What is a Patent Bet?

To see how a patent bet works, here is an example:

• Horse A to win at odds 4.1
• Horse B to win at odds 2.8
• Horse C to win at odds 3.6

In this scenario, there are three different races and the bettor has chosen the horses named A, B and C to win. To form a $1 patent bet, the bet needs to be split into the seven separate bets, so the total stake will be $7.

With a stake of $1 on each bet, the singles bets could win

$4.10 for A, $2.80 for B and $3.60 for C

The doubles could win

$11.48 for A+B, $14.76 for A+C and $10.08 for B+C

The treble bet would win a total of $41.33

Altogether the maximum payout would be $78.08. If this is compared with how much the original stake, $7, could win on individual races, the potential winning would be much lower. The stake would be split into 3 individual bets of $2.33, for which A, B and C would win $9.55, $6.52, $8.39, for a total of $24.46.

Winning all three bets would lead to bettors making a huge profit, the treble bet is the real jackpot here as it alone brought in more than half of the winnings.

What Happens If One Horse Fails To Win?

It is difficult to correctly predict the winner of one horserace, let alone the winners of three races. If one of the bets failed, it could drastically cut into the potential winnings, but the bettor may still be in profit. If one horse fails to win, then instantly the treble, two of the doubles and one of the single bets are cancelled out, but the bettor will still win 3 out of the 7 bets.

If horse A fails to win, then the punter would still collect the following returns: $2.80 for B and $3.60 for C in single bets and $10.08 for B+C in the double bet, meaning they would pocket a total of $16.48.

Compared with the individual bets, the bettor would only pocket $6.52 + $8.39, for a total of $14.91

If horse B fails to win, then the punter would collect the following returns: $4.10 for A and $3.60 for C in single bets and $14.76 for A+C in the double bet, meaning they would pocket a total of $22.46.

The individual bets in this case would win $9.55 + $8.39 for a total of $17.94.

Finally, if horse C fails to win, then the punter would collect the following returns: $4.10 for A and $2.80 for B in single bets, and $11.48 for A+B in the double bet for a total of $18.38.

In the individual bets the punter would collect $9.55 + $6.52, for a total of $16.07.

In all of the possible outcomes where one horse fails to win, the patent bet combination still has a higher return than that of the single bets, and in all cases it is larger than the original stake as well, meaning that if one race loses it is not terrible for the punter.

What Happens If Two Horses Fail To Win?

If two of the horses do not win, then 6 out of the 7 bets will be lost. A small amount does return to the punter, but this is from the one individual stake on the only horse that won.

If A+B lose, then only the single bet on C to win the race pays, at $3.60.

If A+C lose, then the punter only gets $2.80 and if B+C lose, the punter only gets $4.10.

The returns do not cover the original stake, which means that the punter will have less money than before they placed the bet, but at least they receive a portion of their original stake back.

Why Should I Try Patent Betting?

Patent bets are not without their own risk, but the potential profit that three correct predictions can bring is huge. Rather than putting money onto individual races where the punter can win small profits, the patent bets offer punters far larger profits and also provides a small amount of insurance as even if one or two of the picks are incorrect, there will still be some returns.

The one thing to remember is that the minimum stake on this bet would be 7x the normal minimum stake. It is certainly more expensive than placing individual bets, but if punters win even one full patent bet, they will suddenly have massive winnings.