The Yankee Bet Explained

In the 6 doubles, the four individual picks are paired together in the following ways:

1+2, 1+3, 1+4, 2+3, 2+4, 3+4

In the trebles, the four individual picks are combined together in the following ways:

1+2+3, 1+2+4, 1+3+4, 2+3+4

In the four-fold, all four picks are combined into one bet.

If a punter wants to place a Yankee bet, of for example $1, then they need to place a stake of $11, which will be broken down into 11 $1 bets.

Here is an example of how a Yankee bet would work if the four picks are on tennis players:

• Novak Djokovic to win at odds 1.1
• Stefanos Tsitsipas to win at odds 1.3
• Rafael Nadal to win at odds 1.3
• Alexander Zverev to win at odds 1.4

If these picks are placed in a Yankee bet, the maximum returns that can be expected are $20.56.

The odds for the 6 double bets are

1.43 (for Djokovic and Tsitsipas), 1.43 (for Djokovic and Nadal), 1.54 (for Djokovic and Zverev), 1.69 (for Tsitsipas and Nadal), 1.82 (for Tsitsipas and Zverev) and 1.82 (for Nadal and Zverev)

The odds for the 4 treble bets are

1.859 (for Djokovic, Tsitsipas and Nadal), 2.002 (for Djokovic, Tsitsipas and Zverev), 2.002 (for Djokovic, Nadal and Zverev) and 2.366 (for Tsitsipas, Nadal and Zverev)

And the odds for the four fold bet will be 2.6026.

Together, these win $1.43 + $1.43 + $1.54 + $1.69 + $1.82 + $1.82 + $1.86 + $2.00 + $2.00 + $2.37 + $2.60, which adds up to $20.56.

If this is compared with individual bets, where the stake of $11 is divided into four bets of $2.75, this would win $3.025 + $3.575 + $3.575 + $3.85, which makes a total of only $14.025.

What Happens When One Bet Loses?

If all bets come through, the Yankee bet can offer some huge winnings, but when 1 bet does not win, it can cut the winning by a fairly significant amount. In the case where one of the players lose, three of the doubles bets are lost, three of the treble bets are lost and the four-fold bet is lost, meaning that the potential winnings will be reduced significantly.

If Djokovic loses, then the winnings would only be $1.69 + $1.82 + $.182 + $2.366, which totals $7.696.

If Tsitsipas loses, the winnings would be reduced to $1.43 + $1.54 + $1.82 + $2.002, which totals $6.792.

If Nadal loses, the winnings would also be reduced to $1.43 + $1.54 + $1.82 + $2.002, which totals $6.792.

Finally, if Zverev, the player with the highest individual odds, loses then the winning would be $1.43 + $.143 + $1.54 + $1.859, which totals $6.259.

In the scenario where 3 of the picks are correct, this is how they may be paid out in individual bets (with the same original stake of $11 that is divided into four bets of $2.75)

If Djokovic loses, then the winnings would only be $3.575 + $3.575 + $3.85, which totals $11.

If Tsitsipas loses, the winnings would be  $3.025 + $3.575 + $3.85, which totals $10.45.

If Nadal loses the winnings would be  $3.025 + $3.575 + $3.85, which totals $10.45.

If Zverev loses then the winning would be $3.025 + $3.575 + $3.575, which totals $10.175.

With single bets, the returns are greater than the returns on a Yankee bet if one of the picks does not win. This is important to consider when choosing which bets to put into a Yankee bet. If all bets pay out then the profit margin is significantly higher than the winnings that can be expected from the individual bets.

Taking the example where Djokovic fails to win, with the Yankee bet the winnings would be $7.696, which is $3.304 less than the $11 that the individual bets would pay. If all bets win, the Yankee bet would pay $20.56 compared with $14.025m which is $6.535 less than the potential winnings from a Yankee bet.

Why Are Yankee Bets Popular?

In all of the scenarios where one of the picks loses in a Yankee bet, the winnings that can be expected will be lower than the initial stake, because of how the bet is formed. If two bets fail to win, then the Yankee bet will not bring any returns. This may lead punters to wonder why Yankee bets are a preferred option to some bettors than parlays, and the answer is simple.

In a parlay, if one of the bets loses then the whole parlay loses. Yankee bets offer players the chance to win back a piece of their original stake so that they do not leave empty handed.