Whether you’re new to the world of sports betting or you’re a seasoned veteran with years of experience, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard the term “Flag Bet” being thrown around. This is a popular type of bet placed with bookmakers. It gives bettors the chance to combine several bets into one, increasing the chances of seeing a return.
Like other combination bets, the flag bet can get pretty complicated if you’re unfamiliar with how the system works. Luckily, the core concept behind a flag bet isn’t too difficult to understand with some basic knowledge.
Contrary to popular belief, flag bets are not reserved for seasoned punters. Novice bettors can place these bets just the same. As long as you’re familiar with the sport you’re betting on, you can see success on your first go-around.
With this guide, we aim to break through the confusion and help you get a better understanding of what a flag bet is, how it works, and why it may be a good choice for you.
What is a Flag Bet?
At its core, a flag bet is nothing more than a combination bet. Basically, these bets are comprised of several smaller bets that rely on outcomes related to four different events.
While inexperienced punters place bets individually to be safe, doing so doesn’t really do you any favor when it comes to most odds format. A combination bet, like the flag bet, has many ways that you can win. It’s possible to see a return if even one of your selections is a winning bet. Though, to cash out a considerable profit, you’ll need at least three or four selections to win.
In total, a flag bet has 23 bets in total. Statistically speaking, there are far more opportunities for you to win than if you were betting multiple simple bets.
How Does a Flag Bet Work?
To better understand how a flag bet works, you need to learn how the smaller bets work. As we mentioned earlier, these bets are made up of 23 bets. They include:
Six double bets
Four treble bets
One four-fold accumulator
Six pairs of up-and-down bets
Let’s take a closer look at these separate bets individually.
Double Bets
With a double bet, you’re wagering on the outcome of two events. You can make a selection for two different events and bet on the outcome. For example, you might choose a winner on two different football matches.
To win this bet, you have to win both wagers. Dead heat outcomes are not accepted. Neither is one outcome happening and one not. To earn a return, both of the outcomes you wager on have to come true.
Treble Bets
A treble bet is very similar to a double bet. The only difference is that you’re making three selections for three different events. These can be a bit more challenging. Like double bets, each one of the outcomes you chose has to happen to win the bet. Even if two of your selections wins and one loses, you lose the entire bet!
Four-Fold Accumulators
These bets are just the same as the previous ones. As you might have guessed, these wagers require you to choose four selections from four evens. This could be the outcomes of four separate football matches, the winner of four different horse races, or a number of other sports.
Again, all of your chosen outcomes have to happen to win!
Accumulators can continue by increasing the number of selections you make. For example, five-fold, six-fold, and seven-fold bets do exist. However, they are not a part of the basic flag bet setup.
Up-and-Down Bets
Here’s where flag bets can get a bit complicated. Up-and-down bets are also referred to as a single stake about pairs, SSA bets, cross bets, Twists, and more. Whatever you choose to call them, they operate the same way.
Essentially, up-and-down bets are two-part wagers that contain two selections. The unique thing is that the stake going to each selection depends entirely on the success of the other one! This sounds complicated, but it can be a fun way to wager.
The first wager you make requires two equal stakes. It takes the form of single bets. Now, if either one of those bets wins or breaks even, the return you win is then reinvested into the second part. The second part is just the same as the first.
The interesting thing about up-and-down bets is that you can easily lose your stake on both parts of the bet. Because the stakes for the second part depend on you winning the first part, you can effectively lose out on the second part before it even starts. The second bet can only happen if you have won the first one. The good news is that if you win the first part, your second one could use double stakes.
How to Calculate Flag Bet Winnings
Calculating flag bets and other combination bet types is no easy task. It largely depends on the odds and how many of your selections win. To make things easier, it’s always recommended that you use a bet calculator. A flag bet calculator can take care of the complicated math for you and give you a better idea of how much you can win.
There are a lot of opportunities to win with a flag bet and your total return could be substantial. Even on a £1 unit stake, you could be looking at the return of over £3,000 if all of your selections win.
Betting Tips: Potential Results Prediction
The beauty of flag bets is that you don’t need to have all of your selections win to get a payout. Because the combination bet covers 23 different bets, there are a lot of ways to win. Several eventualities are covered, increasing your odds of boosting your total profit. You might not win your total stake, but there’s a good chance that you’ll earn something
For example, let’s say that you bet on the outcome of four horse racing events. For race one, you select Horse A to win. For race two, you choose Horse B, and so on. On your bet slip, you have horses A, B, C, and D as your selection to win on these four separate races.
While it would be nice if each of your selections won, you can still earn a nice return if only a couple of your selections win. Say that Horse A and Horse B win. Unfortunately, your two other selections lose. With flag betting, you’re still going to win because that scenario is covered by the double bets. The same would apply if Horse A, Horse C, and Horse D won.
Why Make a Flag Bet?
The biggest reason why you should consider flag betting is that you have greater odds of winning. There are other more complicated combination bets out there, but the flag bet is one of the most accessible. You can make a modest wager and still come out on top.
With 23 different bets in play, the statistics are in your favor. Of course, “sure things” don’t exist with sports betting. Otherwise, bookies would go out of business! There are still risks involved and you should always know the sport before you wager.
The good news is that flag betting is easy to pick up and is capable of leading to substantial payoffs. If you’re lucky enough to have good outcomes on all four selections, your original stake could multiply significantly and provide you with some impressive profits.
What’s the Difference Between Flag Bets and Other Combination Bets?
To those who don’t have a ton of experience with sportsbooks, flag betting can seem very similar to other types of wagers. These bets are most commonly compared to round robin bets and Yankee bets.
At face value, they are pretty similar. When you bet a Yankee, you’re making six doubles, four trebles, and one four-fold accumulator. Look familiar? That’s basically the first part of a flag bet. The only difference is that flag bets have the addition of those six up-and-down bets.
Round robins are a bit different. They’re a type of parlay betting that uses 10 individual bets rather than 23.
Now, there are smaller combination bets you can try out before you jump into flag betting. Trixie and each-way bets have lower stakes. However, they also have lower payout potential.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, you have the specialized flag bets. They include more bets than a traditional flag bet. This increases your unit bet and ups the ante. But, they can also lead to significantly higher returns. Here are a few different types of flag bets you can make once you’re familiar with the basic combination:
Super Flag Bets – Four selections and 46 total bets
Heinz Flag Bets – Six selections and 87 total bets
Super Heinz Flag Bets – Seven selections and 162 total bets
Goliath Flag Bets – Eight selections and 303 total bets
What Sports Work Well With Flag Bets?
Ultimately, flag bets work with any kind of competitive sport. As long as you can choose specific outcomes, the system works just fine. It’s most popular among punters who wager on football games, soccer matches, and horse races.
Best Sites to Place a Flag Bet On
There’s no shortage of online bookies that you can turn to. Flag bets are relatively common and accepted by most sites. You can try popular betting platforms like:
BetHQ
888Sport
Paddy Power
Betfair
Sky Bet
BetFred
Union Jack
Those are just a few betting sites that are known to accept flag betting. Many online bookies offer cash bonuses and free bets for new members, so it’s worth exploring and seeing what online bookies have to offer.
Summary
Flag bets can seem intimidating at first. However, they’re nothing to be afraid of! These are considered to be generally safe bets that have the potential to create large returns. While nothing is guaranteed, the statistics are in your favor. They’re a great introduction to combination bets and can make the punting experience that much more exciting!