Although the parlay is a very popular bet, there are two other versions of this wager that sports bettors should consider. Many online books offer if bets and reverse bets and both can provide the sports bettor protection from loses while allowing them to make some cash. Here’s a look at both the if bet and the reverse wager.
Reverse Beta
Betting a $55 reverse instead of a $110 “if” bet makes it so you don’t have to worry about going 1-1 and losing your entire bet. Betting a reverse costs the same as an “if” bet. When making a reverse for $55, you are basically making two bets so it ends up costing the same $110. An action reverse bet is two or more if bets that structure multiple individual bets in a causal sequence. In an if bet, if the initial line or wager wins, the next bet in the sequence is automatically placed. If the initial line or wager loses, no additional bets are placed. A reverse bet consists of multiple overlapping if bets.
An if bet is similar to a parlay in that you are wagering on numerous teams and putting them on one ticket. However, the if bet offers sports bettors protection that a standard parlay bet does not. With a parlay wager, you must be right on all games or else you lose the entire amount of your wager.
Let’s say you make a two-team parlay bet. Both teams must win for you to collect. It’s either all or nothing. In a parlay, let’s say your first team loses. The action on the second game is still ongoing but it doesn’t matter because you’ve already lost the first game and, thus, you have lost the parlay. The if bet works differently.
When you bet on two-teams with an if bet, the second bet is only in place “if” you win the first. Thus, let’s say you put $110 on the Pats in the first game and they win, then your second team, we’ll say it’s the Bears, will see action and $110 will be placed on them. However, let’s say your first bet on the Pats goes south and you lose. The second wager on the Bears will not see action, since you cannot win the two-team bet. The result is you save $110.
With a two-team wager using the if bet, you can lose $110, come close to breaking even if your first team wins and the second loses, or win both games and take home some cash. Depending on how you play the if bet, you can win anywhere from $200 to just over $300. The payout on a $110 two-team parlay would be around $286.
With the parlay, you risk less cash to get a bigger payout. But it is an all or nothing bet. A $110 parlay pays 13-5, while an if bet offers you basic spread odds with the opportunity to load money won from the first wager into the second wager. So sports bettors need to decide whether they want to take a greater risk with the chance of seeing a bigger payout or take less of a risk with the opportunity to win less cash.
By the way there is one feature of the if bet that some people do not like. It is similar to the parlay in that once you make the wager, you cannot take back the second bet if the first wins. Sometimes a sports bettor will win the first game and then have second thoughts about game two. Because in essence they are using a form of parlay wagering where both games are on the same ticket, they cannot change that wager. However, if the sports bettor had played a single point spread bet on the Pats and won, they could have waited to make the second bet on the Bears and, if they had ill feelings about it, not made it at all. Thus, there is still more risk in playing an if bet than there is in placing two single team wagers. Thus, it’s a good idea to save your if bets for games that offer true value.
Sports bettors are always looking for any edge that they can get and some have found that edge in the reverse bet, which is less risky than the if bet. Of course, the lower the risk the less the payout. Thus, the reverse bet does not offer the same type of cash as the if bet or the parlay.
The reverse bet is simply a double-action if bet. With the reverse bet you would put $110 on the Pats in game one and $110 on the Bears in game two. You then reverse that bet, placing the Bears on the first part of the ticket and the Pats on the second half of the ticket.
Here’s the way it works. If both teams win, you’ll see a profit of around $400. If one wins and the other loses, you would lose $120 and if both lose you’re out $220. A push sees you make $200. This is a four-team parlay using two clubs but without the parlay odds, which stand at 12-1. The protection you get by using the reverse bet lowers the pay off substantially.
If bets and reverse bets are useful if you are on a losing streak or of you’re winning between 50% and 55% of your wagers. If you’re doing well on single point spread bets, winning more than 55%, or cleaning up on two-game and three-game parlays, then stick with them. The if bet and the reverse bet are methods for cutting losses and making a minimum profit. Use these to your benefit. They can help stabilize a precarious situation and turn losses into winnings.
Action Reverse Bet Calculator
A reverse bet is similar to a parlay bet but is actually a set of if bets where action goes in both forward and reverse order. Let’s say for NBA basketball two games on the board are Boston Celtics -4 vs. Lakers +4 and Chicago Bulls -3 / Orlando Magic +3. We decide we want to bet the Lakers +4 and also want to bet the Bulls -3. If we did so in a $100 2-team parlay we’ll be paid $264.64 if both teams win, and we will lose our full $100 stake if we go 1-1 or 0-2. If we instead made a reverse bet our wager would be:
- Bet #1 Lakers +4 -110 $50 to win $45.4545.
- If win, push, tie, or cancelled –Then: Bulls -3 -110 $50 to win $45.4545
- Bet #2 Bulls -3 -110 $50 to win $45.4545.
- If win, push, tie, or cancelled – Then: Lakers +4 -110 $50 to win $45.4545
The two bets above are placed together on the same ticket using the reverse bet wagering option of an online bookmaker. As you can see this is a “double if bet” using the same selections. Bet $50 on the Lakers and if they win, push, tie or cancel rebet my $50 stake on the Bulls. Also bet $50 on the Bulls and if they win, push, tie or cancel rebet my $50 stake on the Lakers. Do you understand now why this is called an action reverse?
The potential outcomes:
- If both teams lose your $100 stake is lost= -$100
- If both teams win you win $45.4545 four times = +$181.82
- If one team wins and the other loses you win $45.45, but you moved your $50 return of stake to the team that lost which you had another $50 stake on that also lost. So (+$45.45)+(-$50)+(-$50)= -$54.55.
Are Reverse Bets Better than 2-Team Parlays?
This depends how you define better. With a $100 2-team parlay where both selections are -110 we either lose $100 or win $264.64. For $100 action reverse we lose $100, lose $54.55 or win $181.82. If both point spread bets are truly 50/50 propositions the expected ROI on the parlay is -8.88% (per bet) and on the action reverse -6.82% (per bet). If you’re a recreational bettor and looking for which play over the long haul will result in the lowest expected loss no question action reverse is the best bet. If you want a higher payout relative to stake a parlay might be better. Again, it depends how you define better.
Reverse Bet Calculator
Where to Bet Action Reverses Online
Reverse Bet Payout
www.5dimes.eu no question about it is the best website for action reverse betting. The reasons why are many. For starters, every wager on their board can be added to an action reverse ticket. This includes main markets from all the most popular sports but it also includes live in-play, football props, small market sports, team totals, first quarter lines and more. It is also possible to select up to 10 wagers on the same reverse bet ticket. When selecting more than two, your wager will be a round robin on every single possible two bet combo. Although there are other sites on the market for placing this wager type, 5dimes is by far the site offering the most options and value on reverses.
Reverse Betting Strategy
Reverse bets are primarily a way for recreational players, and by this I mean those gambling just looking to get lucky, to leverage their bankroll with a lower expected loss than 2-team parlays entail. There however are times professional bettors use this form of wagering.
The most obvious strategy is when making wagers that are correlated. Be warned however 5Dimes has zero tolerance for shot taking. If you make a wager that is obviously correlated such as the pitcher over a certain number of strike outs and the other team under their posted team total, these bets will be voided. Perhaps not at first but if 5Dimes catches you doing this expect consequence. There are less obvious correlations that can be bet.
Take for example late in the NFL season. One team is eliminated from the playoffs if the other wins. This is a time you might consider a reverse bet because if that other team is blowing out their opponent, fourth-quarter motivation might change.
Another scenario a pro might do action reverses is when they need to make a wager on a strong position in a hurry and don’t have time to post up additional funds. Years ago, Ben Roethlisberger’s motorcycle accident and the death of Brett Favre’s father are two times I remember that announcement came during overnight hours for the books. This is a time you might find yourself a situation where you need to make a bet in a hurry but don’t have time to post up more funds. You might leverage this by doing action reverses with several other games.
Two strong positions is obviously another reason pros would make this form of wager. Yet another is circumventing betting limits when possible. I’m sure they are more reasons too. This article was intended to provide just an overview on how reverse betting works and to include strategic ideas. This all said, we at Online Gambling hope you found this information helpful and wish you the best of luck utilizing it this betting season.