What is a Yankee Bet & How Does it Work?

A Yankee bet is a multiple offered by online bookmakers which is made up of 11 bets on four selections - six doubles, four trebles and a fourfold. 

At least two of the four selections must win for you to get a return on your yankee. In the following guide, we explain how a yankee bet works and when to consider placing one.

How Does a Yankee Bet Work?

To place a Yankee bet,  visit your preferred betting app or website and choose four selections from four different events. 

If you have horses or greyhounds as any of your selections, you will be asked if you want to take the current price or the starting price (SP). Because many bookies offer best odds guaranteed, taking the current price is often the way to go.

Remember, there are 11 different combinations in a Yankee bet - so your total stake is 11 times your unit stake. A £2 Yankee bet, for example, will cost a total of £22. Here is a breakdown of the 11 different bets in a Yankee:

• Six doubles
• Four trebles
• One fourfold (accumulator)

Yankee Bet Example

Now, let’s take a look at a real-life Yankee bet example with four horses that all ran on the same day:

• Selection 1: Ancient Wisdom (1.25 Newmarket) – 2/1 (WON) 
• Selection 2: The Shunter (2.40 Newmarket) – 14/1 (WON) 
• Selection 3: Raadobarg (3.50 Newmarket) – 7/1 (LOST) 
• Selection 4: Funny Story (5.00 Newmarket) – 9/1 (WON)

These selections were combined in a £2 Yankee win bet, costing a total of £22.

Three of the four selections won at good prices, so it was a profitable bet. The total return for this wager would have been £1,350 - a £1,328 profit on the initial outlay. 

Here's how this Yankee bet was calculated:

Doubles

To make things easier to calculate, we'll convert fractional odds to decimal and multiply by the stake.

• Ancient Wisdom/The Shunter - £90.00 (£2 x 3.0 x 15.0 = £90) 
• The Shunter/Funny Story - £300 (£2 x 15.0 x 10.0 = £300) 
• Ancient Wisdom/Funny Story - £60 (£2 x 3.0 x 10.0 = £60)

Doubles Total: £450

Treble

• Ancient Wisdom/The Shunter/Funny Story – £900.00 (£2 x 3.0 x 15.0 x 10.0)

Total Yankee Bet Winnings: £1,350 (£450 + £900)

What Sports Can You Place a Yankee Bet on?

Yankee bets are popular at the best horse racing betting sites and they are most effective when combined with research into the best horse racing odds.

They can also be used effectively across many sports. 

If you wanted to combine four football teams in a Yankee bet on a Saturday afternoon, for example, it could be a great way to add some excitement to the action.

There are generally no restrictions when it comes to placing yankees, so you can use this type of bet on whichever sport you want.

You can also combine selections from different sports into a yankee and you can use free bets for yankees as well.

What is a Super-Yankee Bet?

A Super-Yankee is one step up from a Yankee. It involves five selections, as opposed to four.

The extra selection means that there is a total of 26 combinations involved, making it more expensive than a normal Yankee bet, but also giving it the potential to yield bigger returns.

Here is an example of a £1 Super-Yankee bet (total stake £26) from a round of Premier League football fixtures.

• Selection 1: Everton to beat Bournemouth – 19/20 (WON) 
• Selection 2: Luton and Spurs to draw – 7/2 (LOST) 
• Selection 3: Arsenal to beat Manchester City - 15/8 (WON) 
• Selection 4: Wolves and Aston Villa to draw – 5/2 (WON) 
• Selection 5: Brighton and Liverpool to draw – 9/4 (WON)

In this example, four of our five Super Yankee selections won, generating a total return of £206.33 – that’s a profit of over £180. Here’s a breakdown of that total return:

Doubles

• Everton/Arsenal - £5.61 (£1 x 1.95 x 2.88) 
• Everton/Brighton v Liverpool Draw - £6.34 (£1 x 1.95 x 3.25) 
• Arsenal/Brighton v Liverpool Draw - £9.36 (£1 x 2.88 x 3.25) 
• Everton/Wolves v Aston Villa Draw – £6.83 (£1 x 1.95 x 3.5) 
• Arsenal/Wolves v Aston Villa Draw – £10.08 (£1 x 2.88 x 3.5) 
• Wolves v Aston Villa Draw/Brighton v Liverpool Draw - £11.38 (£1 x 3.5 x 3.25)

Doubles Total: £49.60

Trebles

• Everton/Arsenal/Brighton v Liverpool Draw - £18.25 (£1 x 1.95 x 2.88 x 3.25) 
• Everton/Arsenal/Wolves v Aston Villa Draw - £19.66 (£1 x 1.95 x 2.88 x 3.5) 
• Arsenal/Brighton v Liverpool Draw/Wolves v Aston Villa Draw – £32.76 (£1 x 2.88 x 3.25 x 3.5) 
• Everton/ Brighton v Liverpool Draw/Wolves v Aston Villa Draw - £22.18 (£1 x 1.95 x 3.25 x 3.5)

Trebles Total: £92.85

Fourfold

• Everton/Arsenal/Brighton v Liverpool Draw/Wolves v Aston Villa Draw - £63.88 (£1 x 1.95 x 2.88 x 3.25 x 3.5)

Total: £206.33 (£49.60 + £92.85 + £63.88)

How do Each-Way Yankee Bets Work?

Each-way bets work well in multiples like Yankees because you can make a solid profit without even backing a winner.

The key point to remember about an each-way bet is that there are two component parts: win and place. So, if you are going to combine each-way selections in a Yankee bet, it will double in cost.

A £1 Yankee on four win-only selections would cost £11, while a £1 each-way Yankee bet would cost £22.

When it comes to the place payout of your each-way selection, industry standards dictate that you will generally be paid out at 1/5, although you will sometimes get 1/4 odds on races with 4-7 runners. 

Extra each-way place specials are often put on as part of Grand National or Chelltenham offers, but this is balanced out by the bookmaker offering 1/5 odds.

Yankee Bet v Lucky 15

The main difference between a Yankee and a Lucky 15 is that the Yankee bet contains four single bets as well as doubles, trebles and a fourfold. A Yankee bet contains no singles - only doubles, trebles and a fourfold.

This explains why a Yankee is calculated at 11 times the unit stake, while a Lucky 15 is calculated at 15 times the unit stake.

With a Lucky 15, you will get some return if you have just one winning selection, while a Yankee requires you to pick at least two winners.

When to Place a Yankee Bet

Yankees can enhance your potential returns if you have multiple fancies across a range of races or events. 

Because there are fewer bets than there are in a Lucky 15, a Yankee bet is often a better choice when combining shorter-priced selections.

Consider placing a Yankee bet when you have four strong fancies for a greyhound or horse racing meeting. 

If you want to boost your potential returns on a fourfold football acca without adding more selections to the bet, the best football betting sites have the option to place a Yankee bet as well.

Best of luck with your Yankee betting!