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What Is A Round Robin in Regards to Sports Betting and Wagering?

by Doc's Sports - 10/11/2014

robin bird

I am probably just speaking from experience, but I can also guarantee you that I am not alone in saying the worst feeling in sports betting is losing a massive parlay by one team. That losing team is usually the last team you put in and are just not quite sure about them, but you do it anyways for the potential of a nice juicy payout. If only there was a way to cash in on all the hard work and research that went into picking the other five winning teams. This is a prime example of when you need to know about the round robin bet and how to place one so that your time and effort doesn’t go unrewarded.

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What is a Round Robin Bet?

The simplest way to explain a round robin bet is to classify it as a series of parlay wagers. We already know a parlay is a bet involving two or more teams, with the only way to win this bet is for every team to win. A round robin is a way for bettors to make multiple parlay bets on a group of teams at once without having to creative a separate ticket for each of combination.

How Do Round Robin Bets Work?

The best way I can explain further would be with an example. Let’s say that you absolutely love three football teams and the odds available on them. These teams will be the Packers +2.5, the Broncos -6.5 and the Steelers -2.5. A square or novice bettor would parlay these three teams together in a single bet, meaning if one of these teams were to lose, the whole parlay would lose.

This is where knowing what a round robin bet is helps. A round robin bet would allow you to make three, two-team parlays involving the three teams you love so much. The tickets would look like this – Packers/Broncos, Packers/Steelers, Broncos/Steelers. If two of the three teams happen to cover the spread, then you would make a small profit and not kick yourself for playing a normal parlay. If all three teams cover the spread, you would win a smaller amount than would a normal three-team parlay would pay. If only one of your team covers the spread, the result would be three lost bets.

Round Robin Strategies

The round robin bet can be a big-time life saver but only if you are playing it correctly. Generally speaking, you would want to make sure every combination you bet is one that you have no problem betting on its own. I also advice to find a combination that has plenty of value and a combination you have the utmost confidence in.

The problem with this bet is that it allows bettors to get ahead of themselves and stray from their disciplined approach. Now days, with bets just a click away, bettors who lack the discipline required to be a successful bettor could easily get caught up in making far too many bets at one time. It’s hard enough turning a profit over the long haul making the bets you want to make, especially if those bets are square bets like parlays or teasers that come at a low cost/high risk potential.

If your bankroll is wilting because you are making several bad bets with a low chance of success, the long-term outlook of your bankroll will be bleak. I understand that placing bets on a bunch of different combinations individually can be mind-numbing, but sometimes it can be better than using the round robin method.

Are Round Robin Bets Worth Playing?

As I mentioned above, nothing is more frustrating than losing a massive parlay by one team. What makes that situation so bad is that all the time and research you put into correctly predicting the other teams goes unrewarded. If you find yourself in this situation, I would highly recommend looking into the round robin way of betting. It will ensure you some sort of payout if the majority of your teams win. If parlays aren’t your forte, or you have a small bankroll, I would avoid playing this method because it can eat up your bankroll pretty quickly due to all the possible ticket combinations.

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