Once NFL players take to the field, the game’s outcomes are seemingly infinite—from total touchdowns to predicted interceptions, there are a number of bets you can make on a single game parlay bet.
While many bettors opt for risky bets for big payouts, you can also boost your potential payout with NFL same game parlay. By stringing together multiple bets on the same game, whether it’s the regular season, a divisional round playoff game, or the Super Bowl, you can increase your probability of winning without having to put all your chips on unlikely scenarios.
What Is a Same Game Parlay?
Before answering what is a same game parlay, let’s first explore traditional parlays.
In sports betting, a parlay is a type of bet where you boost your potential payout by stringing multiple bets together. For example, as Sunday’s slate of NFL games approaches, let's say you have a few bets you like:
- You think the 49ers will beat the Seahawks outright.
- You think the Cowboys will lose to the Packers but will cover the spread.
- You don’t know who’s going to win in the Pats-Dolphins game, but both of their defenses have been playing well, so you think it’ll be low scoring.
With a parlay, you can bet the 49ers moneyline, take the points for the Cowboys, and bet the under in the Pats-Dolphins matchup. By tying these bets together, your payout could be massive. However, if even one leg of the game parlay wager loses (let’s say the Pats and the Dolphins get into a shootout and go over), then your whole bet loses regardless of the outcomes of the other games.
Of course, making multiple successful bets on more than one game is a difficult proposition. This is why parlays are considered high-risk, high-reward bets. That being said, same game parlays are options that aren’t quite as high-reward, but they allow you to mitigate some of the risk associated with traditional parlays.
As the name suggests, a same game parlay is simply a parlay where all the bets relate to the same game. For example, let’s look at a hypothetical matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions:
- You bet that Tampa will win the game.
- You bet that Tom Brady will throw at least 2 touchdown passes.
- You bet that the points total will go over.
Stringing all these bets together would be a same game parlay. Your potential payout will still get boosted, and since all the bets are on the same game, they are more likely to all happen. Before placing a big-money parlay on a single game, make sure to read up on same game parlay strategy to make sure you’re confident before heading into any matchup.
What Bets Can Be in an NFL Same Game Parlay?
Since all the bets in a same game parlay will be happening in the same game, you need to string together different types of bets to create your parlay. In a normal parlay, you could use four different moneyline bets to create your parlay
That’s not possible in an NFL same game parlay
Instead, you’ll need to combine bets such as:
- Moneyline
- Spread
- Totals (Over/Unders)
- Prop bets
Note: Different sportsbooks will have different rules as to what you’re allowed to include in a same game parlay, so be sure to check your book before crafting your strategy.
Where Can I Bet a Same Game Parlay?
While parlays have been around for a long time, same game parlays are relatively new to the betting world. While FanDuel Sportsbook introduced the concept in 2019, you can find same game parlay betting options in many other online sportsbooks.
If you are looking for the top NFL betting experience, it may be worth looking around for books that offer the best odds on same game parlays. Though, we can also save you some time by pointing you to Tipico’s NFL sportsbook. We offer same game and traditional parlays as well as other betting options like live betting and player props to help you win big while sports betting.
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How Much Do Odds Change in a Same Game Parlay?
How much can you win by betting in a same game parlay? It depends. To understand how the payouts work, you first need to have a basic understanding of odds.
Let’s start by looking at our example parlay from earlier. This time, let’s assign odds to each leg of the bet:
- 49ers over Seahawks (-180)
- Cowboys to cover against the Packers (+240)
- Pats-Dolphins under (-110)
The “-” odds listed above show you how much you have to bet to win $100. So if you bet $180 on the 49ers, you would win $100. The “+” odds, on the other hand, show how much you’d win for a $100 bet. So if you put $100 on the Cowboys, you would win $240.
Another way to express this is through decimal odds. Decimal odds show you how much you would get paid for a bet of $100. So, in the above example, a $100 bet on the Cowboys would lead to a payout of $340 (your initial stake plus the $240 you won). The decimal odds for that bet would be 3.4 (100 x 3.4 = 340).
So the decimal odds for our example parlay would be:
- 49ers over Seahawks (1.56)
- Cowboys to cover (3.4)
- Pats-Dolphins under (1.91)
To figure out how much a parlay should be worth, simply multiply the decimal odds together:
- 1.56 x 3.4 x 1.91 = 10.13 (the equivalent of +913)
In theory, your parlay should be worth about +913, meaning a $100 parlay bet now pays $913. That’s quite the multiplier!
However, same game parlays are low-risk and low-reward. This is due to a concept called correlated odds.
In our same game parlay example from earlier, we bet on Tom Brady throwing two or more touchdowns, the Bucs winning, and an over-points total. That being said, if Brady (QB for the Bucs) throws two or more touchdowns, the Bucs have a higher chance of winning and amassing enough points to hit the over. As such, these bets are correlated.
Of course, every sportsbook knows this and will factor that in when determining their same game parlay odds. That means that while your payout will still be higher, don’t expect the same massive payouts you might find in a regular parlay.
Notable Same Game Parlay Wins
Okay, enough math! We can sit here talking decimal odds all day, but the real question is: are same game parlays worth it? It depends on who you ask. Some people believe that the payout boost isn’t worth the added risk since even one losing leg means the whole bet is lost.
But there’s also the counterargument, as shown by the winner of a same game parlay in early 2021. This bettor decided to go for broke with an 11-leg game parlay wager on a Celtics-Wizards regular-season NBA game. What happened?
- The use of an 11-leg parlay boosted his odds to +41117.
- He placed a modest bet of $250.
- All 11 legs hit, leading to a payout of $103,041.28.
It’s certainly rare for an 11-leg same game parlay to hit, but with a payout like that, our guess is that’s one bettor who thinks the added risk was worth it.
Same Game Parlay Quick Tips
If all this info has you champing at the bit to start betting same game parlays, there are a couple of tips to bolster your betting strategy:
- Do your research – This goes for any type of bet, but it’s especially beneficial to deep dive into a single game when placing a same game parlay. Know who’s playing well, who isn’t, the weather, who’s home, what the gameplans are likely to be, etc. The more knowledge you have, the smarter parlay you can create.
- Create a narrative – Once you’ve done your research, think about how the game is going to go. Maybe one team tends to stall in the red zone. It might be worth betting a player prop on their kicker hitting multiple field goals and the point total to stay low. Make sure all your bets fit together and are likely to happen in the same game.
- Bet modestly – The whole point of a parlay is to boost your odds so smaller bets can pay out more. Keep that in mind when determining how much to bet. Only bet what you can comfortably lose and take heart that the payouts when you win will be substantial.
- Prepare yourself emotionally – NFL same game parlays can be fun and exciting. They can also be frustrating when the poor amount of receiving yards from one player blows up your prop bet, or a late field goal kills your under. It’s hard to hit all the legs of a parlay. Be prepared to take some bad beats and come back to fight another day.
NFL Betting with Tipico
Maybe low-risk same game parlays are perfect for you, or maybe you prefer to spread your resources on multiple matchups. No matter your preference, Tipico’s online sportsbook has betting options that give you the inside edge for each sport.
And with our welcome offer of a 100% deposit match up to $100, there’s no excuse to stay on the sidelines. Get into the game with Tipico!
Sources:
US Bets. FanDuel Adds Twist To Same Game Parlay With Same Game Parlay Plus. https://www.usbets.com/fanduel-same-game-parlay-plus/
School of Bets. What is the Same Game Parlay? https://schoolofbets.com/what-is-the-same-game-parlay/
Oddsshark. What Is A Same Game Parlay? Same Game Betting Strategy. https://www.oddsshark.com/sports-betting/same-game-parlay
Tipico. Types of Sports Bets: A Guide. https://www.tipico.com/us/blog/types-of-sports-bets
CBS Sports. Bettor wins over $103,000 on $250, same game 11-leg parlay in Celtics-76ers matchup. https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/bettor-wins-over-103000-on-250-same-game-11-leg-parlay-in-celtics-76ers-matchup/
