Goliath is a biblical figure, a Philistine giant who was either almost seven feet or almost 10 feet, tall, depending on who you believe. Either way, the anti-hero of the Book of Samuel, slain by wee David, has absolutely nothing to do with this piece. Random intro over, let us look at the multiples bet called a Goliath due to its huge size. We might not know how tall Goliath was (or if he even existed) but we do know that a Goliath bet is a massive 247 bets rolled into one!
What Is a Goliath Bet?
A Goliath is the largest standard full cover bet and features eight legs, or selections. It is called a full cover bet because it covers all available accumulators that can be made from eight selections. Starting with doubles, of which there are 28 possible combinations of the eight picks, it also covers 56 trebles and the same number of fivefolds, as well as a massive 70 fourfolds, 28 sixfolds, eight sevenfolds and the one all-encompassing eightfold acca. We have written separate features on the other major full cover bets and you can access these via the links below:
- Trixie – Three selections and four bets
- Yankee – Four selections and 11 bets
- Super Yankee/Canadian – Five selections and 26 bets
- Heinz – Six selections and 57 bets
- Super Heinz – Seven selections and 120 bets
In essence, all of these bets work in exactly the same way but just have a different number of total bets due to being based on an increasing number of selections. As such, and partly because Goliaths are placed relatively infrequently due to the large number of individual bets they entail, we will keep this piece brief. For more information on anything we mention here, check out the Super Heinz article, which will provide more detailed answers or direct you to the relevant article which covers that particular facet of full cover multiples betting.
In short though, as with all of these bets, you must first make your selections, in the case of a Goliath, that means eight of them. As ever this can be as simple and “boring” as you like, or as complex and inventive as takes your fancy. Predict eight results from the weekend’s football, eight matches that will have over 2.5 goals, or go for glory and try to predict all eight winners from a single horse racing meeting. Or why not make a Goliath with a bit of football, some tennis, a few horses, who will win Strictly Come Dancing and a couple of NFL points spreads?
The choice is yours, and you can use any odds or a wide range of prices, from any markets in any sports, mixing and matching as you see fit. The only restriction is that the markets cannot be linked, such that the probabilities of each are intertwined. Bookies call such selections related contingencies, something we look at in more detail in our doubles article, as well as in some of the other pieces.
Examples include being unable to back a team to win and also to win 2-1. The former might be evens, with the latter priced at 6/1. If this was allowed as a double the effective odds would be 13/1 but, of course, by definition, if a team wins a game 2-1, they have won – the 6/1 price for the more specific prediction of a 2-1 win effectively already includes the odds for the team to win. Another perhaps less obvious example might be that before F1 qualifying starts, you try to add Lewis Hamilton to be on pole and the Brit also to win the race to the same Goliath slip. This is not permissible as part of a multiple bet because if he is fastest in qualification, his chances of winning the race automatically improve.
In the same way that backing PSG to win 2-0 and Neymar to score first is not a double, but rather a single scorecast bet, so the wager on Hamilton would be a single selection with odds calculated separately from the prices for the two related elements of the wager. Other than related contingencies like these, you can add anything to a Goliath though.
How Much Can I Win with a Goliath?
Before we look at what you might win, let us first consider the cost of this huge combined bet. As said, it is made up of a total of 247 component bets, each with its own stake. As such, a £1 Goliath will actually set you back £247, a pricey wager to say the least!
However, with so many bets, that is the chance for a lot of winners and potentially a huge win. As with all the full cover (without singles) bets we have detailed above, at least two legs must win for you to get anything back. Again, as with the others, should two selections win, your only winning bet will be the applicable double, so barring that being at staggering odds, the 246 lost bets will mean you almost certainly make an overall loss.
At the other end of the spectrum, to win all 247 bets you must, of course, get all eight of your predictions correct. Manage that, and even if all eight selections were odds-on “bankers” (we use inverted commas because sadly in gambling, there are no true bankers) at 1/5, you will still more than double your money, making a net win of £291 from a £1 Goliath (£247 total stake). Below you can see the net win you would make from a selection of different Goliath bets, all based on a £1 stake per line/selection:
| Number of Winning Selections | Odds of Winners | Net Win |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1/6, evens, 3/1, 5/1 | -£33.67 |
| 5 | 1/3, 4/5, evens, 2/1, 3/1 | £131.87 |
| 5 | 1/3, 4/5, 2/1, 3/1, 6/1 | £780.20 |
| 6 | 1/3, 4/5, evens, 2/1, 3/1, 3/1 | £1695.87 |
| 7 | 1/3, 8/13, 4/5, evens, 2/1, 3/1, 3/1 | £4,860.41 |
| 7 | All at evens | £1,925 |
| 8 | All at evens | £6,297 |
| 8 | 1/3, 8/13, 4/5, evens, 2/1, 3/1, 3/1, 8/1 | £50,986.79 |
As you can see, the winnings can really add up very quickly. Get all eight right even at short odds and you should be looking at a four-figure win. On the other hand, get just five or six right with some of those at decent odds of around the 2/1 mark and you should be looking at an equally impressive return.
When you get five or more selections right, each one is involved in a number of bets and so even getting one winner at longer odds can really boost overall returns. For example, the five-winner Goliath detailed above that returns a net win of £780.20 would yield a massive £5995.20 if the winner at 1/3 was instead priced at 12/1.
Goliath: Key Points
If you have a reasonable knowledge of multiples betting then this relatively brief article should mean you are confident placing a Goliath bet. If you are coming at this as more of a newbie, check out our other articles for clarification on any points, including on how to physically add such a wager to your betting slip online and how each way Goliath and full cover betting works. In summary though, the key points to remember for a Goliath are:
- To make a Goliath, add eight selections to your betting slip
- All picks must be unrelated (usually not on the same match, race or event and never what bookies call related contingencies)
- However, selections can be at any odds from any sports or specials and use any markets
- Goliath is 247 bets in total so a 10p Goliath costs £24.70
- Each way bet is possible but only on the whole bet, meaning each of the 247 individual wagers is each way and a 10p bet would cost £49.40
- At least two selections must win but if only two do, then only one bet out of 247 wins
- To win all 247 bets, all eight selections must be successful
- Depending on the odds you will probably need four or five winners to make a net win