Round Robin Bets

A round robin takes a group of picks and bets every smaller parlay you can make from them. You keep most of the parlay upside, and one losing pick no longer sinks the lot.

How it works

Pick four teams: Lakers, Celtics, Bulls and Heat. A round robin "by 2s" makes every two-team parlay from those four:

You bet the same amount on each. From n picks, a by-2s round robin makes n × (n − 1) ÷ 2 parlays: 3 from three picks, 6 from four, 10 from five. Most sportsbooks have a round robin option in the bet slip once you add three or more picks.

What it pays

Four picks, all at -110, by 2s, $10 a parlay: $60 total. Each two-team parlay at -110 returns $36.45.

The same $60 on one four-team parlay returns $797 if all four win, and nothing if any one loses. The round robin gives up some of that top end so that three out of four still makes money.

When to use one

• You have three to five plays you like on the same day.
• You want parlay upside without one loss wiping out the ticket.
• Keep each parlay small, so the total stake stays inside your bankroll limits. Remember the total is the per-parlay stake times the number of parlays.