When betting on football it can be difficult to find a consistent winning system. One football betting strategy that has yielded success for some is to bet on a series of low odds matches in a combination bet. In itself, betting on the outcome of an individual match may not offer attractive enough odds because the market will heavily favour one outcome; however, if several of these bets are joined together, then the possibilities increase as does the range of potential results.

This is commonly known as an accumulator, or parlay bet, because you are combining two or more wagers within one. By its nature, such a bet is dependent for success on all those individual wagers succeeding. For example, you might bet on the result of three football matches, or bet on goalscorer, or the score at half-time. The benefit of an accumulator is that, if you do win, the pay-out can be substantial because the odds are so long. The downside is that if one element of the wager fails – if your teams lose or somebody else scores the first goal – then the whole bet is lost.

Whilst accumulator betting can offer very high returns – which, of course, makes them so attractive – there is a correspondingly high risk that the bet will fail, especially for those who stack their bets with multiple teams or matches. Big accumulator bet winners make headlines for a reason, because their rarity makes them newsworthy.

If you are considering adopting this football betting strategy, then there are some factors to consider before you stake your money. First of all do some analysis beforehand. Think about the teams that are taking part, their form, which team is playing at home, and if one or the other contains a potent goalscorer. Also, the League in which the teams are taking part needs to be considered as well, because some competitions are more one-sided than others, with surprise results occurring rarely. Stay away from Cup matches, local derbies, or relegation and promotion play-off matches. These are high intensity games, which can produce a range of unpredictable outcomes.

For example, if you were to choose to bet on the Premier League, then you might consider matches involving teams with strong home records, such as Manchester City and Arsenal, as worthy of a combination bet. As for a bet on goalscorer, you should consider Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur as teams worth following, because, in Mo Salah and Harry Kane, you have two prolific strikers who can normally can be found on the score sheet.

Then consider factors such as recent history, form, weather conditions, and if the line-up of either team is likely to be affected by injuries or suspensions. Whilst the outcome of a football match is never certain, the fewer factors that are left to chance the better.

As a football betting strategy, it is important to stay away from combined bets that have too many selections. Simply put, the more bets that you include in your accumulator, thegreater the scope there is for something to go wrong. Smart gamblers will seldom go for any accumulator involving more than three or four matches because the odds are just too long.

As a strategy this accumulator betting can be successful. However, the odds are attractive enough with a combination bet not to put ourselves at risk by gambling on long shots. Instead, do your research and choose a series of low odds – between 1.7 and 2.0 – matches where the chances of each bet succeeding are high. And, finally, do not be greedy and try to include too many bets in your accumulator. A combination of three, or even two, bets succeeding can still give you a good pay-out.