Parelay betting is the practice of placing bets on multiple games, rather than just one. It’s an alternative to parlaying – which is placing bets on just one game – and is especially popular among sports bettors who enjoy the convenience. However, it can also be a bit confusing to non-gamers. Let’s break down the differences between parelay betting and parlaying so that you can better understand the betting options available to you.
The Convenience Of Parelay Betting
One of the main appeals of parelay betting is how convenient it is. When a bettor decides to engage in parelay betting, they’re essentially making a series of smaller bets rather than one large one. It saves money in numerous ways, as each individual bet is usually much cheaper than a parlay bet would be. Furthermore, many sports books will also rebate part of the net amount of the winning parlay bets, meaning that the cost of the parlay will be more than covered by the winning bets. For these reasons, many bettors prefer to engage in parelay betting rather than parlaying.
The Limitations Of Parelay Betting
While the convenience of parelay betting is appealing, it also has its disadvantages. For one thing, if a bettor loses a game that they backed, they’re going to have to take a financial hit, as they’ll have to pay out on the wager. Furthermore, parelay betting only provides benefits to the sports bettor. Gamblers who aren’t familiar with sports betting will have no idea how to effectively parlay or parelay, as they don’t have the option of making multiple bets. Finally, if a bettor wants to engage in parelay betting, they’ll have to decide how much they want to wager on each game, as there’s no preset amount that can be placed on a parlay or parelay. The choice is completely up to the individual.
The Multiplication Of Winnings
One of the bigger appeals of parelay betting is how much it can multiply your earnings. You may be familiar with the notion of multiplying your winnings when multiplying a series of pairs. For instance, if you bet $100 on a game and it wins, you’ll earn $100. However, when you parlay or parelay that bet – which is an equivalent action – you’ll earn $200 because you risked $100 on each of the two games combined. This is also known as a “side bet” or a “totalling bet”, because you’re effectively betting on both games combined.
Parelay betting can also be used in parlays and similarly multiplied your winnings. For example, if you parlay a $100 win on Game 1 with a $100 win on Game 2, you’ll end up with a $300 total. You’ll then need to decide whether you want to risk $100 on Game 3, or whether you want to take your winnings and walk away. Your decision here will determine how effective your parlay was, as you’ll either win $300 or lose that same amount.
Final Takeaway
In terms of overall betting strategy, parelay betting is pretty much the same as parlaying – you’re still placing wagers on games, you’re just doing it in smaller increments. However, if you’re unfamiliar with sports betting or parlay betting, it can be a bit confusing, as you don’t have to explain to the betting site what a parlay is. It’s essentially the same as parelay betting, except that rather than placing a wager on one game and getting back a multiple of what you risked, you’re placing a wager on the combination of all the games. The benefit is that you get to utilize the skill and knowledge of other bettors, rather than having to do all the calculations yourself. Overall, parelay betting provides a bit of an edge to the savvy sports bettor, but it’s not something that’ll dramatically change your life or finances as a whole.