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If you’ve never heard of a patent bet, you’ve been missing out on one of the most entertaining ways to bet on sports or horse racing. A patent bet takes three separate possible outcomes and produces seven different wagers. Patent bets have exploded in popularity lately in Ireland and the United Kingdom because lots of sportsbooks are offering bonuses tied to them.
Even though patent bets have become more mainstream, lots of bettors have trouble understanding just exactly how they work. Because of that, I’ve created the following patent betting guide with examples to show you how to score big and limit your overall risk at the same time.
- HIGHER PAYOUT POTENTIAL! If all three selections (seven bets in total) in the patent come home a winner, your betting bankroll increases exponentially.
- LESS RISKY THAN PARLAYS! When betting parlays/accumulators, all of your picks must win for you to turn a profit. That’s NOT the case with patent bets.
- USE PROPER BANKROLL MANAGEMENT! Patent bets are loads of fun, but they should only make up a small portion of your sports betting portfolio.
What Is a Patent Bet?
A patent bet involves wagering on three outcomes of sporting events or horse races. These three outcomes are split into seven separate wagers in a patent bet. As you can see in our above picture, a patent involves three single bets, three doubles, and a final treble.
So, in a sense, the bettor comes away with three straight bets and four accumulators. This makes patent bets an attractive option for gamblers who want a little more risk and excitement than single bets provide. Folks who want a little less risk than standard accumulators will also appreciate how patent bets work.
When it comes to explaining the risk level of patent bets, I like using the Goldilocks analogy. Single bets aren’t quite enough, accumulators are a bit too much, but patent bets are “just right”.
Single bets are easy to understand. You place a bet, and if it wins, you get a payout. With accumulators (parlays), all of the bets in your combination must win for you to receive a payout. With patent bets, things are a little more nuanced. You get a small return if one selection wins, a medium-sized return if two picks win, and a huge payday if all three win.
One final thing to mention here is bet sizing. Since patent bets are seven wagers in total, you’ll need to bet conservatively. A 10 euros bet converts to a total risk of 70 euros, so keep that in mind before placing a patent bet.
Step-by-Step Patent Bet Examples and Potential Returns
Alright, if you’re new to patent bets, things may seem a bit confusing so far. I’m going to show you a real example of what a patent bet looks like at an online sportsbook. Let’s use some English Premier League matches to get things started.
I like a couple of upsets in the EPL, so let’s see how things will pay out. I’m going to select Manchester United to upset Manchester City at +242 odds. I’ll take Sunderland to beat Crystal Palace at +165. To wrap up the patent, I’ll take Chelsea to beat Brentford at -147.
Here are copies of the bet slips after I placed this $1 patent bet:
Credit: MyBookie
This slip includes all three selections (treble), which is why it contains the highest payout.
Slip 2 is our first double
Slip 3 is our 2nd double with two underdog prices
Slip 4 is our final double of the patent
The final three slips are all of our single bets:
So, let’s break down all outcomes of our patent bet. If all three selections win, our $1 patent ($7 in total risk) will pay us a total of $35.24. That’s an incredible 5x return!
✅ If We Only Win 1 Selection:
- Chelsea would only pay us $0.68
- Man United would pay us $2.42
- Sunderland would pay us $1.65
None of these would be a net win, but at least I’d get something back from my $7 bet.
✅ If We Win 2 of 3 Selections:
- Sunderland + Chelsea would win $3.45
- Chelsea + Man United would win $4.75
- Sunderland + Man United would win $8.06 (small profit)
Patent Bets vs Other System Bets
In this section, we’ll cover some of the other popular system bets and see how they stack up against patent bets. We’ll do a brief breakdown of a Trixie, a Yankee, and a Lucky 15. Our goal with this section is to help you decide what type of wager to make based on your betting style and risk tolerance.
Trixie
A trixie is almost identical to a patent. Both types of wagers require you to make three different picks, and both have the potential for lucrative returns. The only difference is that with a Trixie, the three single bets are eliminated. So, instead of seven total wagers, you’ll only have four (3 doubles and 1 treble). A lot of bettors like this because it means a lower overall stake.
Yankee
Alright, let’s say after doing your betting research for the morning, you feel really good about four selections instead of three. You have two choices. You can either figure out which pick to take out, or you can play a Yankee bet instead. With a Yankee, you need four picks instead of three. The kicker, though, is that a Yankee is 11 total wagers instead of the patent’s 7.
Lucky 15
For bettors who love long shots or lottery ticket-type wagers, I recommend the Lucky 15. As its name implies, this bet is actually 15 total bets based around 4 selections, and it has everything plus the kitchen sink thrown in. With a Lucky 15, you get 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and 1 four-fold accumulator. This bet is loads of fun because it’s jam-packed with plenty of action. That being said, you have to be careful with this type of wager because the risk can get out of hand in a hurry.
Personal Recommendations Based on Your Betting Style
Now that you know the ins and outs of each of these bets, I wanted to give you some insight into which ones you should employ. If you’re an extremely conservative bettor with a very low risk tolerance, stick to single bets and a patent bet every now and then.
If you’re slightly comfortable with some level of risk, stick to single bets with a Yankee tossed in every once in a while. Finally, if you’re a high-risk gambler who just wants to have fun with some long shots, go with some single bets with a fun Lucky 15 thrown in at times.
In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a big believer in making single bets the cornerstone of your sports betting portfolio. These combination wagers are fun, but they should never take up a significant amount of your bankroll.
Patent Betting Strategies for Profit
Lots of gamblers like to place patent bets, but very few actually know how to turn a legitimate profit from them. This section will change that. We’ll do a deep dive into some of the top strategies for making money with patent bets.
1️⃣ Stick to a 1.8 to 3.0 Odds Range
If you’re new to placing patents, this tip will save you a ton of time and headache. When analyzing the betting board for the day, automatically eliminate all outcomes that fall outside of this sweet spot odds range. A lot of gamblers are tempted to put big favorites into a patent. That’s tempting, but the returns are simply too small with that strategy. At the same time, you don’t usually want to consider anything over 3.0 odds because those simply don’t win often enough to justify a patent. The 1.8 to 3.0 range gives you the best of both worlds: above-average returns and at least a puncher’s chance of winning.
2️⃣ Spread the Risk Between Favorites and Underdogs
Using our odds range of 1.8 to 3.0 from above, let’s talk about how to deploy our capital for a patent bet. Most of the time, it’s a good idea to have at least one small favorite in your patent. That gives you a decent shot at winning at least one of your singles, even on a bad day at the betting office. I like to find a 1.8 to 2.0 outcome that I feel really good about before tackling the other two selections I need to find. After that, you can choose either two small underdogs in the 2.1 to 2.3 range or one small underdog and one larger underdog in the 2.4 to 3.0 range. The idea is to find a nice balance between overall risk and potential returns.
3️⃣ Consider Using a Mix of Sports for Diversification
If you’re a seasoned bettor who’s been dabbling in patents for quite a while, or if you’re an expert in more than one sport, you should consider using multiple sports in your patent bet. Why should you do this? Let me give you a scenario. Let’s say you’ve handicapped the football card for the day and only found one bet that you really like. Should you force yourself to find two more selections just so you can play a patent? Absolutely not! The better idea is to hunt for value in other sports. That’s the cool thing about patents. You don’t have to stick to one sport or league. For example, you can combine football, tennis, and baseball into a patent if you wish. Sometimes diversifying your risk into different sports is the best way to bet patents, especially on slower sports days.
FAQs
What Is a Patent Bet?
A patent bet is when you take 3 selections and spread them into 7 separate bets. So, instead of 3 single bets, a patent includes 3 singles, 3 doubles, and a treble.
How Much Do Patent Bets Cost?
It depends on what your initial bet size is, but the overall stake is 7x what your regular wager is. That’s because a patent is actually 7 separate bets.
When Should I Place a Patent Bet?
The ideal time to place a patent bet is when you find 3 wagers that you feel really confident about. Because of the 7x nature of a patent bet, you never want to place them haphazardly.
Why Have Patent Bets Risen in Popularity?
Probably because they strike a nice balance between overall risk and potential return. This is the exact opposite of accumulators, where every wager must win for you to get any type of return. Patents are for bettors who are bored with singles but not comfortable enough with higher risk for accumulators.
Can I Really Make Money with Patent Bets?
Yes, patent bets can add some nice profit to your sports betting portfolio. However, as with all types of gambling, there are no guarantees and no shortcuts. The best patent bettors do countless hours of research, constantly shop around at lots of sportsbooks for the best odds, and always stick to a set money management plan for their bankrolls.
