Tricast Calculator

Work out the returns and the number of bets on straight and combination tricasts, predicting the first three in exact order.

A tricast calculator shows how many bets a combination tricast covers and reveals the total cost and return for straight and combination tricasts in decimal format and euros.

What Is a Tricast?

A tricast is a bet on which three selections finish first, second and third, in that exact order. It is the forecast extended by one place, and the extra place makes it dramatically harder: where a forecast has two possible orders for two selections, a tricast has six for three. Straight tricasts require you to predict the exact finishing order of three selections — backed in a specific sequence, they must land in that sequence to win. Combination tricasts cover every possible ordered trio from your selection pool, so you win regardless of the order so long as those three selections fill the first three places.

The appeal of a tricast lies in high odds and high payouts for small stakes. A single correct prediction on three selections in a major football league match or event can return substantial money. The catch is exactly what makes the return large: the probability of guessing three specific selections in exact order is genuinely low. A combination tricast removes the order problem but multiplies the cost, because the number of possible orderings grows rapidly. This is where the permutation formula becomes crucial: three selections create six possible orders, but four selections create twenty-four, and five create sixty. Understanding this growth pattern is essential, because many bettors add a selection or two to their tricast without fully grasping how the cost will balloon.

How a Tricast Is Calculated

A straight tricast is simple: you predict one exact order, the bet costs one stake unit, and if those three selections finish in exactly that order at the given tricast price, you collect the stake multiplied by the price. The difficulty lies in the combination version, which covers every possible order among your selections. The mathematics is a permutation: with n selections, the number of ordered trios is n × (n − 1) × (n − 2). Three selections give 3 × 2 × 1 = 6 bets. Four selections give 4 × 3 × 2 = 24 bets, four times as many. This permutation growth is why bettors often misjudge combination tricast cost.

The return calculation is straightforward: take your stake per line, multiply by the number of lines (which the calculator computes), and that is your total outlay. If the bet wins, the tricast price multiplies by your stake per line to give the return. If your stake per line is €1 and the tricast pays 26.00, you return €26.00 per winning line. The calculator shows the total outlay and lets you adjust the stake per line to keep the total cost manageable as the number of lines grows.

What the Calculator Shows You

Enter whether you want a straight or combination tricast, list your three selections in the order you expect them to finish, and provide the tricast price. The calculator computes how many lines the bet covers, multiplies by your chosen stake per line, and shows the total outlay. It then multiplies the stake per line by the tricast price to reveal the return if every selection finishes in exactly the order backed.

The key figures are the number of ordered trios covered (6 from three selections, 24 from four, and so on) and the total outlay, which multiplies the number of lines by the stake per line. For a straight tricast this is always 1 line, so the total outlay equals your stake per line. For a combination tricast from four selections at €1 per line, the outlay is 24 × €1 = €24.00. Understanding this relationship prevents the common mistake of treating the stake as the total wager rather than the cost per line.

Worked Example

A straight tricast on a Champions League group at a €5.00 stake involves backing PSV first, Lens second, and Sevilla third. The tricast price is 26.00. This is 1 bet on 1 specific order, so the total outlay is simply €5.00. If PSV finish first, Lens second, and Sevilla third in that exact order, the return is €5.00 × 26.00 = €130.00, a profit of €125.00. If the order is wrong — if Lens finish first and PSV second, for example — the bet returns nothing. All three must finish in exactly that sequence. This high probability requirement is why the odds are attractive: the bookmaker is pricing in the genuine difficulty of nailing the exact order. The same three teams might win together in a treble for much lower odds, but the tricast pays for the added difficulty of ordering them correctly.

How Many Bets a Combination Tricast Costs

The permutation formula n × (n − 1) × (n − 2) shows why combination tricasts expand so rapidly. The table below shows the number of ordered trios and the outlay at €1 per line.

Tricast Against Forecast From the Same Selections

A tricast extends the forecast by adding a third place. This extra place makes the combination version far more expensive, because the permutation is larger. Three selections produce the same number of ordered pairs as ordered trios, but add a fourth selection and the tricast covers four times as many combinations as the forecast.

The Rapid Growth of Combination Tricasts

The growth is what catches people out. Three selections give six ordered trios, the same as a combination forecast, but four selections give twenty-four against the forecast’s twelve, and six selections give one hundred and twenty against thirty. Adding a single selection to a combination tricast can double or triple the bill, so the stake per line has to come down as the field goes up. Tricasts are also usually void or reduced if a selection is withdrawn, which can reshape the whole market. A withdrawal may void all bets that include that selection, or the bookmaker might recompute the lines without it, requiring recalculation of the outlay and the potential return.

The permutation structure also means that tricasts are not easily hedged. In a forecast, you can lay a few competing combinations to cover losses; in a tricast, the sheer number of lines makes it impractical to hedge more than a couple. A five-selection combination covers 60 different orderings; laying even half of them would cost nearly as much as the original wager and leave you with minimal upside if you land a winner. This is another reason to size the stake per line conservatively: a tricast is usually an all-in proposition, not a bet to hedge. You commit to the full cost upfront and accept the variance that comes with it.

When a Tricast Makes Sense

Tricasts work best when you have a strong, specific view on the order. A straight tricast rewards conviction: if you are genuinely confident that three selections will finish in a particular sequence, the higher odds make a small stake worthwhile. This requires genuine strength of opinion, not just a hunch. A combination tricast makes sense only when you are confident the three selections will occupy the first three places but genuinely uncertain of their order — and even then, you must be comfortable with the rising cost as you add selections. Four selections means 24 lines; five means 60. At €1 per line, a five-selection combination costs €60.00 to give yourself any shot at the full tricast.

Bankroll management is critical. Tricasts have extremely high variance: you either win big or lose small, and the long-term expectation depends heavily on whether the prices offered represent value against your true estimate of the probability. Most bookmakers price tricasts aggressively to their favour, especially on high-profile events where liquidity allows them to tighten margins. The bookmaker always has an edge on these bets, which is why the odds are attractive in the first place. Treat a tricast as entertainment with upside, not as a wealth-building tool. Stake small, keep the selection pool modest, and use a combination tricast only when you genuinely prefer not to express an opinion on order. If you find yourself adding selections primarily because the potential payout looks big, that is a sign you should reduce the pool and lower the stake per line instead.

Common Mistakes

The most common error is assuming a combination tricast scales like a forecast — it grows far faster. Many bettors also read the stake as the total rather than per line, leading to shock at the total outlay when they add a fourth selection. Others back a straight tricast without a genuine view on the exact order, effectively making an expensive lottery bet. Finally, bettors often ignore what a withdrawal does to the market and to the bet, forgetting that a void or recomputation can wipe out combinations and change the calculation entirely.

The Two Order Bets Side by Side

A tricast and a forecast both predict finishing order, but the tricast adds a third place and the combination version costs significantly more as the selection pool grows.