Yankee Bet Explained - What is it and How to Make One

Among the many different types of bets you will see on a sportsbook, the Yankee bet is one of the lesser-known variants. You won't find the Yankee bet on the main line for competitions and it can often seem hidden, if available at all. 

The Yankee bet is a more advanced wager that requires players to make multiple correct selections in order to win. This type of bet can be found on many of the larger online sportsbooks, and can be a viable and strategic betting option.

Here, we will go through the differences of Yankee bets between competitions, along with what they are and how they are commonly made. 

What is a Yankee Bet and Where Does it Come From?

Its said that the Yankee bet comes from an American GI who placed the first Yankee bet and made a luxurious profit. However, there are different stories surrounding the origin of the Yankee bet.

The thing that has not changed about the bet is how and what its intent is. 

The Yankee bet is one of the more complicated and advanced bets that is offered, and can be used for both sports and horse racing betting. In general, the point of the wager is to include all possible outcomes of a four-leg ticket. 

That means betting on 11 different outcomes with the yankee bet, the idea is that the possibility of making a profit is widened, with a win on each event returning profits on all 11 different outcomes.

In general, a yankee bet can be explained as making 11 different parlays, using the same four bets for each, but using different variations and combinations with each new parlay. This will sound familiar to users who read about round robin bets, and both bets do share many similarities.  

Really diving into the Yankee bet, lets see it in action with an example, strategies and all its variants. 

Learning with a Yankee Bet Example

The Yankee bet in sports betting is a four-selection ticket, in which there are 11 separate bets made. It can be made on any sport, and is especially popular for football and horse race betting.

What the Yankee bet does is take the four betting selections you have chosen and make bets on all possible combinations of the four. You will then place a stake on each of the 11 parlays. 

There are no single bets included, what we have are six bets with two selections (doubles), four bets with three selections (trebles) and finally there is one with all four selections. 

So, how does the Yankee bet look when put into action with football moneyline bets?

(*✅ ) = included bet selection in each parlay

These are the 11 different combinations and wagers you will be making out of these four selections. The stake you place on the Yankee will also remain the same for each bet (the sportsbook will multiply your original stake by 11 for the total amount you will need to wager). 

Yankee Bet Payouts and Calculators

Betting odds on each of the different combinations will change however, which means your payout will vary depending on which selections win.  Since there are no single bets, we need at least two successful selections to return anything, and most often three to make a profit. 

On most online sportsbooks, the Yankee bet selection will calculate your total stake, but will not show you the possible payouts until after the bet is placed. 

Therefore, it is recommended to seek out a Yankee bet calculator online. With these tools, you can accurately calculate all of the Yankee bets possible outcomes and payouts. In order to evaluate whether making the wager is ideal. 

Super Yankee or Canadian Bet

For those who believe that four selections just isnt enough, the Super Yankee works just like a Yankee bet, but is even bigger with an additional betting market added. The Super Yankee, or Canadian Bet, very popular in horse racing and consists of five selections and 26 different parlay combinations. 

Included in these 26 different combinations are:

• Ten Doubles
• Ten Trebles 
• Five with four selections and 
• One with all selections included

This bet is most commonly used in horse racing, but can easily be used with selections from any competition.  For the player to make any sort of return on this bet, at least two of the original selections must be winners. 

In addition, adding five singles bets on each selection will give you a Lucky 31 bet. These are just slight variations of the Yankee bet, and therefore will work in nearly the exact same way. The Super Yankee and Lucky 31 bets are almost always included in horse racing books, but can be slightly more scarce than the Yankee bet on sportsbooks. 

Strategy and Tips for Yankee Bets

The Yankee bet in itself is designed to give players better odds to make a profit than by simply wagering on regular parlay bets. This is based on the fact that winning a couple of singles bets is easier than winning a four selection parlay. 

However, there are things you can do to give your Yankee bets an even better chance to win. 

Doing your research: Including selections from sports and leagues that you follow is something that should be done for all bets. Blindly wagering on an event makes it more risky, and with a Yankee bet where multiple bets depend on each selection, this is even more important. 

The teams, starting lineups, past performances and many other factors should be understood before deciding to include a selection. With sports that you already follow, this will be much easier and not as much research may be necessary. 

Not too high, not too low: To make a return on a Yankee bet, at least two of the selections must win. However, the amount that you will return depends on the odds for each market. Obviously, the first concern should be your confidence in eah selection's chances of winning. 

The odds on each selection are also of importance though. Trying to find valuable bets with good odds is one of the game's most difficult endeavors, but is necessary to remain profitable. The selections you include should not constantly have sky-high odds, but they should be high enough to guarantee a good amount back even if only two selections win. 

Use a Yankee bet calculator: This is a useful tip as it will help you visualize your Yankee bet before it is officially made. The Yankee bet calculator will let you know the potential payouts of your wager, which can be helpful in determining both the selections included and the chances of profit. 

Horse Racing Yankee Bets

Perhaps one of the most prominent places to make Yankee bets is in horse racing. This fits right in with the many other exotic wagers you can place on this competition. The Yankee bet in horse racing, if successful, will often yield high profits due to the difficulty of horse racing bets.

There are only a few main selections for a Yankee bet in horse racing, mostly including moneyline bets for winners of separate races. However, for better chances of winning, the selections you include in your Yankee bet can also be place and show wagers. 

These bets are on horses to finish in the top two or three. The main advantage here is that the chances of these winning are much higher than a normal moneyline bet, but the odds are normally still quite high. This is especially true in a Yankee bet.

Yankee Bets on Football and Other Sports

The most popular sports in America also open up the possibility for Yankee bets. They can be made for games in the same league, or by choosing selections from a variety of leagues. Since you must win two or more, usually these selections come from one sport the player knows best. 

Yankee bets on traditional sports differ from horse racing mainly in the number of options you will have for your selections. With over 400 different betting markets on the most popular games, the options and possible combinations are endless. 

Most players do only stick to the one sport or league that they know the best for Yankee bets. This is due to the difficulty of having to win at least two, but most often three selections to make a profit. Nearly any bet listed under a competition is free game for Yankee bets. These include moneylines, over/unders, period bets and spread betting. 

Where to Make a Yankee Bet?

Yankee bets can often be made just like any normal bets. While they are harder to find, bigger online sportsbooks will carry exotic-style bets like the Yankee bet. Once you have added four events to your bet slip on an online sportsbook, there should be an option to use those events to make a Yankee bet. The sportsbook will calculate the stake and automatically put it together.