What is a Yankee Bet

A yankee is a bet that has been around for a very long time and the bet of choice for many horse racing punters. You can bet a yankee on any sport, but it’s traditional place is with the horse racing punters. The yankee is a multiple bet that has a total of eleven bets in it. The eleven bets are split up as follows.

6 doubles – A&B, A&C, A&D, B&C, B&D, C&D covering every combinations

4 trebles – AB&C, AB&D, AC&D, BC&D covering every combination

1 accumulator on all four of your selections

With the bet having eleven separate bets in it, you will pay 11 x your stake money on this bet so a £1 yankee costs £11 in total. This is more expensive than just placing an accumulator on your four selections, but slightly cheaper than a lucky15. A yankee offers a nice balance in between these two bets, with the chance to win big and a pay out if you only have two winners.

To have a winning return from a yankee bet you need two winners out of four. It doesn’t matter which two selections win, as the doubles part of your bet covers every possibility. If you do have two winners then you will be paid out on one winning bet which is the double between those two selections. If you have three winners out of four then you will be paid out on four winning bets. You will receive payment for the three combinations of doubles containing those selections, as well as the treble on those three to win. A yankee with three winners will always bring a nice return.

The biggest return you will receive from a yankee is of course if all of your four selections win. In this case you will have all eleven of your bets winning, meaning you are in for a very nice pay out from the bookmakers.

The yankee bet is similar to a lucky15 bet, each with four selections. The one difference here is that the lucky15 bet also includes singles on each of your four selections, costing you 4 x your stake more, but giving a return for just one winner.

It is easy to see why the yankee bet is so popular with punters. Should you only have two winners out of four then you are guaranteed a return, while the bet also has the potential to return huge amounts due to the trebles and accumulator that is part of the bet. It gives a nice balance between the chance of a return, and the chance of a big win and because of that I expect it will continue to be popular across all sports.