Round Robin

A round robin is a combination betting strategy that takes a group of three or more selections and automatically creates every possible parlay of a specified size from those selections. Rather than placing a single parlay that requires all picks to win, a round robin spreads your risk across multiple smaller parlays. This means you can still earn a return even if one or more of your selections loses, as long as enough of the individual parlays within the round robin are winners.

The most common form of a round robin uses two-team parlays (also called “doubles”), but bettors can also construct round robins from three-team parlays (“trebles”) or larger combinations. The total number of bets generated depends on the number of selections and the parlay size chosen. Because a round robin consists of multiple individual parlays, the total stake is the per-bet stake multiplied by the number of parlays created.

Example

Suppose you select three teams and create a round robin of two-team parlays with a $10 stake per parlay:

• Selection A: Lakers moneyline at -130 (decimal odds 1.77)
• Selection B: Celtics -4.5 at -110 (decimal odds 1.91)
• Selection C: Warriors moneyline at +120 (decimal odds 2.20)

A three-pick round robin of doubles produces three separate parlays:

1. A + B (combined odds: 1.77 x 1.91 = 3.38, potential payout: $33.82)
2. A + C (combined odds: 1.77 x 2.20 = 3.89, potential payout: $38.94)
3. B + C (combined odds: 1.91 x 2.20 = 4.20, potential payout: $42.02)

Your total stake is $30 (three parlays at $10 each). If Selections A and B win but C loses, Parlay 1 pays out $33.82 while Parlays 2 and 3 lose. You collect $33.82 on a $30 total investment, netting a $3.82 profit despite one losing pick.

Key Points

• Built-in loss protection: Unlike a straight parlay, a round robin can still produce a profit even when one or more selections lose, because the winning parlays may offset the losing ones.
• Higher total stake: Because you are placing multiple parlays, the total amount wagered is significantly higher than a single parlay. A round robin of six selections in doubles creates 15 separate bets.
• Flexible combination sizes: Bettors can choose the parlay size within their round robin – doubles, trebles, or larger groups – depending on how much risk they want to take and how many combinations they want to cover.
• Returns depend on which legs win: The overall profit or loss from a round robin depends not just on how many picks win but on which specific picks win, since each parlay carries different combined odds.
• Useful for confident multi-pick scenarios: Round robins work best when a bettor likes several selections but wants insurance against one or two unexpected losses rather than risking everything on a single large parlay.