What is a lucky 31 bet?

A lucky 31 bet is a full coverage style bet that is one step up from the Canadian bet. Whereas in a Canadian bet you would place 26 bets over five selections, a lucky 31 would see you place the same 26 bets, but then also cover yourself further with five singles on the same selections, taking the total up to 31 bets. 

The 31 bets that make up a lucky 31 bet are 5 singles, 10 doubles, 10 trebles, five fourfold accumulators, one fivefold accumulator. 

In a lucky 31 bet, only one of your selections needs to win for you to see some money returned, but it is worth remembering that winning just one of the 31 bets is not likely to make you a profit unless you have backed a serious outsider. 

If you’ve never placed a lucky 31 bet before, then doing it for the first time can seem incredibly daunting and complex. 

Fear not though, most betting sites will offer you the lucky 31 bet as an option when you place all five of your selections on your betslip. 

If they don’t, however, then it is good to know how to build the bet. It is also incredibly useful to know exactly what outcomes you are wagering your money on. 

The first thing you should do, of course, is head on over to your favourite bookmakers’ website and find your chosen sport/event. If you are unsure on which betting site to use, then feel free to check out our detailed reviews using the drop-down menu at the top of the page or explore our betting promo codes to claim a free bet.

For the following example, we are going to use horse racing to break down exactly what a lucky 31 bet looks like. It is worth noting that the bet will look exactly the same regardless of what sport you are placing the bet on. 

The first bet you will want to place is your five-fold accumulator: 

1) Horses A, B, C, D and E to all win their respective races. 

Second, you should then place your 5 singles bets: 

1) Horse A to win their race 

2) Horse B to win their race 

3) Horse C to win their race 

4) Horse D to win their race 

5) Horse E to win their race 

Up next, you will want to place your 4 fourfold accumulators: 

1) Horses A, B, C and D to win their respective races. 

2) Horses A, B, C and E to win their respective races 

3) Horses B, C, D and E to win their respective races 

4) Horses A, C, D and E to win their respective races 

Then you will want to place your ten trebles: 

1) Horses A, B and C to win their respective races 

2) Horses A, B and D to win their respective races 

3) Horses A, B and E to win their respective races 

4) Horses A, C and D to win their respective races 

5) Horses A, D and E to win their respective races 

6) Horses A, C and E to win their respective races 

7) Horses B, C and D to win their respective races 

8) Horses B, D and E to win their respective races 

9) Horses B, C and E to win their respective races 

10) Horses C, D and E to win their respective races 

And last, but by no means least, you will want to place your ten doubles bets: 

1) Horses A and B to win their respective races 

2) Horses A and C to win their respective races 

3) Horses A and D to win their respective races 

4) Horses A and E to win their respective races

5) Horses B and C to win their respective races 

6) Horses B and D to win their respective races 

7) Horses B and E to win their respective races 

8) Horses C and D to win their respective races 

9) Horses C and E to win their respective races 

10) Horses D and E to win their respective races. 

It is also possible for you to place an each-way lucky 31 bet, but this will further increase what is already an incredibly big stake. You should also note that your stake will be automatically multiplied by 31 when it is placed. 

As you can see from the above example, providing at least one of your horses wins, then you will win at least one of your 31 bets. If 2 of your horses win, let’s say Horses A and B, then you will win two singles and two doubles, and then so on and so forth. 

Thankfully, most betting sites will calculate your odds for you when you place the bet, so you don’t have the headache of working out exactly what you will win for each outcome, but using an odds calculator prior to placing your bet can be incredibly useful to work out whether or not the bet is worth placing in the first place. 

Unlike the other five selection bet type, the Canadian bet, the lucky 31 bet does cover all possible outcomes providing at least one of your horses wins, which does mean that you are provided with some extra insurance. 

That being said, unless you have chosen some serious outsiders, you are unlikely to make any profit if just one of your singles comes in and the other four selections lose. 

Needless to say, given the sheer number of bets that are being placed here, if all five of your selections come in, then you are set to make some pretty serious money. 

A lucky 31 bet can be incredibly costly and as with all bets, there is no guarantee that any of your selections is going to win. 

If none of your selections win, then you will have a lost a significant stake, and more conservative and seasoned gamblers would advise against taking this approach to gambling long term.