In simple terms, one Yankee bet consists of 11 different multiples taken from four different events of your choosing. Yankees are most commonly used for ‘win’ bets on horse racing or football: you simply choose your four selections, and these are automatically put into six doubles, four trebles and one four-fold accumulator. It’s important to remember that because there are effectively 11 bets within one, your stake will be multiplied by 11, so a £1 stake would actually total £11. You cannot adjust your stake for each different multiple within the Yankee, it will be spread equally over all of the 11 bets. 

There are 11 bets in a Yankee to cover every possible multiple combination within your four selections, ensuring that if two of them win at least one of your doubles comes in, if three win at least one of your trebles comes in and so on. Clearly, the more of your selections that win, the higher your returns will be as you will win more of the 11 bets. 

For example, let’s say three of your selections are successful - you’d win three of the doubles and one treble, likely earning a good profit. Clearly, the best case scenario is that all four of your selections come in and you win all 11 bets within the Yankee. To ensure at least some returns, a minimum of two selections need to win, given that the smallest bet within the Yankee are the doubles. 

So, what are the advantages of placing a Yankee bet? We can outline the best advantage a Yankee has by comparing it to a normal four-fold accumulator, where if any one of your selections loses, your bet is over. The good thing about a Yankee is that even if two of your four selections lose, you’ll still receive some returns from the two selections that did win as a result of one of the double bets. How much you win will depend on the odds of the winning selections. In addition to this, a Yankee bet can have much higher returns than a single four-fold accumulator as it contains 10 other multiples within it. 

That said, one downside of the Yankee bet is that your stake is generally much higher than a standard bet, because it’s being multiplied by 11. So you have to think, would you rather stake more to have more chances of winning, or stake less and have a slimmer chance? In this sense, it really comes down to personal preference but Yankees are a very popular option for horse racing and football bettors alike. You can use a Yankee bet on any sport of your choosing, though these are the most commonly selected. 

Can I do an each-way Yankee bet?

The simple answer is yes - you can use a Yankee containing each-way bets and it is a popular choice amongst horse racing bettors. The only important thing to remember is that your stake will be double that of a Yankee containing only win bets, because as part of the each-way bet you’ll have two separate wagers - one on the horse to win and one for it to place. So, if you stake £1 on your Yankee, rather than the total being £11, it will be £22. 

Although your stake will be higher, naturally placing an each-way Yankee bet gives you a much greater chance of winning as your selected horses only need to place. This, combined with the fact that not all of your selections need to win in a Yankee to guarantee returns, gives you much higher chances of winning something compared to placing a standard four-fold accumulator with win-only selections for example. 

So, that’s the Yankee bet explained in simple terms, and as mentioned before - it really comes down to personal preference. By betting with a Yankee you’ll be giving yourself a much better chance of seeing some returns, but you’ll need to stake more as a result.