You’ve built the perfect fivefold parlay. Four legs are in. One match left. You’re already daydreaming about the payout, and then your final pick bottles it. A last-minute equalizer. A red card. A fluke goal. Whatever it is, your whole bet’s dead.
That feeling is exactly why the Lucky 31 exists.
It’s for people who want to back multiple picks without letting one rogue result ruin the lot. You’re still betting on five outcomes, but this time, you’ve got 31 chances to get paid.
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What is a Lucky 31 bet?
A Lucky 31 is a type of sports bet that lets you cover every possible combination of five different picks, with the goal of giving you a better chance of winning something even if some of your picks lose.
Instead of placing one single bet where all five have to win (like a parlay), you’re placing 31 separate bets. That includes bets on each individual selection to win, plus every possible double, treble, fourfold, and the full fivefold combo.
You can still get a return even if only one or two of your picks come through. The more that win, the more combinations pay out — and if all five win, the payout can be massive.
It’s a bet designed for people who are confident in multiple outcomes but don’t want one upset to ruin their whole day.
An example of how a Lucky 31 bet works
Say you’re betting on five weekend football matches. You pick five teams to win:
- Man City to beat Spurs at +150
- Bayern Munich to beat Dortmund at +120
- Inter Milan to beat Roma at +180
- PSG to beat Lyon at +140
- Benfica to beat Porto at +160
You place a $1 Lucky 31 — that’s $1 on each of the 31 possible bet combinations, for a total stake of $31.
Three of your teams win: Man City, Inter Milan, and PSG. The other two lose.
That result triggers:
- 3 winning singles
- 3 winning doubles
- 1 winning treble
- 24 losing lines (the ones involving Bayern or Benfica)
Even though two picks lost, 7 of your 31 bets still return something. Depending on the odds, that could be enough to recover your stake or even make a profit.
If all five teams had won, every line would hit, including the fivefold, and your payout would multiply fast.
When should you place a Lucky 31 bet?
A Lucky 31 isn’t your go-to for a casual flutter. It’s for those moments when you’ve got five bets you genuinely rate, but you’re realistic enough to know one of them might let you down.
A few scenarios where a Lucky 31 works best are:
- You’re backing five picks across separate events, not five things in one match
- You’re confident, but not delusional, you think at least a few will win
- Your picks aren’t all -200 favorites. You’ve got a couple with meat on the odds
- You’re fine staking more than usual because you want more ways to get paid
It’s a common move in horse racing, where results can be chaotic and you’re trying to stay in the game even if a short-priced runner flops. But it works just as well across football, tennis, and UFC too. Well, basically any sport or esport with multiple fixtures.
On the flip side, if you’ve only got two or three picks you trust, or they’re all at short odds, this probably isn’t the play. You’ll be spreading your money too thin for too little return.
What are the pros and cons of a Lucky 31 bet?
Like most system bets, a Lucky 31 comes with trade-offs. You’re getting more coverage and more chances to win — but it’ll cost you more upfront, and the returns only really shine when multiple picks land.
The upsides
You can still win when most bets lose
Even if just one of your five picks comes in, you’ll get a return from the single. That softens the blow — especially if it’s at a decent price. And when two or three win, the doubles and trebles start to stack up.
The full house pays big
If all five picks win, the Lucky 31 lights up like a slot machine. Every combination hits — singles, doubles, trebles, fourfolds, and the fivefold. That’s a lot of payout lines feeding into one ticket.
The downsides
It’s not cheap
You’re placing 31 bets. If you’re staking $1 per line, that’s $31. Go each-way and it jumps to $62. That’s a big step up from a $5 parlay or a couple of singles.
It’s not always worth it with short odds
If your picks are all favorites, you’ll need four or five of them to win just to break even — and that’s if you’re lucky. Singles and doubles on -150 aren’t doing much for your bottom line.
You need to track more moving parts
This isn’t a “set it and forget it” bet. If you’re following results live, expect a lot of mental math — or keep a calculator tab open.
If you’d rather focus on stake progression than complex combinations, systems like the Fibonacci betting strategy might be more your style.
FAQs
No. You’ll get a return even if just one of your picks wins. The more that win, the more lines pay out.
Yes, as long as your sportsbook allows it. It’s most common in horse racing and football, but you can use it across any events with fixed odds.
It’s 31 bets, so your total stake is whatever your unit size is × 31. A $1 Lucky 31 = $31 total. Each-way doubles that to $62.
A Canadian (also called a Super Yankee) also uses five picks but doesn’t include the singles. So it’s 26 bets instead of 31. Lucky 31 = more coverage, higher cost.
It depends. If you understand the cost and you’re confident in your picks, it’s a solid option. But it’s not cheap, so it’s better for planned, deliberate bets than casual punts.
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