How To Read A Football Parlay Card

1. How To Read A Football Parlay Card Calculator
2. Football Betting Cards Parlay
3. Football Parlay Cards Online

Before you can learn how to make parlay cards, you need to have a good understanding of what a parlay is and how it works. I cover parlay bets, especially football parlays, in detail in the beginning of this post.

Offshore is the best place to play a parlay, as the majority of books push down on all ties. Local parlay cards that can be found at most sports bars do not offer the same benefits. This new wager allows you to bet a parlay and have some losses but the bet still pays out at lesser odds. To read more about them, click here: Progressive Parlays. Note: In the event of a tie in a parlay wager, the bet reverts to one team lesser. If a two team parlay has a push in it, it reverts to a straight wager at. You just input how you want the header to read, the name and date you want printed on the card, and your organization’s logo. Then you have multiple lines where you can input the favorite and the underdog for each game in the parlay. You can also include the line (the point spread) and the.

I offer advice about how to actually make the parlay cards later in this post, too.

(By the way, parlays are also often called accumulator or combination bets, but parlay is the most common term used in American sports betting.)

What Is a Parlay Card and How Do Parlay Bets Work?

A parlay bet is a single bet on multiple outcomes. It’s basically a combination of bets, and the parlay only wins if all the outcomes win. Those bets are listed on a parlay card.

Having multiple bets in play at one time provides you with a bigger payout, but you also have a smaller probability of winning.

I like to think of things in terms of casino bets, so I think of a parlay as being like a bet that you’ll win black twice in a row on the roulette table. If you win, you might get paid off at 3 to 1 instead of the usual even money action. But your probability of winning 2 bets in a row is obviously much lower.

But parlays are usually thought of in terms of sports. And most sports parlays consist of 2 to 10 different bets on the same card.

For example, you might choose 4 football teams to win their games this Sunday:

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. New Orleans Saints
3. New England Patriots
4. Tennessee Titans

You COULD just place a single bet on each of those games, and that would be fun.

But if you place a bet on all 4 of them on a parlay, you’ll win more than you would even if you won the 4 individual bets.

And you only win the parlay bet if you’re right about all 4 teams. If even one team on your parlay loses, you’ve lost the bet.

How To Read A Football Parlay Card Calculator

You could also face a situation where one of the games tie. That’s called a “push.” If that happens, you don’t lose your parlay, but you’re only paid off as if you’d placed a smaller parlay—it’s as if that game didn’t exist on your card.

In the example above, where you’re betting on 4 games at the same time, if one of the games resulted in a tie, you’d get paid off as if you’d bet on a 3-game parlay. It’s a smaller payoff, but that’s better than a loss.

Parlay Odds, Probability, and Payouts

It should go without saying that the more games on the parlay card, the lower your odds of winning are. That’s because the odds of multiple things happening get multiplied by each other.

Let’s say that each of the teams on your 4-game parlay above have a 50% probability of winning. The probability that all 4 of them will win is:

50% X 50% X 50% X 50%, or 6.25%. That’s the same thing as 16 to 1 odds.

A 4-team parlay bet usually pays off at 13 to 1. If you bet $100 on that parlay and won, you’d win $1300.

The payouts are correspondingly higher, too.

Notice the discrepancy between the odds on the payout and the odds of winning. That difference is the vigorish, or “vig,” which is where the sports book makes its money.

Here’s how that amounts to a profit for the book:

• Take 17 parlays with those odds. The book collects $100 X 17 bets, or $1700.
• Since the odds are 16 to 1, they only expect to pay off a player once, for $1300.
• The other $400 is profit. Divide that $400 by 17 bets, and the book makes an average profit of $23.52.

That’s not a bad profit margin.

In most gambling businesses, the company makes its money by offering payout odds that are lower than the odds of winning. If you think of the odds as being similar to a fraction, you’ll understand why 1 in 16 is smaller than 1 in 13, even though 13 is smaller than 16. (It’s the same thing as saying 1/14 or 1/17.)

A 10-team parlay can make for a huge payout, by the way. A payout of 825 to 1 wouldn’t be unusual for such a bet, but the probability of winning that bet are bigger than that—1023 to 1.

Bet $100 on a 10-parlay, and you’re looking at winnings of $82,500.
This is a profitable parlay for the sportsbook, too, if you look at it statistically:

The book makes a smaller percentage profit, but on that kind of action, they can afford a smaller percentage profit.

If you think of it in terms of “the house edge,” like you would a casino game, you’re talking about a house edge that’s still 19.43%.

If you’re good at picking winners, you could theoretically make a profitable bet on a parlay. If, for example, you’re right 55% of the time instead of 50% of the time, your probability of winning the 4-game parlay skyrockets:

55% X 55% X 55% X 55% is 9.15%, or about 11 to 1.

With a 13 to 1 payout, it’s easy to see how a bettor comes out ahead, statistically.

You place 12 bets, and you win 1 of them. You have $1200 invested, but on the one bet you win, you win $1300. That’s a profit of $100 over 12 bets, or $8.33 per bet.

Getting an edge of 8.33% when you’re gambling is huge, by the way. You can’t get an edge like that even if you’re counting cards professionally (unless you’re also doing things like shuffle tracking, edge sorting, and/or hole carding, but that’s an entirely different blog post.)

What Kind of Parlay Cards Can You Make?

So far, the only examples I’ve used have been for bets on who’s going to win a football game. Parlay cards aren’t limited to the most basic bets, though. You can also place any of the following parlays at various sportsbooks:

1. Moneyline
2. Over/under
3. Pleasers
4. Point spread
5. Teasers

A moneyline bet is one that doesn’t account for the point spread. You bet on who’s going to win, regardless of the strength of the teams. The payouts for bets on the favorite in a moneyline bet are smaller—sometimes MUCH smaller.

But if you can find an underdog or 2 that are going to pull off an upset, you can get a big payout on a parlay made up of moneyline bets.

An over/under bet is a bet on the total points scored in a game. The over/under is set by the handicappers at the sportsbooks, who project the final scores of each game. To get the total, you just add the scores for both teams together.

If the handicappers expect a high scoring game, the over/under will be a higher number than if they expect a low scoring game. Theoretically, the over/under number is set in such a way to give you a 50/50 probability of winning.

Combining multiple bets on the over/under can be a fun way to place a parlay bet.

A pleaser is a point spread bet where you’re given the opportunity to move the point spread to make it more likely that the book will win. You get a higher payout if you win, though.

A point spread bet is a bet on who’s going to win the game, but the strength of the teams are accounted for by giving the underdog points. This is the most common way to place a football bet, and if you’re making a single wager, you get an even money payout.

The point spread is set (theoretically) so that you get a 50/50 probability of winning.

A teaser is like a pleaser, only instead of moving the point spread to favor the book, you get to move the point spread to favor you. You get a lower payout if you win, though.

Teasers and pleasers are also available for over/under bets.

How to Make and Print Your Own Parlay Cards

You can find various websites where you can create your own parlay cards and print them. It would be best to print them on cardstock if you go this route.

Some of these sites even offer you parlay cards that already have all the numbers on them, but you can also choose to create your own numbers with their software.

ParlayCardsNow.com is one site which offers either option. You just input how you want the header to read, the name and date you want printed on the card, and your organization’s logo.

Then you have multiple lines where you can input the favorite and the underdog for each game in the parlay. You can also include the line (the point spread) and the over/under. Finally, you would include a section for the rules of the parlay and the payouts for the winners.

The parlay cards come out as PDF’s when you use the software on this site to create your parlay cards. They suggest that you uncheck the box that reads “fit to printable area,” as different printers have different parameters.

For their standard cards, this site uses Vegas odds, and the payoffs are as follows:

Of course, websites like this are in business to make money. They charge fees to access these cards, which can be bought on a weekly, 4-week, or season basis for $20, $60, or $140, respectively.

Another option would be to just find someone who has a little knowledge of how to create printable forms in Excel and have them design printable parlay cards for you. You’d probably need to give them an example to work from, but it wouldn’t be hard for them to create something you could use and re-use.

You’d be responsible for finding the point spreads for the games on the parlay card, though. This might be more trouble than you want to go to, but if you’re doing a lot of business taking action on parlays—maybe you’re getting your own bookmaking operation going—it’s probably worth the investment.

Football Betting Cards Parlay

Conclusion

A parlay bet is one of the most entertaining bets a sports bettor can make, so if you’re running a bookmaking operation—even on a small basis—it’s probably worth offering these. It’s a combination bet that only pays off if the bettors gets all the bets in the combination right.

If you’re an individual sports bettor, you don’t have to worry about printing your parlay cards. The bookie you’re doing business with should be able to provide you with them. The trick is to beat the odds and win the payout.

The easiest way to make parlay cards is to use a subscription-based site that offers such functionality. Failing that, you just need to find a spreadsheet guru who can create fillable forms for you to use.

I’m sure we’ve all been in a situation before where we stare at the list of games and think to ourselves “if only I could hit a nice 10-team parlay”. Now, depending on the odds of the games you selected or the amount of money actually wagered on the parlay, this bet won’t necessarily make you “rich”. But it could offer up a very nice four or five-digit return. The problem with hitting a parlay that size is that it’s damn near impossible to do. Most experienced bettors refrain from ever making parlay bets. Thankfully, for sportsbooks, parlays will always be a staple of the betting game since there is always the potential of that one big payout every square bettor chases.Bottom of Form

Parlay Definition -- What is a Parlay? Parlay Meaning

When you hear someone mentioned the term “parlay” in a sports betting discussion, they are referring to a type of bet that involves two or more teams. In order for a parlay bet to be successful, each team involved must win, or cover the spread – depending on how you bet them. A parlay can also be called an accumulator or a combo bet. Parlays are the most popular bet amongst amateur bettors since it has the potential for the biggest payout.

Parlay Odds

It is extremely hard to pick a winner against the spread. It takes a lot of research and the ability to isolate those few situations where you detect a weakness in the line. The oddsmakers know what they're doing. That's why there are all of those fancy casinos out there. It's harder still to pick two winners, or three, and on and on.

Everybody would like to get maximum return for minimum investment. But things just don't work that way. If you want to bet on football and turn a profit, you need to take the word parlay out of your betting vocabulary. Parlay bets are sucker bets.

You know, winning is great. And losing, well, losing sucks. But breaking even on a couple of straight bets when you would have otherwise lost with a parlay is one of the keys to giving yourself a fighting chance at becoming a profitable sports bettor.

Not only is it very difficult to pick multiple winners without a loser, but you don't even get true odds on parlays.

Here are your typical odds for parlay bets:

2 Teams - 13/5
3 Teams - 6/1
4 Teams -11/1
5 Teams - 20/1
6 Teams - 40/1
7 Teams - 75/1
8 Teams - 150/1
9 Teams - 300/1
10 Teams - 700/1

Say you bet $110 to win a $100 on an early college game and you win and collect $210. If you put that $210 on a late game and you win, you collect almost $401. But if you play a 2-team parlay for $110, and you win, you collect $396.

The difference gets worse the more teams you play. If you took your $401 and put that on a pro game the next day and win, you collect about $795. But if you had played a three-team parlay for $110 you collect $770. Do the math.

Parlay Guy is snickering right now. He thinks that kind of money is 'chump change' (but the casino sees it as pure profit).

When you get into four teams and above, you are getting horrendous odds. Games like Keno provide far better odds if you want to throw darts at 10-teamers.

All of the above is true, but the biggest reason not to bet parlays is that you don't lose the whole enchilada when you pick a loser. Straight bets consistent with your bankroll units ensure good money management. And over the course of a season, that difference is profound and it adds up to a lot of money.

Parlay Guy is always trying to 'get out' with a nice three or four-teamer. But it was his nice two- and three-teamers that got him 'in' in the first place.

Of course, you already knew all of this. But you do it anyway. This year, don't be Parlay Guy. Be the informed and disciplined straight bettor who sidesteps him before he can chew your ear.

Parlay Payouts

Doc’s Sports has a handy Parlay Calculator to determine the true odds of a parlay bet compared to the payout offered by the sportsbook. This is a great way to determine in advance if there is value in a parlay bet you are planning to make.

Are There Different Types of Parlays?

In short, yes. A parlay can have a combination of money line bets, point spread wagers and even include the “over/under” option. Some sports books allow bettors to include different kinds of prop bets, half time wagers and sometimes even future bets.

Depending on the type or parlay you make, the payout could be minimal or significant. A lot of things go into determining the odds, but the main thing you need to know is that not all sportsbooks offer up the same odds.

Are Point Spread Parlays Worth Playing?

Generally speaking, no. Parlays are typically referred to as sucker bets and only attract people looking for one massive payout. The problem with parlays is that the more teams you add, the number of possible outcomes increases. For example, a three-team parlay bet has eight possible outcomes, where only one of those outcomes will make you a winner. Since none of those eight outcomes is more likely than the others, a three-team parlay would need to offer up 7/1 odds in order to break even over the long haul. At 6/1, turning a profit is only doable if a bettor can pick winners at a very high rate – one that is almost unattainable, let alone sustainable.

Parlay Cards

A parlay card is essentially like a lottery ticket form you find at a corner store when you decide to play the Powerball and pick your own numbers. Parlay cards are typically a colored piece of paper at a sportsbook that lists all games and odds for you to choose from. The way you fill it out is rather quite simple. First, you check the box that states how many games your parlay card will be and then you mark each game you want to bet. When you are done marking your card, you can bring it to the betting window and they will scan it and print you out a parlay ticket.

There is nothing worse than getting to the betting window and being stuck behind someone who has no idea what they want to bet and who is looking around at the board to see the lines while they make a $5 three-team parlay. To avoid being that person, use a parlay card. They make the process a lot simpler and much more time efficient. The wait times for lines at the betting window are long enough already, so by using the parlay card you will speed up the process for everyone involved.

Another benefit of using a parlay card is that the card will include all of the rules. They can be slightly different between sportsbooks, so it’s crucial you understand the rules at each unique book. The most important rule you need to understand is that books often deal with ties differently – some will count them as losses. Parlay card also include set odds for parlays of different sizes. Again, these odds can be slightly different between books, but for the most part look like this:

2 Team Parlay: 13 to 5 Odds

3 Team Parlay: 6 to 1 Odds

4 Team Parlay: 10 to 1 Odds

5 Team Parlay: 20 to 1 Odds

But parlay cards can be dangerous. The main goal of any sports bettor is to protect their bankroll and make wise investment decisions. The parlay card goes against that model as it makes it really easy to make a terrible bet. Sportsbooks make it as easy as possible for people to make these bets because they know over the long terms, this option provides solid cash intake. And lastly, the parlay cards often offer odds that are much lower than the true odds. For example, in order for a three-team parlay to break even over the long term, it would have to pay 7/1. At 6/1, you would have set a world record for successfully picking winners in order to close the gap.

What About Money Line Parlays?

A money line parlay is the better of the two parlays since the potential return is dependent on whether or not you bet underdogs or not. To find the return of a money line parlay, you simply multiply the individual money line odds together. Because of this, a parlay featuring two underdogs and a big favorite would return much more than 6/1 odds like a three-team point spread parlay would. Unfortunately, this way of betting is just as difficult as a point spread parlay. The more teams you add to the parlay, the more combinations there become, which in turn could take a big chunk out of the bankroll if you are a parlay-only player.

What is a Correlated Parlay?

A 'correlated parlay' is a parlay wager that includes two or more events, generally in the same game, that have a strong relationship to each other - if one happens then the other is very likely to happen as well. These situations are very attractive to bettors because they increase the chances of making a profit. Sportsbooks do not like giving up a big advantage to bettors, so in most cases they will not allow a correlated parlay. Some books won’t allow two events in one game no matter what, while others will be more selective and will only disallow bets they deem correlated. Some books will even cancel bets after the fact if correlation turned out to be strong.

It will be less confusing after an example. The most common way to understand a correlated parlay is to look at a side and a total in football. If a team is a very large favorite - say 20 or 30 points - and the total is reasonably low, then it stands to reason that if the favorite covers the spread it is going to be more likely than not that the game will go over the total as well. If a team is favored by 35 and the total is 50, then it wouldn’t take much to go over if the spread is covered. You very likely would not be allowed to parlay the favorite and the over in that game,

That’s an extreme example. As a general guide, if you multiply the spread in a football game by three and the result is bigger than the total, then it is likely going to be viewed as a correlated play.

Football Parlay Cards Online

While correlated parlays are very tough to find -- and bet -- these days, the philosophy can be applied legally in some situations. One example is at the end of a regular season. Let’s say that at the end of the series there are two NHL teams fighting for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference -- the Hurricanes and the Panthers. If the Hurricanes, who play first, win, then they are in and the Panthers are out. If the Hurricanes lose, then the Panthers can play their way in with a win. A couple of possibilities are reasonable to assume, then. If the Hurricanes lose, then the Panthers are likely to be particularly motivated in their game -- they will know the result and will know what is on the line. If the Hurricanes win, though, then the Panthers will be crushed and aren’t at all likely to play at their best. Depending on your viewpoint, then, you could argue that a Hurricanes win and a Panthers loss or a Hurricanes loss and a Panthers win would be somewhat correlated results, and betting them could give you an edge. That’s about as close as you can legally get to a correlated parlay.