SSA Calculator

Work out the returns on a Single Stakes About: two conditional bets on two selections, each funding a stake on the other.

A Single Stakes About calculator works out the returns on two conditional bets placed on two selections, where each bet funds a carry-forward stake on the other if the first leg wins, so you can see exactly what you will get back for every possible outcome.

What Is a Single Stakes About?

A Single Stakes About — often called an up-and-down — is one of the most elegant structures in betting. It consists of two separate bets on two selections, neither of which is a simple double. Instead, the bets are conditional: the first stakes your unit on selection A, and if it wins, places an automatic “any to come” stake of the same size on B. The second does the reverse, staking on B first and carrying forward onto A if B lands. It is the building block that every flag bet is assembled from, from the three-selection Round Robin up to the twenty-eight pairs inside a Goliath Flag.

Unlike a double, which pays only if both legs win, an SSA returns something whenever the first selection wins, even if the second loses. That leftover is a reduced loss, not a profit, but it softens the blow. When both selections land, the returns scale more generously than a simple double because the stake reloads. The pair costs twice your unit stake (one per bet) and is two sequential bets, not one simultaneous one.

A Single Stakes About is used more often as a component of larger systems than as a standalone bet, but understanding how this building block works is essential to grasping how system bets are calculated. Every Round Robin is three SSAs overlapping on three selections. Every Flag bet is built from SSA pairs arranged in a specific pattern. This is not a bet type that stands alone in most betting cultures — it is the foundation layer from which more complex combinations are built.

How a Single Stakes About Is Calculated

The formula for a Single Stakes About is simpler than it looks, because there are two bets running in parallel. Start with your unit stake — say €1.00. Bet 1 takes €1.00 and places it on selection A at its decimal price. If A wins, the return is the stake multiplied by the odds. That full return is then split: you remove a stake of €1.00 to place as an any-to-come bet on selection B, and the remainder stays with you regardless of what B does.

Bet 2 is identical in structure but reverses the order. It stakes €1.00 on B first. If B wins, the return is split the same way: €1.00 carries forward to A as an any-to-come stake, and the difference is yours to keep.

When both selections win, the pair returns twice your unit stake multiplied by the sum of the two decimal prices minus one. Using the worked example below with odds of 2.50 and 2.20 and a unit stake of €1.00, the return is 2 × 1.00 × (2.50 + 2.20 − 1) = 2 × 1.00 × 3.70 = €7.40.

The vital distinction from a double is that the two bets are separate processes, not simultaneous. Bet 1 must complete before any stake reaches B. This means that if A wins and the any-to-come lands on B, you are collecting returns from two different events in sequence, not multiplying two odds together. The formula reflects that: it is addition and subtraction, not multiplication.

What the Calculator Shows You

Enter the decimal odds for both selections and your unit stake, and the calculator returns the settlement for all four outcomes: both win, only the first wins, only the second wins, or neither wins. Return is the total cash amount handed back by the bookmaker across the pair. Profit is that return minus your total outlay (twice the unit stake). Any to come shows how much of the first leg’s winnings is forwarded to the second selection if the first lands.

The calculator also lets you mark each selection as Win or Loss to see the settlement instantly. This is particularly useful when tracking a bet through real matches, as you can update the result of the first selection and see exactly what the any-to-come stake will be, and then update the second to see the final return.

Worked Example

Consider a Single Stakes About placed on two Austrian selections with a unit stake of €1.00, for a total outlay of €2.00. The first selection is Wolfsberger to win at 2.50. The second is Ried to win at 2.20.

Bet 1 stakes €1.00 on Wolfsberger. If it wins at 2.50, the return is €2.50. Of that, €1.00 is placed as an any to come on Ried, and €1.50 stays with you. If Ried then wins at 2.20, the any-to-come stake of €1.00 returns €2.20, which is added to the €1.50 kept from Wolfsberger’s win. Bet 1 total: €3.70.

Bet 2 stakes €1.00 on Ried. If it wins at 2.20, the return is €2.20. Of that, €1.00 is placed as an any to come on Wolfsberger, and €1.20 stays with you. If Wolfsberger then wins at 2.50, the any-to-come stake of €1.00 returns €2.50, which adds to the €1.20 from Ried’s win. Bet 2 total: €3.70.

Combined: when both selections win, the pair returns €3.70 + €3.70 = €7.40, for a profit of €7.40 − €2.00 = €5.40. The SSA structure is deliberately designed to offer returns that sit between a standalone single and a full double.

How the Pair Settles on Every Outcome

The outcomes of a Single Stakes About are more varied than a simple double because of the leftover element. The table shows all four settlement possibilities for the worked example.

Notice that a single winner does not return your stake — it returns the leftover. Wolfsberger alone returns €1.50 of the €2.00 outlay. Ried alone returns €1.20. In both cases you lose money because the first leg’s any-to-come stake of €1.00 is never placed, so that portion of the return is forfeited. This is by design: the SSA is cheaper to place than a full double, and that saving comes at the cost of reduced returns when only one leg lands.

Bet 1 Step by Step (Stake on Wolfsberger, Any to Come on Ried)

Understanding how an SSA unfolds is clearer when you follow one bet from stake to settlement. The steps below show the flow of money through Bet 1 when both selections win.

The key insight is the split after Wolfsberger’s win. The €2.50 return is divided: €1.00 becomes a fresh stake, and €1.50 becomes profit that you collect regardless. If Ried loses, that €1.00 any-to-come stake is lost, but you still keep the €1.50. That is why a single winner in an SSA is a loss rather than a profit — the loss is cushioned, but it is still a loss.

The Leftover and Single Winners

The reason a Single Stakes About can pay when a double cannot is the leftover mechanism. If Wolfsberger wins at 2.50, the €2.50 return is split before any stake reaches Ried. One unit (€1.00) is forwarded as an any-to-come stake; the other €1.50 stays with you whatever happens next. So even if Ried loses, you collect €1.50 against a €2.00 outlay. It is a reduced loss, not a win, but far better than a double’s total wipeout.

This structure defines the risk-reward of every flag bet and system bet built from SSA pairs. When you have a Round Robin — three SSAs on three selections — a single winner gives you three returned leftovers but no compound stake. Two winners gives multiple any-to-come stakes that land, scaling returns faster. Three winners compound across all six bets within the Round Robin. This cascading effect makes system bets attractive: you are protected by leftovers when legs fail, yet rewarded with compounding when they land.

The order of the selections matters because the leftover depends on which selection wins first. If Wolfsberger wins but Ried loses, you collect €1.50. If Ried wins first but Wolfsberger loses, you collect €1.20. The two bets are asymmetrical by design, and that is why an SSA is two separate bets, not one bet with a choice of outcomes.

When a Single Stakes About Makes Sense

A Single Stakes About is most useful as part of a larger system, but understanding when to use it as a standalone bet clarifies why flag bets are built from it. It suits situations where you fancy two selections but want some return if exactly one lands, rather than the all-or-nothing risk of a double.

SSAs are typically used as components of larger systems with small unit stakes, rather than as standalone bets at large stakes. Value-wise, an SSA is not identical to a double. If you want the insurance of a leftover, or if you are building a system where that insurance compounds across multiple selections, an SSA makes more sense than a straight double. As a standalone bet, it is a consolation play: accepting lower returns in exchange for a half-win cushion.

Common Mistakes

Many bettors treat an SSA as if it were a double, forgetting that the two legs settle in sequence and the any-to-come stake is smaller than the full initial stake. Others overlook the fact that an SSA is two separate bets, so the outlay is twice the unit stake, not once. A frequent error is expecting a single winner to show a profit, when in fact it returns a leftover that is a small loss. Finally, some assume the order of the selections does not matter, but each of the two bets runs in a different order and settles differently depending on which leg wins first.

Single Stakes About vs Double Stakes About

An SSA and its cousin the Double Stakes About differ primarily in the size of the any-to-come stake carried forward if the first leg wins.