What this guide covers
Bet builder, called a same-game parlay in US betting, is a multiple where every pick comes from one match. This guide explains how to build one, why its price isn't just the separate odds multiplied together, and what limits and rules you'll run into. If your picks come from different matches, that's an accumulator, which has its own guide.
18+ only, or the higher legal age where you live. Check the availability page before you sign up.
Building a bet
Open a match, choose bet builder, add your picks, and the slip shows a combined price.
Build a same-game bet
- Pick a match that offers bet builder.
- Add two or more selections.
- Check the combined odds.
- Enter your stake and confirm.
Not every match offers it. Bet builder tends to appear on bigger events in popular sports, where there are enough player and team markets to combine. If you don't see the option on a match, it isn't available there.
Correlation
If a striker scores, his team is more likely to win. The bet builder price accounts for that, so it's lower than multiplying the separate odds.
This is the core idea, so here's a made-up example. Team A to win is 1.80. A's main striker to score is 2.50. Multiplied, that's 4.50. But those two outcomes tend to happen together. When the striker scores, A wins more often than usual. So the real chance of both happening is higher than the multiplied price suggests, and a bet builder will offer something lower, say 3.80. That isn't the book cheating you. It's pricing linked events correctly, with the margin on top.
The opposite also happens. Picks that work against each other, such as a team to win and its opponent's striker to score twice, can be priced higher than the multiplied odds. They're less likely to happen together.
Combinations that aren't allowed
Some combinations can't be added at all. Usually they're picks that are too closely linked, or that contradict each other. You can't back both teams to win, for example, and you may not be able to combine "over 2.5 goals" with "over 3.5 goals". When a combination isn't allowed, the slip will usually tell you. Stake's rules decide which markets can be combined.
Margins stack
Each pick in a bet builder carries its own margin, and the combined price carries the book's view of the correlation, plus its own edge. Same-game combos are popular because they turn a match into a story you can bet on, and the prices look big. That's exactly why they tend to cost more than singles over time. A bet builder is entertainment priced as entertainment.
Single, accumulator or bet builder
| Bet | Picks from | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Single | One market | The listed odds |
| Accumulator | Different matches | Odds multiplied |
| Bet builder | One match | Adjusted for correlation |
Void picks
If a player in your bet builder doesn't play, what happens? Sportsbooks handle this differently. Some remove that pick and recalculate the price. Some void the whole bet. Some settle the pick as a loss. Player props in particular need checking. Read Stake's rules before you add a player who's listed as doubtful.
Cash out on bet builders
Cash out may be offered on some bet builders. The offer follows the live price of the whole combo, minus a margin. With several picks still live, offers can move a lot in a short time. Our cash out guide explains how offers are set.
Which sports
Bet builder is most common on football and basketball, where there are many player and team markets. It can also appear on the NFL and other big events. Availability varies, so check the match page.
A worked example
Made-up football match. You build: Team A to win, over 1.5 goals, and A's striker to have at least one shot on target. The slip shows 3.10. A wins 2 to 0, with the striker hitting the target twice. All three picks win, so your 10 stake returns 31. Now say the match ends 1 to 0. A wins and the striker hits the target, but over 1.5 goals loses. The whole bet loses. One pick is all it takes.
Related
See accumulators for multi-match bets, and football betting for markets. Our odds guide shows how to work out the implied chance of a combined price.
Building with a plan
The easiest way to keep bet builders sensible is to start from one view of the match and add only picks that follow from it. If you think a game will be tight and low scoring, under 2.5 goals and a draw at halftime tell the same story. Adding a red card and a player to score twice tells a different story and mostly adds price. Two or three picks that hang together are easier to judge than six that don't. Check the combined price as an implied chance using our odds guide, and ask whether that chance sounds right to you.
Keeping it in proportion
Bet builders invite you to add one more pick for a bigger price. Every extra pick lowers your chance more than it raises the return feels like it should. Keep stakes small, treat every bet as money you can lose, and if you're chasing losses, stop and read our responsible gambling page.
FAQ
What if one pick is void?
Check Stake's rules.
Can I cash out a bet builder?
Sometimes.
Which sports support it?
Mostly football and basketball.
Why is my bet builder price lower than the odds multiplied?
Your picks are linked, so they're more likely to win together. The price reflects that.