Alphabet Calculator
Bet Options
Selections
Folds
Summary
More Calculators
– Calculate and switch between bet types in one calculator.
Make a Profit – No Matter the Outcome of Your Bets
Make $600+ from bookmaker
welcome offers.
Alphabet Bet Explained
An Alphabet bet is a wager consisting of 26 separate bets over 6 selections. 2 patents (14 bets), 1 yankees (11 bets), and 1 sixfold accumulator (1 bet) placed on specific combinations of your selections. The patent applies to selections 1-3 and 4-6, the yankee to selections 2-5, and the accumlator to all selections.
Here’s a visual representation of how your selections (numbered 1 to 6) are covered.
A Patent consists of 7 bets (3 single, 3 doubles and 1 treble). A Yankee consistes of 11 bets (6 doubles, 4 trebles, and 1 fourfold accumulator). The Accumulator is one bet covering all 6 selections.
As you can see, some selections are used in more bets than others.
- Selections 1 and 6 are a part of one Patent and the Accumulator. This breaks down as an individual selection being a part of 1 single, 2 doubles, and 1 sixfold accumulator.
- Selections 2, 3, 4 and 5 are a part of one Patent, the Yankee, and the Accumulator. This breaks down as an individual selection being a part of 1 single, 5 doubles, 3 trebles, 1 fourfold accumulator, and 1 sixfold accumulator.
This gives strategic importance to where you place your selections. For example, you could put your longer shots in selections 1 and 6, so that they don’t have as much impact on the overall payout of the bet. Try different combinations of selections in the Alphabet calculator on this page to see how your bet could play out.
An Alphabet gets its name because it consists of 26 bets, the same as the number of letters in the alphabet.
How Does an Each Way Alphabet work?
As with regular Patents, Yankees and Accumulators, an Alphabet can be placed each way. This means each individual Patent, Yankee and Accumulator becomes its each way version that covers both winning and placing selections. This doubles the number of bets to 52 because each selection is backed twice:
- One bet for the selection to win.
- One bet for the selection to place (e.g., finishing in the top three in a horse race).
For a full break down of how each individual each way bet works, see the Patent, Yankee and Accumulator pages.
Using an each way Alphabet increases the chances of getting a return, even if some selections don’t win outright. However, since the number of bets doubles, the total stake also doubles. You could reduce your stake to compensate, but it would provide a lower maximum return should all selections win compared to a non-each way Alphabet for the same total stake.
Alphabet Example
Let’s assume your selections have the following odds:
Selection A: 1/1
Selection B: 2/1
Selection C: 3/1
Selection D: 4/1
Selection E: 5/1
Selection F: 6/1
Using a £1 stake per bet, this works out as £26 total stake, as there are 26 individual bets. Your selections are covered in the following ways:
Patent 1 (A, B, C): 7 bets
- 3 singles: A, B, C
- 3 doubles: AB, AC, BC
- 1 treble: ABC
Patent 2 (D, E, F): 7 bets
- 3 singles: D, E, F
- 3 doubles: DE, DF, EF
- 1 treble: DEF
Yankee (B, C, D, E): 11 bets
- 6 doubles: BC, BD, BE, CD, CE, DE
- 4 trebles: BCD, BCE, BDE, CDE
- 1 fourfold: BCDE
Six-Fold Accumulator (A to F): 1 bet
- One sixfold accumulator: ABCDEF
Calculating the outcome
Let’s assume selections A (1/1), C (3/1), and E (5/1) win. All other selections lose.
You now calculate returns for the 26 bets. Only the combinations containing A, C, or E return anything. Here’s what you would win:
Patent 1 (A, B, C)
A wins (1/1): £1 x (1 + 1) = £2
C wins (3/1): £1 x (3 + 1) = £4
AC double: Both A and C won
- £1 x (1 + 1) x (3 + 1) = £2 x 4 = £8
Total from Patent 1: £14
Patent 2 (A, B, C)
E wins (5/1): £1 x (5 + 1) = £6
Total from Patent 2: £6
Yankee (B, C, D, E)
CE double: Both C (3/1) and E (5/1) win
- £1 x (3 + 1) x (5 + 1) = £4 x 6 = £24
Total from Yankee: £24
Sixfold Accumulator
Lost (not all 6 won)
Your returns are summarised in the table below.
| Bet | Return |
|---|---|
| Patent 1 | £14 |
| Patent 2 | £6 |
| Yankee | £24 |
| Sixfold Acc | £0 |
Which makes your grand totals:
| Total Return | £44 |
| Total Stake | £26 |
| Profit | £18 |
Pros and Cons of a Single Bet
Pros
✓ Flexible Strategy – Having some selections used more often than others gives great strategic possibilities within a single bet.
✓ Good coverage – The combination of different selections gives multiple chances to win.
✓ Added excitement – By having selections that are more or less strategically important, it can add an extra level of excitement if you are watching results come in.
✓ Risk management – Covering different combinations adds an element of risk management to your bet. If one combination of selections fails to win, you still have other combinations that could give a return.
Cons
✘ No flexibility in stakes – Since an Alphabet places the same stake on every combination of selections, you cannot vary your stake based on your confidence in a particular set of selections.
✘ Can take time to get used to – As an Alphabet contains 26 separate bets in various combinations, it can take time to fully grasp and apply your strategies to it.
Similar Bets
The following bets are similar to a Permed Patent, in that they place bets on specific combinations within your set of selections.
- Permed Patent – Patent bets that cover every 3 selection combination of your chosen selections. You can choose between 4 and 6 selections.
- Union Jack Trebles – 8 trebles applied to your selections in specific ways in a 3 x 3 grid.
- Union Jack Trixie – 8 trixies applied to your selections in specific ways in a 3 x 3 grid, giving a combined total of 32 bets.
- Union Jack Patent – 8 patents applied to your selections in specific ways in a 3 x 3 grid, giving a combined total of 56 bets.
- Union Jack Round Robin – 8 round robins applied to your selections in specific ways in a 3 x 3 grid, giving a combined total of 80 bets.
Learn matched betting the free, easy way
Make $600+ from bookmaker welcome offers.
Never miss an offer!
Subscribe for regular offer updates, tips and tricks, big offer alerts and more.
