In the world of sports betting, parlay cards are one of the most popular types of wagers. Simply put, a parlay card is when you place multiple wagers on a game. For example, you could place a hockey bet, a basketball bet, and a baseball bet on a single game. When you place a parlay card, you are essentially placing three separate bets on the same game.
Parlay cards are an excellent option for active sports fans who want to wager on more than one sport. For instance, if you are a Washington Redskins fan, you might want to wager on their football team, and the New York Giants, too. However, you can’t do that with individual sportsbooks. You either have to join a parlay card or find a book that offers this type of wager.
If you choose the former, you will see various bonuses and offers floating around on social media from time to time. Some of these promotions will even let you place a parlay card with a free bet. While these promotions sound great, keep in mind that they are usually meant for new customers. This is why you need to keep your eyes open for offers from established sportsbooks that offer parlay cards.
The Many Benefits Of Placing A Parlay Card
One of the main reasons why you would want to place a parlay card is that it allows you to make some extra money. This is especially beneficial if you are a high school, college, or university student due to the fact that you can get odds that are much better than normal. For instance, the New York Yankees +2.5 over the Pittsburgh Pirates is a popular parlay card in the USA considering that the Yankees are one of the most popular teams in both baseball and basketball. When you look at the odds for that parlay, you will see that they are much better than usual. However, there are some downsides to placing a parlay card.
The first is that if you win, you will gain more than you lost. When you place a parlay card, you are effectively betting on multiple games. If you win on any of those games, you will win the entire amount you wagered. Therefore, if you had bet $100 on the New York Yankees +2.5 over the Pittsburgh Pirates and they won, you would have to pay $200 to get your money back. You would also have to decide whether or not to continue to wager on that game.
The other major downside is that you place a parlay card when you already have a bet set. If you choose to continue betting after winning on a parlay card, you will lose the juice on your previous wager. Even worse, you will lose the entire amount you wagered if the sportsbook you are betting with goes out of business or closes its doors. In those cases, you will be forced to start over again with a completely different book or join a new one if you want to continue betting. The key takeaway from this is that once you choose to place a parlay card, you are committing to making several bets, and if you want to continue, you will have to continue to bet with the same book.
The Difference In Strategy
One of the major differences between a single wager and a parlay card is how you should approach the games you choose to wager on. When you place a single bet, you make the assumption that you know the winning team and you are simply placing a wager to see if they will win or lose. With a parlay card, you are effectively betting on several games, and you can choose the one you think will win the most often. For instance, let’s say you are a Redskins fan and you want to bet on their football team along with the New York Yankees. In that case, you would want to bet on the Yankees since they are the favorites in the game. If the Yankees win, you would win a pool of money, and if the Redskins win, you would win a pool of money as well. As a Redskins fan, you might want to take the under in that game since they are not as strong as usual and the under is still considered a good option.
More Ways To Win
Another way to win on a parlay card is to wait for a “line movement”. Essentially, when the lines for a particular game start moving in your direction, it means people are starting to doubt that the original linemakers will be able to correctly predict the outcome of the game. When that happens, you can essentially bet that the line will start moving in your direction, meaning that the bet you placed will start earning you points.
On the other hand, if the line starts moving in the opposite direction, it might be time to remove your wager since the line is essentially negating your play. In that case, you would have to start over again with a new parlay card.
When To Place A Parlay Card
You should place a parlay card at least a few days before the scheduled date of the game. This gives you enough time to study the line movements and identify the teams that are moving in the direction you want to go.
For instance, if you are a Florida Gators fan and you want to bet on their football team this coming weekend, you might want to wait until Friday afternoon before making your wager since the odds are usually more favorable after the games on Friday and Saturday nights.
As for when to lift your wager, this depends on how you want to win. If you want to win big, it is generally best to wait until the lines have moved a certain amount in your direction before placing another wager. For example, if you have a $100 bet on the Cleveland Browns +3 over the Chicago Bears, you might want to wait for the lines to move at least +3 before placing another wager. This will essentially double your initial wager. If you win that game, you will win $200, and if the Bears win, you will win $100 plus your initial $100.
On the other hand, if you are simply looking for a way to have some fun and make a little bit of extra money, you might want to place your wager as soon as the lines are released and make your picks before the other bettors do. Just make sure that you are consistent about it and don’t get too carried away placing wagers every few minutes. This is why it is important to study the line movements before placing a bet. You don’t want to place a wager without having studied the line movements and knowing what is going on.
Also, make sure that you have enough money in your account to cover the parlay card’s requirements. This means that if the minimum amount of money is $100 and you choose to bet on the Cleveland Browns +3 over the Chicago Bears game, you will need $300 in cash at the book’s to make the wager. In that case, you will need to top off your account with an additional $100 to complete the transaction. Once you do, your account will be marked as “active” and you can start betting on the various games.