![What is a Lucky 31 bet and how does it work?](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/betting/Better-Collective/Betting_Explained.jpg?imwidth=680)
What is a Lucky 31 bet and how does it work?
A Lucky 31 consists of 31 bets of equal value on selections in five separate events. We explain the benefits and drawbacks of this bet
![What is a Lucky 31 bet and how does it work?](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/betting/Better-Collective/Betting_Explained.jpg?imwidth=680)
In a Lucky 31 you need just one of your selections to be successful to earn a payout. Your doubles, trebles, fourfolds and fivefold make sure that with each additional winner your returns rise, sometimes significantly, as the various multiple bets are settled. It is a bet most commonly used by horse racing bettors and can be used during the Grand National Festival.
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How does a Lucky 31 work?
The 31 bets of a Lucky 31 cover your five selections as follows:
- Check out the latest free bets to use on this week’s sporting action.
Why should I place a Lucky 31 bet?
If you’ve got five selections in different events and you fancy each of them to win, a Lucky 31 is a way to back them all while also having the potential to land some lucrative multiples even if one or two let you down. A Lucky 31 is also easier and quicker to place than making all 31 bets individually, which means it could be perfect for the Grand National Festival.
Does a Lucky 31 have any drawbacks?
The main drawback of placing a Lucky 31 bet is that all 31 bets have to have the exact same stake (the unit stake). As a result, it’s not possible in any way to focus more of your total stake on the doubles than the fivefold for example, even though they have a greater probability of winning.
If you wish to change your stake an alternative is adding all the bets involved to your bet slip individually. Doing this would also allow you to stake more on the singles and multiples that include your most fancied selections and less on those that included picks which were more of a long shot.
How to work out Lucky 31 bet winnings
Using our Lucky 31 bet calculator is the easiest way to calculate what you’d win in any permutation of your Lucky 31 results. Here’s how you work it out yourself:
- If you have fractional odds convert them into decimals by dividing the top number by the bottom and adding one. (For example 2/1 becomes 3.0 and 9/4 becomes 3.25.)
- Single bets: decimal odds x stake = return (including stake)
- Doubles: selection 1 odds x selection 2 odds = return (including stake)
- Trebles: selection 1 x selection 2 x selection 3 = return (including stake)
- Fourfold: selection one x selection two x selection three x selection four = return (including stake)
- Fivefold: selection one x selection two x selection three x selection four x selection five = return (including stake)
How does an each-way Lucky 31 work?
An each-way Lucky 31 is one in which all the bets are each-way bets. It contains a total of 62 bets so the total stake for an each-way Lucky 31 is double that of a standard Lucky 31. An each-way Lucky 31 will give you a payout for every horse that places as well as each one that wins. This is available for the three days of the Grand National Festival, including the big race itself on the Saturday.
Bookies usually offer 1/5 of the win odds for the place part of horse racing each-way bets. This means a £1 each-way bet (costing £2) on a 5/1 horse would pay out at evens if the horse placed, meaning your return would be your £1 profit, plus the returned £1 stake for the winning place bet.
As a result it makes sense to include mainly selections for which the each-way place payout will be more than your original stake. Otherwise you could find that you lose money on some of your bets even if your horse places.
What is the difference between a Lucky 31 and a Canadian?
A Lucky 31 is the ‘full coverage’ version of the Canadian bet. Canadians don’t include the singles that feature in a Lucky 31. They consist of 26 bets: 10 doubles, 10 trebles, five fourfolds and 1 fivefold accumulator. A £1 Canadian costs £26.
If you want to bet on five selections at short odds, a Canadian may be a better multiple than a Lucky 31. If the returns on your picks as singles aren’t anything spectacular in terms of price then you may prefer to use more of your total stake on the multiples, which if combined can yield bigger payouts.
Can you place a Lucky 31 during the Grand National?
There are lots of opportunities to place a Lucky 31 during the Festival, with seven races daily until Friday.
The fields are generally big, meaning there will be ample openings to include long-odds selections in your Lucky 31 – and even if just two win, there is the option of having a payout from your bet.
The Grand National Festival is an ideal meeting for a Lucky 31.
Find out more about horse racing betting
Visit our horse racing betting section for more straightforward guides to betting on racing including:
- What is a Trixie bet and how does it work?
- What is a Yankee bet and how does it work?
- Rule 4 in horse racing betting: the deduction explained
Looking for expert racing predictions and football predictions?
Take a look at free horse racing predictions every day, as well as regular football betting tips.