We get asked about round robins a lot from bettors who keep getting burned by one bad leg on their parlays. If that sounds like you then this bet type is worth knowing about. Here is how it works.
The short version
A round robin is where you pick three or more selections and the sportsbook creates every possible parlay combination from those picks.
So if you pick three teams you get three separate two team parlays. If you pick four teams you get six two team parlays.
If you pick five teams it keeps going from there. Each combination is its own bet so the total cost is your unit stake multiplied by the number of combinations.
The key difference between a round robin and a regular parlay is that one losing pick does not wipe out everything.
If you pick three teams in a round robin and one of them loses you still have two winning parlays that pay out from the other two teams.
Why we started using them
Same reason as most people. We were sick of going two for three on three leg parlays and having nothing to show for it.
A round robin on those same three picks would have paid us on one winning two team parlay even with the loser in there.
The first time we actually used one was on a Saturday of college football and we went three for four on our picks.
The straight four leg parlay would have been a loss. The round robin returned about $140 off a $60 total outlay because five of the six two team combos won.
What it costs
This is the part you need to pay attention to. A round robin with three picks generates three parlays so a $10 round robin costs $30 total.
Four picks generates six parlays so that same $10 stake costs $60.
Five picks gives you ten parlays at $100 total. It adds up fast.
You are paying for the protection of not needing every single pick to win and that protection is not free.
When it makes sense
We use round robins when we have three or four picks we feel good about but none of them are locks.
NFL Sundays are perfect for it. If you are the type who goes two for three or three for four most weeks then a round robin will almost certainly treat you better than straight parlays over time.
If you regularly go three for three or four for four then just bet the parlay and take the bigger payout.
