Given the desire of bookmakers to do whatever is possible to win your custom, it is perhaps no surprise that more than a few of them are happy to offer you bonuses on full cover bets.
There are numerous different such wager types that you can play, so we’ll cover all of them here rather than just the Lucky 15 but it is the Lucky 15 which is by far the most popular bet of this type.
They are another example of a bookie doing what they can to get you logged into your account in order to persuade you to place your wagers with them, at least having the added bonus, no pun intended, of seeing you receive an extra payout if your bet ends up winning.
Current Offers
Place a horse racing or greyhound racing Lucky 15/31/63 with Betfred and you could get a cash bonus if all your selections win. If just one selections win, you could have your odds multiplied for that winner. Lucky 15s have a 10% bonus for four winners with 3x the odds for one winner. Lucky 31s have a 20% bonus for five winners with 4x the odds for one winner. Lucky 63s have a 20% bonus for six winners with 5x the odds for one winner.
What is a Full Cover Bet?
No doubt you will have heard of the terminology used around full cover bets, even if you’ve never actually placed one during your time as a bettor. The likes of Yankees, Heinz and Canadian bets join others such as Lucky 15, Lucky 31 and Lucky 36 wagers. In essence, the idea behind a full cover bet is that it consists of all of the available multiple bets that you can get on the selections that you’re making. The difference when it comes to Lucky bets is that they include single bets on top of the full cover multiples.
Here is a look at the various full cover bet types and the kinds of cover that you get with each:
Full Cover Bets
| Trixie | Yankee | Canadian | Heinz | Super Heinz | Goliath | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selections | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Singles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doubles | 3 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 21 | 28 |
| Trebles | 1 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 35 | 56 |
| 4-Folds | – | 1 | 5 | 15 | 35 | 70 |
| 5-Folds | – | – | 1 | 6 | 21 | 56 |
| 6-Folds | – | – | – | 1 | 7 | 28 |
| 7-Folds | – | – | – | – | 1 | 8 |
| 8-Folds | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Total Bets | 4 | 11 | 26 | 57 | 120 | 247 |
Please note that Canadians are also known as Super Yankees.
Full Cover Bets with Singles
| Patent | Lucky 15 | Lucky 31 | Lucky 63 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selections | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Singles | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Doubles | 3 | 6 | 10 | 15 |
| Trebles | 1 | 4 | 10 | 20 |
| 4-Folds | – | 1 | 5 | 15 |
| 5-Folds | – | – | 1 | 6 |
| 6-Folds | – | – | – | 1 |
| Total Bets | 7 | 15 | 31 | 63 |
Some of the above wagers require a certain number of wins in order to get a payout. For the full cover bets, you need at least two winners, or two places for each way bets, in order to get a return as singles are not included. With Lucky bets and Patents, you only need one winning selection to get something as singles are included.
When it comes to bonuses being paid, it is not only the Lucky bets that might receive some form of added bonus from bookmakers, fill cover bets such as Yankees are also normally included. These bonuses are normally paid for all of your selections winning in a certain bet, but other promotions may be available.
Whether to Consider Placing One
The main question that most punters will ask themselves is whether or not it is worth placing a full cover bet. It will obviously depend on your personal circumstances and how confident you are in your selection. There is no way to tell you precisely what bonus you will get if your selections all win, because each bookmaker is different in terms of what they’ll pay out. One might offer a 10% bonus for less than a full house of winners, for example, along with a 20% bonus if every selection is successful. Another might give a 10% bonus for a Lucky 15 and a 20% one for a Lucky 31.
Obviously there are considerations with Lucky/full cover bets, which includes the fact that they will cost you more money to place. With a Lucky 15, as an example, you are placing 15 different bets, so a £1 stake would mean that you’re paying £15 overall. For some people, the added cost of placing such a wager means that it’s not worth it in general. For others, the chance to receive an added bonus on top of the payout means that it is worth paying extra for the bet as a concept. Only you will know where you fit on that particular scale, so make sure that you make the choice that is right for you.
It’s All About Your Winnings
One of the key things to remember when it comes to Lucky bets is that the bonus amount is paid on your winnings only. That is to say, the original stake amount is not taken into account when your chosen bookmaker is looking to see how much extra to pay you. Let us imagine that you can place a £1 stake on a Lucky 15 for an overall stake of £15. The returns if every selection wins would be £314, with a 10% bonus to be paid on top.
Your initial stake of £15 would be removed from the overall winnings prior to the bonus being paid, making it £299. When you take 10% of £299, you get an additional £29.90 and a total of £343.90 that would be paid out. Some bookmakers will have a minimum amount for Lucky bets, which is often 10p per selection, whilst others may have a maximum stake in place too. Make sure you look to see what’s what with your bookie of choice.