A Patent is a relatively simple bet and is the smallest wager that falls under the “full cover with singles” umbrella. You can find related information in our article on the Lucky 15, which is effectively the slightly larger sibling of this bet. So, whilst a Lucky 15 has, as the name might indicate, 15 bets, a Patent is made up of just seven. Read on for more information on Patent bets, including how they can be used, what they cost and how much you might win.
What Is a Patent Bet?
In the family tree of multiples bets, the Patent would sit somewhere near the top as one of the founding blocks and original members of the clan. By that we mean it is a relatively simple multiples bet, especially in comparison to bets like the Lucky 63 or the Goliath. A Goliath entails a massive 247 different bets, formed using eight selections (sometimes called legs or predictions or, confusingly, bets).
In contrast, a Patent consists of just three selections and a total of seven bets. It can be viewed as either a Trixie that also includes the three component singles, or coming from a different angle it is equivalent to a Lucky 15 but with just three legs rather than four. However we describe it, the Patent wager consists of:
- Three Singles
- Three Doubles
- One Treble
In line with other such bets, each of these wagers has a stake attached to it, such that if you want to back a £5 Patent, it will set you back £35 (seven times £5). Because this is a full cover with singles bet, you only need one of your three predictions to be proved right in order to see a return. With two out of three correct, you will win three bets (two singles and a double) and with all three right you win all seven bets, naturally enough.
Can I Win Big with a Patent?
You can win big with any bet if the odds or stake are big enough but, in general, a Patent is not the best wager if you are chasing the big win we all dream of. The largest acca is just a Treble and there is only one of them, so compared to some of the wins you might see with a wager like a Super Heinz (120 bets in total including a sevenfold acca), a Patent is far less likely to land you that four-, five-, six- or dare we even dream that big, seven-figure win.
That said, it can add up very nicely indeed, especially if you have a few longer odds winners. Let’s say you opt for a correct score Patent on the weekend’s Premier League action. If you opted for three 2-1s in reasonably close games, you might get odds of 8/1 for each of them. A £5 Patent on such a bet would earn you a decent net win of £4,960, with total returns just a fiver shy of £5k.
If you were even bolder and fancied a really high-scoring set of games you might instead go for 3-3, 4-2 and 4-1. Depending on the teams involved, such correct score bets might be priced at 66/1, 50/1 and 40/1. If you were crazy, lucky, or brilliant enough to have a £5 Patent winning on that unlikely correct score trio, you would be looking at a balance of more than £742,000 in your online betting account!
Sports & Markets for Patents
Whilst we can but dream of landing three correct scores in odds-busting goalfests, in truth, it is not a scenario that is especially realistic. It is far from impossible though, and given how many people bet each and every week we’re sure someone somewhere has landed something similar. In fact, as recently as May 2021 one lucky punter turned £1 into £374,000 with a sevenfold correct score acca!
Whilst it is certainly possible to win bets at long odds, most people who bet on Patents tend to stick to simpler markets and selections. The majority of full cover bets (whether singles are included or not) tend to be placed on the main “to win” market in horse racing, or football staples like the match odds, both teams to score (BTTS) or over 2.5 goals.
That said though, as with the others bets we have mentioned, when it comes to a Patent you can more or less use any sport or market you like. You can stick to one sport, mix and match, or even ignore sport entirely and opt for a specials bet, perhaps on reality TV, the Oscars or even what song will be Christmas number one. The odds can be as high or as short as you want and as with other types of multiples bet and accumulators, you can bet to win or opt to go each way.
Just as with a standard single bet each way, the stake is doubled if you want to place an each way Patent. So, a £1 each bet of this type would cost you £14 in total. We explain more about how each way multiples work in our feature on doubles, which also explains fully about the issue of related contingencies.
No Related Contingencies
Related contingencies is the term bookmakers use to describe individual bets that cannot be combined in accas or multiples bets, be they Doubles, Trebles, Patents or anything else. It essentially means you cannot combine individual legs where the probabilities of each happening are related.
This typically means you cannot add markets from the same game or match into a Patent (or other multiple). These would instead be “betbuilder” type wagers in which the odds are calculated using an algorithm rather than by multiplying the odds of the component selections. As an example, you cannot have the following as a Patent:
- Man United to Win @ 6/4
- Man United to Win 2-0 @ 7/1
- Man United HT/FT @ 5/2
In the case of the second and third selections, if these win, then by definition, the first must always win. Equally, if either of the first two selections are correct, the probability of the third being correct is far greater, as we know the “full time” part of the selection is a winner, so rather than odds of 2/1, the real price would be much shorter.
How to Place a Patent
Once again, the mechanics of how to actually place a bet like a Patent is something we have covered in other articles. As such, for a fuller explanation, check out the feature we wrote about on Trixies. In short though, as with any bet of this nature, the first thing to do is add your three selections to your betting slip.
Once you have added three unrelated picks, your slip should show a range of options (this will vary from bookie to bookie). The best online betting sites will give you the option to place singles, doubles, the all-encompassing acca (in this case just a treble), a Trixie and the Patent. Next to the Patent option, it will indicate that the bet entails seven bets and when you add your stake here it will be multiplied by seven and that amount will appear in the total stake box at the bottom of the slip.
When to Place a Patent
Patent bets can be used in a range of ways depending on your approach to gambling and attitude when it comes to risk. On the one hand, they can be a decent option if you want to back selections at relatively long odds. Because it includes singles, just one winner at odds over 7/1 will get you a net win. If you get two at that sort of price then you should do very well, whilst all three will yield a really tidy sum.
On the other hand, some punters may feel that because they are making just three selections, this bet is better suited to shorter priced bets and higher stakes. If you make a bet like a Lucky 63, there are six legs involved and a total of 63 bets. With so many selections it is going to be hard to get them all right, or even to get four or five over the line. However, punters may have far greater confidence in their ability to call three football matches right or get three favourites from a day’s racing to hit.
In such a scenario where there are just three selections and the odds are reasonably short, you can risk a bigger stake. If all three come in you will make a nice net win with a good deal of insurance should just two win and the further insurance that even one winner will reduce your overall losses. As with all these bets, ultimately the choice is yours but we recommend experimenting with smaller stakes before betting too much. This way you can make sure you fully understand how they work and what sort of returns you might get under different circumstances.