parlay bets), it would result in making six two team parlay bets:

All possible 2 team parlay combinations
Team 1 / Team 2 / Parlay odds

• New York Giants -110 / New England Patriots -110 / +264
• New York Giants -110 / Dallas Cowboys -110 / +264
• New York Giants -110 / Green Bay Packers -110 / +264
• New England Patriots -110 / Dallas Cowboys -110 / +264
• New England Patriots -110 / Green Bay Packers -110 / +264
• Dallas Cowboys -110 / Green Bay Packers -110 / +264

A round robin creates smaller parlay combinations and thus better odds of winning compared to a traditional four team parlay where each individual bet has to win.

Round robin bets keep the entertainment value alive if one of your parlay teams loses. Sports betting can be frustrating, so round robin betting can be a good balance of entertainment value and risk/return.

Round Robin Results You Can Understand

Continuing with our NFL round robin example, let’s say we see the following results:

• New York Giants -110 WIN
• New England Patriots -110 WIN
• Dallas Cowboys -110 WIN
• Green Bay Packers -110 LOSS

If this were bet as a traditional four team parlay, the bet would be graded as a loss since the Green Bay Packers lost.

If we were to bet this as a round robin by 2’s, we would see the following results:

• New York Giants -110 / New England Patriots -110 / +264
• New York Giants -110 / Dallas Cowboys -110 / +264
• New York Giants -110 / Green Bay Packers -110 / +264
• New England Patriots -110 / Dallas Cowboys -110 / +264
• New England Patriots -110 / Green Bay Packers -110 / +264
• Dallas Cowboys -110 / Green Bay Packers -110 / +264

As you can see, of the six two team parlays, the round robin would have seen three parlay bets win, and three parlay bets lose.

If we would have wagered $5 on each of the six parlays, then we would have won $39.66 (three winning parlays profit $13.22 at +264 odds and a $5 wager) and lost $15 on the losing bets ($5 wager X three lost parlays).

This works out to a net profit of $24.66 ($39.66 – $15) on $30 wagered for getting three out of the four teams in your original parlay correct. A traditional four leg parlay would have lost your original bet of $5 for a profit of -$5.

What Happens When You Win All Bets in a Round Robin

Oh, what could have been.

Continuing on with our NFL 4 team round robin example, let’s say the Packers did win and thus each team in your parlay won. If you were to bet it as a round robin by 2’s, your profit would have been $52.88 on $30 wagered in total.

What Is A Round Robin 2 Team Parlay

If you would have instead bet it as a 4 team parlay (wagering $30), your profit would have been a whopping $368.50.

How To Play Round Robin Parlay

Here you can see the trade-offs between risk and reward.

Hedging some of the risk through a round robin makes you more likely to profit, however it prevents you from the massive payouts that parlays can provide. While round robins are more conservative, a parlay can be exciting if you are lucky enough to win one.

Weigh each side and decide which type of bet is right for you.

How to Place a Round Robin Bet: Easier than You Would Think

To place a round robin bet, simply place each individual wager onto your bet slip.

Most sportsbook bet slips (both online and app) have 3 tabs: Standard, Teaser, and Round Robin:

Below, I have placed 5 moneyline bets onto my bet slip at FanDuel Sportsbook and selected the Round Robin tab:

Instead of manually creating multiple parlays, you can simply input the bets as a round robin.

Singles x5 wagers: This means you would bet each bet (5 separate wagers) on your bet slip. This is not a parlay at all, and the odds shown are simply the effective odds if you won all your bets.

By 2’s x10 wagers: This represents every combination of the 5 teams on your bet slip as 2 team parlays. This works out to 10 total wagers.

By 3’s x10 wagers: This is the same as above, except combinations of 3 team parlays instead of 2. 10 total wagers will be placed.

By 4’s x5 wagers: This means you would be placing 5 separate 4 team parlay wagers.

5 Team Parlay: Your traditional parlay where all teams n the parlay must win.

The odds shown in the screenshot represent what your effective odds would be if you won all of your bets. That is why the all of the round robin bets (“by 2’s”, “by 3’s”, “by 4’s”) have higher odds than just a single 5 team parlay.

Round Robin Bet Terminology You Need To Know

Parlay Size

Definition: The number of teams you are breaking your smaller parlays into.

Example: A 5 team parlay by 2’s would create 10 smaller parlay bets

Also Known As: “By X’s” (where X is your number), “Parlay Size”, “X Pick Round Robin”

Full Cover

Definition: A wager that comprises all possible combinations of parlays for the bets selected

How Does A 5 Team Round Robin Parlay Work

Example: If you had 3 bets in your bet slip, a full cover bet would be 4 total bets (3 two team parlays and 1 three team parlay)

Trixie Bet

Definition: A type of full cover bet when you have exactly three bets in your bet slip. A Trixie would be every parlay combination of these three bets (4 separate bets placed).

Yankee Bet

Definition: A type of full cover bet when you have exactly four bets in your bet slip. A Yankee would be all parlay combinations of these four teams (11 separate bets placed).