Accumulators are bets that contain a number of unrelated selections where all must win in order for the bet to be successful. They can be small, with just two legs (known as a double – check out our feature on doubles for more detailed information about lots of facets of accumulator betting covered briefly here); or they can run to as many different selections as your bookmaker will allow. That might be 10, 12, 14 legs, or even more, but certainly (at least as far as we know) all major UK betting sites will allow you to place an accumulator with nine separate selections. Such a bet is called a ninefold and that is exactly what we will be looking at here.
What Is a Ninefold Bet?
Whether you opt to call it, or more accurately write it, as a ninefold, 9-fold, 9 fold or any other similar thing, a ninefold is, very simply, an accumulator bet that has nine unrelated selections. As an eightfold is to a sevenfold, so a ninefold is to an eightfold. A double is an accumulator, or acca, with just two legs, a treble has three, a quadruple, or fourfold, has four and then you keep going for as long as you want – or your bookmaker will allow.
Given we have articles on almost every multiple, acca and combination bet going, from a treble to a sixfold, from a Lucky 15 to a Goliath and from an Up and Down to a Flag, we are not going to repeat ourselves (too much) by going into the full details of every aspect of a ninefold bet. Much of what applies to one type of acca, applies to them all, so this will simply offer a short, concise round-up of everything you need to know about such a bet, with a more in-depth take available in many of those other pieces.
What Sports, Markets & Odds Can I Add to a 9 Fold?
You can usually add any selections at all to your ninefold as long as they do not include bets that are related to each other in terms of the outcomes. That means at most bookies you can mix pretty much any sport, market or odds, including a mix of outrights and match bets, ante post, pre-match and in-play; and you can also choose nine very similar markets from the same sports, or create a wild acca that mixes reality TV, music, weather, golf, ice skating and anything else that takes your fancy.
What Can’t I Include?
The only thing you can never include in any acca is related contingencies, markets where the outcome’s probabilities influence each other. Such bets should be placed either using a bet builder, request-a-bet service or pre-existing specials markets. Online software should not allow you to place a ninefold, or any acca, that includes related markets.
As a general rule, bets on the same game (or match, cup, tournament, race or anything else) are likely to be related contingencies. Some are obviously linked, such as Everton to win 4-0 and Everton to win the first half, but others are less obvious. If you have any doubts check with the bookie’s staff, especially if you are placing your bet in a physical shop.
How Are Winnings Calculated?
The initial stake is wagered on the first leg of any acca and if it wins, the stake and winnings roll over onto the next leg, the combined amount effectively becoming the stake on the second leg. If this wins, this rolls over to the third leg, and so on. So if you backed a £1 ninefold with every selection at odds of evens, and all legs won, the stake would progress as such: £1, £2, £4, £8, £16, £32, £64, £128, £256. When that ninth pick comes in, your total returns are £512, giving effective odds of 511/1!
What If Just One Leg Loses?
With an acca of any size, it is all or nothing and even if just one selection fails to win, you lose your stake.
Offers for Ninefolds
In light of the above, it is worth noting that there are often offers available that are relevant to accas, including ninefolds. One such promotion is acca insurance, whereby if just one leg loses, you get your stake back (usually as a free bet as opposed to withdrawable cash). Others may give you a boost to the winnings if you land the full accumulator. If you like betting on 9 folds and similar bets, such promotions are well worth looking out for.
One word of warning though: be sure to check the key terms and conditions for any offer as there may be minimum odds required, a maximum number of legs or maximum stake, and always a minimum number of selections (though ninefolds should be enough for almost all offers).
9 Folds from 10 or 11 Selections
With a ninefold you need 100% success and must land nine out of nine legs in order to avoid losing your stake. If you opt for a ninefolds from 10 selections bet, or a ninefolds bet from 11 selections (or more), you can afford to lose one or two (or more selections) and as long as you get at least nine right, you will get a return. What’s more, unless all nine winners are at incredibly low odds, even getting nine out of 11 will almost certainly be enough to deliver a net win.
To make such a bet add as many selections as you want to your slip, then click the stake option for 9-folds. This will automatically back every possible ninefold combo that can be made with the number of selections you added. Note that a separate stake is needed for each acca though, so with nine from 10 a £1 bet will cost £10, whilst ninefolds from 11 selections will cost £55 and if you opt for even more margin for error, backing ninefolds from 12 selections will mean 220 separate stakes (so a £1 bet would cost £20)!
Can I Back a 9 Fold Each Way?
An alternative option to the above if you want to back a ninefold but feel getting nine out of nine winners is too much to ask is to back your 9 fold each way. As with any each way wager, the stake is split, with half going on the win part of the bet and half on the place, or each way. This means a £10 total stake would be described as a £5 each way ninefold. If all of your picks win, you win both bets, if any lose (do not win or place) then you lose both.
Any combination of wins and places, or nine finishes in the places, means you win the each way half of the wager only. To place such a bet, all nine selections must be available to back each way. The each way terms (number of places and percentage of odds) are applied on a leg by leg basis.
How Do I Place a 9-Fold?
Either online or in a betting shop, placing a ninefold is easy. In a shop, just write your nine bets down, making the market, match and selection clear. Write “ninefold acca” and add your stake. If you want to have the odds for each pick confirmed you will need to ask for this and if you are unsure if any legs are related contingencies it is best to ask that too.
Online things are, as is often the way, even easier. Just add your nine selections (or more if opting for such a bet, as detailed above) to the betting slip. Make sure that no selections are highlighted as being unavailable to combine in an acca. Next, tick the box for the acca, accumulator, ninefold or similar, and then confirm your total stake. The stake for the bet and the total stake should be the same value – if not, you have not backed a single 9-fold acca. Then just confirm as you would normally.
How Much Can I Win?
In short, sweet, simple terms: a lot! As we have seen above, a ninefold with all legs at evens pays out at over 500/1. If you decide to go for what you believe are bankers, say at odds of just 1/5, even that will deliver a total return of more than 4/1. Okay, that’s not that big but at 1/5 you should certainly have a great chance of getting the bet over the line or at least close.
However, if we turn the dial the other way, even just slightly, the odds really begin to spiral. With nine picks at odds of 4/1 your total return equates to more than 1.9m to one! That means even a tiny stake of just 10p would land you £195,312! One thing to note if you do want to place a ninefold is that bookies do have maximum payout rules on some sports. These may not always apply to accas but it is worth checking because otherwise you might be staking more than you have to without any extra upside from the risk.
There have certainly been some incredible accas wins over the years though. One man won a massive £550k on Frankie Dettori’s Magnificent 7 at Ascot. Another scooped over £1m – and that was just from a winning sixfold acca! Landing an acca like these is far from easy but get it right and you will be a very happy individual!