Reverse Bet Calculator

Work out the profit and loss on a reverse bet: two if-bets on the same pair of selections, run in both orders.

A reverse bet calculator shows the profit or loss on two if-bets run in both orders on the same pair of selections, covering all four outcome combinations.

What Is a Reverse Bet?

A reverse bet is two if-bets on the same pair of selections, one in each order. An if-bet stakes on the first selection and only places the second bet if that first one wins. Running it both ways round removes the question of which selection to lead with, at the cost of doubling the outlay. Instead of choosing whether to back A then B or B then A, a reverse bets both sequences and lets the results speak.

An if-bet is a conditional wager: your stake on the first leg only triggers a second bet if that first leg wins. The second leg is placed at even odds to the first, using the same unit stake. If the first leg loses, the second is never backed and the loss is simply the unit stake. This conditional structure is what makes an if-bet different from a parlay or accumulator, where both legs must win and the odds multiply together. In an if-bet, the second leg is a separate wager placed only if the first wins.

A reverse combines two if-bets to eliminate the risk of choosing the wrong order. If-bet 1 runs first selection to second. If-bet 2 runs second selection to first. Both use the same unit stake and settle independently; the total outlay is twice the unit stake because two separate bets are placed. The appeal is that you get paid if both win, but you also get a reading on what happens if just one wins — and you are not penalised for having picked the wrong order to run them in.

How a Reverse Bet Is Calculated

A reverse bet works by running two conditional wagers in parallel and summing their outcomes. If-bet 1 stakes on selection A; if A wins, an equal stake is placed on selection B. If-bet 2 stakes on selection B; if B wins, an equal stake is placed on selection A. Each if-bet is settled independently: you work out the profit or loss on the first leg (the initial stake times odds minus the stake), then if it wins, you work out the profit or loss on the second leg (that same stake times the second leg’s odds minus the stake). The two if-bets are calculated separately and their results are added together to give the overall profit or loss.

This is very different from a parlay, where the odds multiply and both legs must win for any return. In a reverse, the first leg can win and the second can lose, and you will have a specific profit or loss for each if-bet. If both selections win, both if-bets generate a profit and you get the sum of the two. If both lose, both if-bets lose their stakes and the loss is twice the unit stake. The key insight is that a single winner does not automatically produce a profit: the first if-bet might win its initial stake but lose more on the triggered second bet, and the other if-bet loses its stake outright. This is why the trigger — that second bet placed only if the first wins — is so important to understand.

The simplicity of the calculation is one reason reverses are popular. You state two selections, a unit stake, and you get four clear numbers: profit if both win, profit if the first wins and the second loses, profit if the second wins and the first loses, and the loss if both lose. No complex odds multiplication. No ambiguity about which direction to run the bets. The calculator takes care of all four scenarios.

What the Calculator Shows You

The calculator returns four figures, one for each possible outcome. Profit if both win shows what you collect if every selection lands; this is always positive and is the main attraction of the reverse. Profit if only the first selection wins shows what happens when the first leg wins but the second bet it triggers then loses. Profit if only the second selection wins shows the reverse scenario. Loss if neither wins tells you the maximum you can lose, which is always twice the unit stake because both if-bets lose their stakes.

Worked Example

Consider a reverse bet on two selections at EUR 25 per if-bet, EUR 50 staked in total. The selections are Alaves to win at 2.00 and Rayo Vallecano to win at 1.90.

If both selections win, the reverse returns a profit of EUR 95.00. If only Alaves wins, the profit is EUR -25.00 — a loss. If only Rayo wins, the profit is EUR -27.50 — a larger loss. If neither wins, the loss is EUR -50.00, which is the total outlay. These four outcomes illustrate why the reverse is structured the way it is: it pays well when both land, but a single winner does not guarantee profit, and the second selection to lose generates a different loss than the first.

Profit and Loss on a EUR 50 Reverse Bet, Every Combination

A reverse bet produces four distinct outcomes depending on which selections win. Each outcome generates a specific profit or loss worked out across both if-bets.

Why Only Alaves Winning Nets Zero on the First If-Bet

The trigger mechanism — the second bet placed only if the first wins — is what causes a single winner to net near-zero on one if-bet. When Alaves wins at 2.00, the profit is EUR 25.00. But because the if-bet is conditional, that profit immediately funds a EUR 25.00 bet on Rayo. If Rayo then loses, that EUR 25.00 is lost, bringing the if-bet exactly level.

This is the defining mechanism of an if-bet: the second wager consumes the profit from the first, making single winners much less valuable than they appear on the surface. The only time a single winner generates genuine profit is if that selection is priced high enough that the triggered second bet, even when it loses, cannot consume the entire first-leg profit.

The Trigger Is Everything

The trigger is what defines a reverse bet: the second leg is placed only if the first wins. That is why a single winner can leave an if-bet exactly level — the profit from the winner is consumed by the losing bet it triggered. It also means the two if-bets behave differently on the same result, because the leg that came first matters. Check the terms as well: some bookmakers trigger the second leg on a win or a push, others on a win only, and that changes the settlement. A push (void) on the first leg might still trigger the second, or it might not; the result can swing the overall profit or loss of the reverse by the unit stake.

This conditional structure also means a reverse is not a parlay. A parlay requires both selections to win for any return, and the odds multiply together. A reverse settles each if-bet independently and adds them, so you can profit if both land but you can also see exactly what you lose if only one does. That granularity is useful for risk management, but it also means you need to think carefully about what the single-winner scenarios look like before you commit the stake.

When a Reverse Bet Makes Sense

A reverse bet is useful when you have two selections you fancy but want to avoid the cliff-edge of backing them as singles (which pays on each one independently but forfeits the upside of both winning) or as a parlay (which pays only if both land). A reverse splits the difference: it gives you the upside of both winning and also tells you the cost of each losing separately. The question is whether that middle ground is worth the doubled outlay compared to your alternatives.

Reverses are most useful when you have two selections at short to medium odds where the compounding advantage of a parlay (or its cousin, the accumulator) does not look attractive, but you still want to capture the upside if both land. At EUR 25 per if-bet (EUR 50 total outlay), a reverse with both selections at 2.00 and 1.90 returns a profit of EUR 95.00. Compare this to backing them separately or as a parlay, and ask which payoff structure and risk profile fits your view. Reverses are also popular in US sports betting as a flexible product: the symmetry (both orders covered) removes the risk of picking the wrong sequence, and the settlement-by-settlement result table makes it easy to see exactly what you stand to win or lose in each scenario.

Common Mistakes

Many bettors assume a reverse bet is one wager when it is two if-bets and costs twice the unit stake. Others expect a single winner to show a profit, when the triggered bet usually cancels it out. Some overlook whether the bookmaker triggers the second leg on a win only or on a win or push, a detail that changes the settlement. Finally, some treat a reverse as a parlay, forgetting that the legs settle separately and in sequence, not multiplied together.

Reverse Bet vs Single Stakes About

The reverse bet and the Single Stakes About are close cousins, but they differ in how the second leg is funded.